[Lecture] The Department of What Are You Talking About

Today, we have invited Professor Minamino to deepen our understanding of his life's work and area of expertise, the 'Department of What Are You Talking About'.

Professor Minamino, thank you for being here.

Thank you for having me. To start off, do you know the world's first 'What are you talking about'?

Thank you for such a difficult question right off the bat. Actually, knowing I would meet you today, I spent the last three days reading your book, 'Bring It On! What Are You Talking About!', for five minutes before bed. I'm all prepared. Yes, I will answer immediately!

If I recall correctly, it is said to have originated in Persia about 7,000 years ago, and its meaning is considered to be a baked flatbread...

That is a story about naan!

!! My apologies. This is my first time moderating, so I'm a bit nervous!

No, no, it's quite alright. I came here today to talk about that very answer, so if you had been able to answer it fluently right here, it would mean my 35 years of research were 'what are you talking about' after all.

Professor Minamino, you are truly impressive. How stylish of you to casually weave 'what are you talking about' into our conversation.

I don't really know what you're saying, so I will continue.

To begin with, this phrase 'what are you talking about.' You understand that this is something that cannot naturally occur, right?

I don't understand at all. Please explain.

I thought about suggesting you use that shallow brain of yours a little, but let's continue.

We write blogs or articles, right? In those cases, there should be a clear purpose, that is, a story we want to convey to the reader.

For example, if it's a diary entry about going to a lovely cafe today, the impressions of the cafe are what you want to convey. If it's an article about how to get views on social media, naturally, you write it because you want to convey that method.

If it's like this, it's clear what the topic is, so there's no way someone would ask, 'What are you talking about?'

In other words, in the evolutionary process of the philosophy of wanting to write information that is useful to someone, the 'Department of What Are You Talking About' would never appear; the 'Department of Do You Understand My Story' is the mainstream. In short, this becomes the mainstream.

Huh.

Are you listening?

Well, it's getting long, so the thought 'What are you talking about?' is starting to cloud my mind...

Exactly!! That's it!!!

! You startled me. Dr. Minamino, if you're looking for a hospital, go out the entrance and turn left...

There is nothing wrong with me. You just said something good for the first time. That's right. 'What are you talking about?' is a phrase that captures the feelings of the reader.

In other words. 'What are you talking about?' did not originate from the side writing with a clear purpose. It just means that a mutant suddenly appeared there.
It just means that a mutant suddenly appeared there.

They don't have a particular purpose. Or, things they want to write keep popping up one after another and they can't suppress them.

It means there's a zero pattern where there's no story at all, and a messy pattern where the story is packed with too much stuff.

Perhaps the reason 'What are you talking about?' has become such a movement is that this play of thought (going here and there, attaching things that come to mind) releases a large amount of dopamine and adrenaline, as has been revealed by recent research...

Zzz... Zzz...

They're asleep. It can't be helped. Let's continue.

Yes, originally, it was about concluding with 'What are you talking about?' paired with the 'technique of making people read' so that readers wouldn't be thrown off the roller coaster of thoughts that go here and there.

I believe this was the style devised by the first generation, and it was a very high-level technique.

However, at some point, it started being used like the fries that come with a set meal, just adding 'What are you talking about?' at the end for the sake of it.

Furthermore, we entered a state of being swayed by the urban legend that using 'What are you talking about?' increases views.

Moreover, there are now schools of thought that intentionally make the main argument wander even when it is clearly decided what the 'what are you talking about' is, just to lead into 'What are you talking about?'. They first think about how to play with and twist the phrase 'What are you talking about?'.

But you know, I also think this is a very healthy state.

Think back to when the internet first appeared. It was developed for military purposes and then started being used by the general public. At that time, it was a means of communication aimed at specific people, but now it has become a broadcasting tool that allows anyone to influence the world...

I tried to use a good analogy, but I couldn't.

In short, tools that are too versatile start being used freely by users in their own ways, and then spread even further.
This is exactly why they are versatile.

Well, anyway, everyone loves this versatile tool called 'What are you talking about?' and the concluding comment by the great inventor Konishi Kinoko, so everyone and their dog is saying things like 'What are you talking meow?'.

Yes, those who are always talking about punchlines and setups are the ones who feel the true value of this phrase when they lose sight of their landing point.

Well then, everyone.

Together with you

That was Professor Minamino's explanation.

#DepartmentOfWhatAreWeTalkingAbout