Comment by JumpCrisscross
Comment by JumpCrisscross 8 days ago
> to call being unaware of this information “false hope” is a blight on our language
False hope is still a form of hope in the same way a red car is still a car.
And it’s useful to delineate it. Hope is rooted in expectation. When we watch a film about a fraudster, the dramatic irony arises from the audience knowing the rube is being played even while the rube is quite hopeful. We may conclude it’s better for the victim to live in false hope. But again, it’s useful to understand it’s a hope that’s false (and that someone is making that decision for them).
If false hope is still hope the way a red car is a car, then false also has no meaning in this context. Would a false car still be a car?
I agree people should be informed and manage their expectations. My issue is that it’s a terrible expression that gets misapplied constantly.