To think 'my truth' or 'your truth' doesn't mean THE truth?

[FridayNightAtTheBronze]

I've seen this phrase used so much recently, and it really irritates me for some reason!

People saying 'This is my truth.'

Surely they just mean 'This is my side of the story'.

Or

'This is my version of events'.

AIBU to think that 'my truth' shouldn't be conflated with telling THE truth? And to be irrationally irritated when I hear it?!

Most people using it probably have no idea of where the phrase originates, or it's most famous user, Aneurin Bevan.

YANBU OP to dislike its use.

Also on the collective level there often isn't an objective truth just multiple different experiences. I don't find it too hard to get a GP appointment, that has nothing to do with whether it's true or false that it's easy to get a GP appointment, it's just my own experience of one particular thing.

Have we had: "You can't handle the truth" yet? Jack Nicholson - 80s film reference?

I understand speaking one's truth to be acting authentically for that individual. Naturally, that is personal and not an objective truth.

’Woke' has its origin in black vernacular.

It means awareness of important social issues.

It's offensive to me when it's used as a pejorative term.

@SkedaddIe Everything’s bloody offensive these days. It’s offensive to me that you’re offended by it. Okay, so we’re offended, so what?

OP YANBU. It’s just another part of this horrific woke cancel culture we’ve ended up in.

It’s woke gaslighting.

@Meredithgrey1

To me it's far less arrogant and annoying than someone saying "this is the truth" or even worse: "I'm just telling it how it is" (urgh the latter phrase makes me physically recoil).

But I’m not sure it’s used in place of “the truth”, it’s used in place of “my opinion” or “my experience” or “that’s honestly how I felt.”

Yeah I completely agree, it means something entirely different. See the example I gave further up thread of the contexts I have heard it in.

@Meredithgrey1

My earlier example:

Sometimes it's just how people express themselves from their own subjective perspective.

In a past job role I worked with victims of childhood abuse. They would often refer to wanting others to know "their truth".

I felt it was fair enough, given they'd never been believed before.

What is THE truth? Objective, set-in-stone, incontrovertible and unambiguous 'truth'? Is there such a thing? If so, how common a concept is this?

Someone can believe something does or doesn't exist, is or is not the case, under the pretext that they 'know'. Belief and knowledge are not the same. Memory isn't photographic. This is one of the reasons witness testimony is notoriously unreliable. Doesn't' mean whoever is recounting that memory is necessarily lying. Interpretations of events can differ as much as memory does.

Telling 'my truth' isn't what's necessarily tantamount to being disingenuous; it's someone taking ownership of their particular story. Phrases such as 'recollections may vary' - let's take that as an arbitrary example seeing as there's so much hedging going on around here - is, however, an ambiguous, passive-aggressive and fairly cowardly insinuation that someone is lying.

The context of this OP is clear, BTW.

Not everything, not everyone.

YOU.

I find you specifically offensive.

I specifically think that you are a bigot.

I specifically think that you are closed minded.

How's that for a truth statement?

@SkedaddIe I find it a rather amusing “statement” since as far as I’m aware we’ve never interacted before, not even in this thread.

But quite honestly I really don’t care what a random stranger thinks of me, particularly one who is choosing to be offended over nothing.

Pisses me of as well....agree they just need to say “my version of events”.

If anyone says they are speaking “my truth”, you can be 100% sure of one thing: they are lying, and they know they are lying.

Wrong.

Not read all responses so may have been said (or not) I use this phrase as previously in a relationship been intimidated, invalidated, and made to feel my opinion doesn't matter and that I was going insane, full of self doubt. Saying 'my truth' gives me my own validation, and acknowledges others may think differently.

shorthand wokeism imo and it passes me right off

But you're happy enough to use the "woke" shorthand which is equally as meaningless?

"Woke (/ˈwoʊk/ WOHK) is a term that refers to a perceived awareness of issues that concern social justice and racial justice. It derives from the African-American Vernacular English expression stay woke."

Skedaddle - the above may help with the blood pressure

It's tedious, woke-wankery used to signal that the speaker is more mindful, earnest and righteous than you.

Still, it's useful because it also signals that the speaker is someone I will know to avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

@emilyfrost I believe Skedaddle is confusing you with me...

It was her response to my PP that you quoted.

That's actually a really good point. I was once on a jury, the case was rape and there were witnesses. They all disagreed on what I would consider points of absolute fact - where it happened and who phoned the police. These were independent eyewitnesses with no reason to lie. It struck me at the time as really interesting and an example of how things we all know to be absolute and true, might not be.

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

If anyone says they are speaking “my truth”, you can be 100% sure of one thing: they are lying, and they know they are lying.

Wrong.

Wow. Can you just imagine if I'd responded to the victims of abuse in that way who said to me "I want my truth to be heard".

I am currently neck deep in working with a lawyer on "my truth", based on someone making accusations based on "their truth".

Trouble is, my truth is also backed by my evidence. Something happened that people have different recollections and interpretations of. Both sides think that their recollection is clear.

They allege that I'm lying about the different version of events, and it's just arse covering afterwards - except that I have documentary proof that whatever they interpreted, our intentions are proven.

So they can take their truth and stick it up their arse.

Marmaladeagain

Have we had: "You can't handle the truth" yet? Jack Nicholson - 80s film reference?

I do believe yours is the first

What is THE truth? Objective, set-in-stone, incontrovertible and unambiguous 'truth'? Is there such a thing? If so, how common a concept is this?

This goes to the heart of the phrase. There is rarely one truth in every situation. Most often, circumstances affect different people in different ways. Since there are many truths happening, I'm not sure why people are so upset with people saying "my truth"

If other people prefer other terminology, they are free to use it.

My truth is that I am 2 stones lighter than I really am.