tbh, a headline that makes you slow down to decipher what it means is probably a good hook to get people to open the article. like, the first part of the headline is easy to understand so your brain doesn't instantly shut off, but then to find out what the second part says about the first part you have to untangle these nested negatives. it also emphasizes "hey, i'm saying some shit that goes against the prevailing wisdom here" so it's a way of indicating that this article might have something new to say. it's also got that PMC "everyone cares about my precious smart opinions" thing going on lol.
same energy as those "you think [obviously good thing] is good but actually [neoliberal misery] is good" articles.
we crunched the numbers and actually workers should suffer. in this complex age of science and industry, the simple moral intuitions of the uneducated often lead them astray. good thing well-meaning nerds are here to explain why the quarantine needs to end, or why universal healthcare sounds good but it would be a mistake, or why we need to invade some country to save them. resist the urge to get annoyed when the nerds start congratulating themselves for their objectivity and rationalism, or when they start whipping out journo words no one else uses like brouhaha and imbroglio. it only looks like they're seeking the same approval from fellow neolibs that they used to seek from their fawning parents and teachers when they were well-off kids in the suburbs.
an editor probably wrote the headline, so this dunk is for them
tbh, a headline that makes you slow down to decipher what it means is probably a good hook to get people to open the article. like, the first part of the headline is easy to understand so your brain doesn't instantly shut off, but then to find out what the second part says about the first part you have to untangle these nested negatives. it also emphasizes "hey, i'm saying some shit that goes against the prevailing wisdom here" so it's a way of indicating that this article might have something new to say. it's also got that PMC "everyone cares about my precious smart opinions" thing going on lol.
Fooling innocent people into reading your articles with mind tricks should be considered a form of assault and punhished with exile
same energy as those "you think [obviously good thing] is good but actually [neoliberal misery] is good" articles.
we crunched the numbers and actually workers should suffer. in this complex age of science and industry, the simple moral intuitions of the uneducated often lead them astray. good thing well-meaning nerds are here to explain why the quarantine needs to end, or why universal healthcare sounds good but it would be a mistake, or why we need to invade some country to save them. resist the urge to get annoyed when the nerds start congratulating themselves for their objectivity and rationalism, or when they start whipping out journo words no one else uses like brouhaha and imbroglio. it only looks like they're seeking the same approval from fellow neolibs that they used to seek from their fawning parents and teachers when they were well-off kids in the suburbs.