A single word has divided America in two.
Are you “Team Laurel” or “Team Yanny”?
The internet has recently erupted in disagreement over an audio recording of two words that look so different on paper yet sound so alike. Some listeners hear “laurel” while others hear “yanny”. It’s an audio equivalent of the 2015 internet controversy over whether the dress is white and gold or blue and black.
It all started when a Georgia high school student was studying the word "laurel" for her literature class and decided to look it up on vocabulary.com. She was listening to “laurel” but kept hearing “yanny”. And the rest is history. The internet worked its magic and the debate turned explosive. Those who have a propensity for higher frequencies hear “yanny” while those who prefer lower frequencies hear “laurel”.
So, is there hope for America? Can “Team Laurel” and “Team Yanny” come together? Can those who see a gold and white dress get along with those who see blue and black one? Can those who have differing interpretations on disputes such as immigration, health care, gun control, marijuana, minimum wage, and climate change sit at the same table?
God help us. Here are a few guidelines:
1. Develop an attitude of understanding
Proverbs 18:2 states, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” We must learn to use empathetic listening to enter someone else’s world. While vocabulary.com is clear that it is “laurel” there is also a very clear scientific explanation for why some hear “yanny.” It is incumbent upon us to lean into understanding why someone on the other side of the table from us may see or hear things a different way.
2. Choose to withhold judgment
“If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13). We tend to be judgmental listeners giving evaluation by our own viewpoint. May we choose to withhold judgment with our mouths and offer discernment with our ears.
3. Give affirmation even without agreement
Ephesians 4:29 says it best. “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Believe it or not, we can affirm another’s viewpoint without agreeing with it.
4. Share your ideas only after the other person feels understood
Ephesians 4:15 urges us to “…speak the truth in love…” There is a time and place to speak our convictions. That time is only after the other person feels heard and understood.
For what it’s worth, vocabulary.com, where the debate originated, has now gotten in on the action, creating a definition for all the people on “Team Yanny”: A “yanny” is a word or phrase that is capable of distracting the entire internet for at least 24 hours. When you "drop a yanny," you start a contentious debate on some type of public forum.
May we all be people who desire to stop dropping yannies!
Ryan Smallwood
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