Fumble: Phoenix accentuates negatives

The idea of Joaquin Phoenix quitting his film career to become a full-time rapper is about as bizarre as the physical transition he has gone through recently, but it’s what he has said about it that warrants a closing Fumble for this week. We often talk of the dangers of “parroting” back negative words, phrases or suggestions contained in questions as part of your answer – because as soon as you say it, you own it, regardless of the fact that someone else said it first. Phoenix was responding to swirling – and hardly surprising – rumours that perhaps this whole gambit is nothing more than an elaborate hoax, to draw attention to a new film project, or perhaps just to himself in general. And in responding to those ostensibly negative descriptions of what he’s really up to, Phoenix just gave them all fresh legs by repeating them himself. “There's not a hoax," Phoenix told The Associated Press. "Might I be ridiculous? Might my career in music be laughable? Yeah, that's possible, but that's certainly not my intention." On a separate occasion he told PEOPLE magazine “Are there people out there who think I'm a joke? I'm sure there will be. Are there people who think it's going to suck? Probably, but I can't worry about that." So let’s review: “hoax,” “ridiculous,” “laughable,” “joke,” “suck,” all from his own lips. The lesson? When confronted with negative suggestions about what you’re saying, doing, etc., don’t make the mistake of giving those suggestions new breath yourself by re-stating them. Talk about what it IS, not what it isn’t.