The Era of “Talking Sh*t”

Tyler Dishman
Jul 20, 2017 · 3 min read
West Coast Journal

The action isn’t a new thing, but the concept is.


I find the concept of “talking shit” so intriguing. I think it’s a relatively new concept because I‘ve only seen it balloon into what it is today over the past decade. I’ve never heard my father, grandmother, or anyone in their generation and older even address the issue of someone talking about them in this way. Sure, gossip has always existed. But “talking shit” carries a whole other weight to it.

I think it’s intriguing because it amazes me how upset we all get at criticism — whether it’s to our face or behind our back. For example, if someone said, “Tyler is an asshole” to someone without me being present, one would think that I should be mad, right?! However, my thoughts are a little different on the subject. I believe that we are all going to speak our truths one time or another, and I don’t classify anything as bad mouthing unless it’s false information. If I wanted everyone to think I wasn’t an asshole I would do something about it. Better yet — I want to use that criticism to motivate me to do something about it.

I have an overwhelming appreciation for people that speak their truth. I value it highly because in our culture, it’s all but been beaten out of us. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all!” What happened to sticks and stones? What happened to us taking responsibility for how others see us? What happened to us appreciating others for holding us accountable? As Louis CK so concisely puts it, “It’s like when you say to a friend of yours, ‘You’re being an asshole,’ and they go, ‘No I’m not!’ Well it’s not up to you if you’re an asshole or not. It’s up to everybody else! You don’t get to say no to that.”


More and more often, I see people value the opinions of others in this weird, skewed way. If someone said that they thought we made bad beer, I would want to know why! I would want to know what made them say that. They obviously have a reason that they feel that way, and we can go into the whole psychoanalysis of it, but I would rather just ask. I am also not going to be mad at them. There are a million variables that exist out there that could cause them to feel that way, but my personal favorite is — maybe they caught something we didn’t. Perhaps they pick up on something that we didn’t and there is a way we can grow instead of just blaming them.


I think it’s been made clear what my definition of “talking shit” is, or rather, what it is not. I will put it like this — I used to have a former roommate that would say, “Anybody with my name in their mouth is talking shit.” Well — that can and will never be true. The easiest way to define it is to put simple parameters on it. If someone is saying something about you that is true (even if it’s just their experience)— they are not “talking shit.”

I think the next obvious question is, “Why write about this?” I’m writing about this because this concept fills the beer market entirely, and it is poisonous to the industry. I have heard breweries claim that a BJCP, Certified Cicerone, was “talking shit” about their beer because they said it was poorly made. It’s time that we all pick our feelings up off the floor and learn that this industry needs that criticism. This industry needs to be held to higher standards. In the wake of the “independent means quality” discussion, let’s hold to that, please. Part of that is hearing people tell you or others that you could or should be doing better. It’s happened to all of us, and yes, maybe something did go wrong with that one keg or can. It’s still worth hearing what they have to say without condemning them for it.

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Tyler Dishman

Written by

Director of Sales for Mill Creek Brewing Co.

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