Call out
Today’s English expression is a phrasal verb, and that is “call out.” To “call out” is to draw attention to someone else’s bad behavior. When you call someone out, you say, verbally or in print, that the other person has done something bad. And you want to make sure other people know it.
Earlier in today’s lesson, you heard that the musician Neil Young called out the podcaster Joe Rogan for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines . When Neil Young called out Joe Rogan, Neil Young said publicly what he thought Joe Rogan did wrong. But after Neil Young insisted that his music be removed from Spotify, other critics called him out for spreading misinformation about genetically modified food.
Moving on from that…in 2005, a devastating hurricane hit Louisiana. The actor Brad Pitt, through his charitable foundation, built environmentally friendly “affordable” houses for people who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina. But now, years later, the owners of those homes are calling out Brad Pitt for building low-quality homes that were defective and later became infested with mold. The owners are trying to attract attention to something they believe was wrong. The actor says he isn’t responsible for the quality of the homes and is trying to remove his name from the lawsuit.
American baseball is probably going to be delayed next year; the owners and players have not yet agreed on a labor contract. Some players have called out the owners for delaying contract negotiations. Others have called out owners for manipulating young players’ time on the field, so as to pay them less. These players are calling out the owners; they’re calling attention to things they think team owners have done bad.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone didn’t do their part in a team or a group activity? It could be at work, it could be in your family, it could be in your friend group. Do you call your friends out on that? Do you attract attention to what they’ve done wrong? You have a few options. You can ignore it; that’s one option. You can speak to the person privately; that’s another option. Or you could call the person out. That means, you attract attention to what they’ve done badly. When you call someone out, you’re not doing it in private.
Let’s say you’re on a team of four people and you notice one person isn’t doing enough work. At the next group meeting, you tell the whole group that one person isn’t doing enough work: that’s calling the person out. You’re attracting public attention to something that person did wrong.
I’m watching another show on HBO Max—I won’t say which one to avoid giving you spoilers. But one character is debating whether to call out another character for her drinking habits. The first character noticed the second one is drinking heavily, and she’s wondering, “should I call my friend out for that?” Should I tell others and attract attention to my friend’s heavy drinking?
Athletes are finding it’s no picnic at a quarantine hotel in Beijing. Olympic athletes that have tested positive for COVID-19 have to stay at a government quarantine hotel, and they’re calling out Olympic organizers for providing them with inedible food. One Russian athlete said she could only eat a few handfuls of pasta a day because the rest was not edible. A Finnish hockey player is complaining, too, saying he’s not getting good food. A German official is calling it “unreasonable” and is asking for better food. These people are calling out the Olympic organizers who established the quarantine protocols. They’re attracting attention to something the Olympic organizers have done wrong.
JR’s song of the week
Just so you know, I have no editorial control over the songs JR picks for the song of the week. Whatever he puts into Airtable, I put into the lesson; it’s that simple. So there is no de-platforming here. If he had picked a Neil Young song, I would have had no choice but to include it in the lesson. But he didn’t pick a Neil Young song or Joni Mitchell song.
Instead, he picked a song by Kenny Chesney, a popular country music singer. The song is “Between Midnight and Daylight.” If you wanted a perfect example of American country music, you’ve got it right here. The sound, the lyrics, the southern twang…it’s got it all. “Between Midnight and Daylight” by Kenny Chesney is the song of the week.
See you next time!
And that’s all for today’s lesson. Remember you get the full content at PlainEnglish.com/447. Part of the full lesson online is a step-by-step video lesson for Plain English Plus+ subscribers. In today’s video lesson, we’re going to show you how to say something was true before, but it not true now. These videos are great because sometimes the hardest thing in English is using the words you know to express complicated ideas. Yes, we all need to learn new words. But these videos are all about taking the words you already know and making your ideas clearer and more powerful. And today’s video is a great example of that. You’re going to learn how to say something was true before, but it’s not true now. So that’s for Plus+ members. If you’re not yet a Plus+ member, you can join by visiting PlainEnglish.com/Plus .
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