sloptells / “the real question/problem is…”

active · construct · first recorded 2026-07-02 · registers: hn

Reframing-as-insight: declaring what the *real* issue is. “The real question to ask yourself is…”, “the real issue may not be X as much as Y”. Seven times the human rate.

◑ appears in good human writing too (collateral score 0.15 — the closer to 1, the more it also fires on acclaimed pre-AI prose)

examples

…The real question to ask yourself is: why do you want to learn?…
…the real issue may not be immediate device shortages as much as…

evidence

occurrences per 10k words, measured 2026-07-02 (run #3, 3 current + 3 vintage models)

current AIvintage AI (2024/25)humans (matched)canon (great pre-AI prose)
pooled2.482.830.240.34
hn4.590.51
cooking0.590.00
parenting1.190.00
linkedin2.31

history

rundateAI /10kvs humans
#22026-07-022.23×10 vs humans
#32026-07-022.48×10 vs humans

detector

regex: \bthe real (questions?|problems?|issues?|story|point|tests?|challenges?|wins?|risks?|magic|lesson)\b

sources

← all tells