---
title: "On Explanations"
description: "“Explain it to me like I’m 5 is bullshit”."
author: "Ghaith Ayadi"
site: "Verbatim"
collection: "Hokum"
url: "https://verbatim.ayadighaith.com/hokum/on-explanations"
date: 2022-12-28
updated: 2026-09-16
---
# On Explanations

“Explain it to me like I’m 5 is bullshit”. 

Here’s WWII explained to a 5 year old:

Germany was very pissed at these other countries called the allies after their previous war. So it attacked them. Germany first made peace with Russia but reneged on that and attacked Russia too. Russia attacked back. Japan Thought it’s a good time to attack the Americans and they did. The Americans didn’t like that so they came in and sent everyone to their now much smaller rooms. 

One might think: “Yeah, that’s about right, what’s wrong with that?”.  What’s wrong is that this story is only good for 5 year olds. Anybody that wishes to learn anything needs more details, nuance, facts, texture. 

The argument that we get is that when you start your story like this, you give your interlocutor the chance to pick what they want to learn more about. Why were the Germans so pissed? Why didn’t the allies attack first? Why didn’t the Americans intervene sooner? Why were the Russians so easily bamboozled? This is my point: You should pick that.

What makes you think that you explaining your work to a manager or your business to an investor like they were five is a good idea?