March 4, 2026
Plot twist about plot twists
"It Turns Out"
Two words writers love—and readers roast: the internet vs “it turns out”
TLDR: A writer slams “it turns out” as a lazy trick that makes shaky arguments feel like discoveries. The crowd splits between “duh, obvious” snark and literary name-drops (Douglas Adams, Adam Curtis), with memes like “little monkey” stealing the show—proof that tiny phrases spark big feelings.
The article pokes at the phrase “it turns out,” accusing writers (with a nod to startup essayist Paul Graham) of using it like a magic wand to sneak weak claims past readers. Cue the comment section going full courtroom drama. One camp is rolling its eyes—“we needed an essay to learn this?”—while the other gleefully piles on with cultural references and receipts.
The snarkiest jab came from a reader who basically said the piece proves its own point: you can write a whole article about something obvious. But defenders of the phrase pulled out the big guns. One commenter quoted Douglas Adams, who joked “it turns out” lets you sound authoritative without explaining your source—aka the phrase is a rhetorical espresso shot. Another name-drop fest hailed documentary-maker Adam Curtis, famous for the punchy “But this was a fantasy” vibe (video), arguing the flourish can be powerful when used with craft.
Then the memes crashed the party. A fan threw in the legendary XFM bit—“turns out it was a little monkey” (link)—and someone cited hbomberguy’s confession that the phrase just burrows into your brain. Bottom line: the community is split between calling the phrase lazy and calling it useful, but united in roasting, quoting, and monkeying around.
Key Points
- •The essay analyzes how the phrase “it turns out” can signal discovery and lend authority without evidence.
- •The author notes counting 46 instances of the phrase on Paul Graham’s site and uses his writing as an example.
- •Everyday scenarios (a deli lacking roast beef, a movie twist) show the phrase’s natural fit with genuine findings.
- •A Paul Graham passage about Cambridge vs. New York is presented as an assertion framed by the phrase’s tone.
- •Readers may accept rapid shifts in argument when the phrase conveys the author’s own surprised realization.