“Given the risks of military action, the United States must make a final, good-faith attempt to negotiate a halt to Tehran’s nuclear program early in the Trump administration,” went the teaser text for an article by Richard Nephew in a social media post from Foreign Affairs on the first full day of the current presidential term in January. As it happens, the U.S. did exactly that before engaging in military action that has, as of this writing, proven almost laughably risk-free. But what is notable about it now is one particular word: that smug “must,” a word that inserts a tone of authority into all sorts of journalistic writing that possesses neither the power nor, apparently, the knowledge to be issuing imperatives almost as though written in the tone of God.

Confession: I have a certain temperamental allergy to taking orders. One of my least favorite things about being a child was being routinely instructed that I must do or not do certain things. And conversely, one of my great pleasures as an adult is being able to ignore such commands whenever possible. Yes, there are certain non-negotiables, such as paying taxes and wearing pants in public. But outside of those, I delight in the opportunity to decline orders and requests whenever possible.