I couldn’t tell one thing or another,
hi there:whats meaing and gist of this sentence"
1. I couldn’t tell one thing or another,"
2.whats gist of this sentence"But it’s that constant, but it’s making others believe it’s actually so.

You know, I’m thinking of one Dr. Bettelheim, head of the
Orthogenic School in Chicago, in The Empty Fortress, his book, he speaks
of Joey the Mechanical Boy. And Joey the Mechanical Boy was so good,
he was an autistic, that people would, there were no wires, but he said
there were wires, and he acted as though there actually were all kinds of
wires. People, visitors would step over the imaginary wires or walk
around, because they believed Joey. So, one day Dr. Bettelheim asked if
he could come to WFMT studios, he’s interested in being a radio
engineer. And I met him. And he is quite remarkable. I couldn’t tell one
thing or another, he seemed quite normal. He was Joey the Mechanical
Boy and learning things from our engineer listening and I think he
became a sound engineer somewhere else. But it’s that constant, but it’s
making others believe it’s actually so.

Question

I couldn’t tell one thing or another,
hi there:whats meaing and gist of this sentence"
1. I couldn’t tell one thing or another,"
2.whats gist of this sentence"But it’s that constant, but it’s making others believe it’s actually so.

You know, I’m thinking of one Dr. Bettelheim, head of the
Orthogenic School in Chicago, in The Empty Fortress, his book, he speaks
of Joey the Mechanical Boy. And Joey the Mechanical Boy was so good,
he was an autistic, that people would, there were no wires, but he said
there were wires, and he acted as though there actually were all kinds of
wires. People, visitors would step over the imaginary wires or walk
around, because they believed Joey. So, one day Dr. Bettelheim asked if
he could come to WFMT studios, he’s interested in being a radio
engineer. And I met him. And he is quite remarkable. I couldn’t tell one
thing or another, he seemed quite normal. He was Joey the Mechanical
Boy and learning things from our engineer listening and I think he
became a sound engineer somewhere else. But it’s that constant, but it’s
making others believe it’s actually so.

Answer

I hate to say this but the writing in this paragraph isn't very good. It's very awkward and, at times, quite unclear as a result. The usage and grammar are not good. It is very awkward to say "I couldn't tell one thing or another." In fact it doesn't really make sense. If it's an attempt to use idiom, then the correct phrase would be: I couldn't tell one thing from another. But still the reader has no idea what 'things' he means. There are three sentences beginning with 'and' which should be done sparingly if at all. Nearly every sentence has problems like that. Sentences don't transition from one to the next properly. Was this written by a native of an English-speaking country?

Answer

1. "I couldn’t tell one thing or another" means "It wasn't obvious (that he was remarkable)". The phrase is used so that the speaker can go on and say the person was quite normal which otherwise would have been contradictory to the first statement (that he was remarkable).

2. I *think* the writer is just saying that the attitude/behaviour/self-belief of Joey was so 'constant' or 'unchanging' or' steady'  that others believed some of Joeys made-up claims (like the imaginary wires).