There are so many logical fallacies, but I will be focusing on one, Ad Hominem. Ad hominem is where you attack a person instead of their ideas.This is a mean way to try and win an argument or competition. We see this so much all over the news and social media. Nowadays we call it "throwing shade". There are thousands of examples all over the internet. Politicians are being rude and hateful towards their opponents to make themselves look better. Below is a video showing an example of this unprofessional behavior.
In this video Mitt Romney is attacking Obama.
Romney is basically saying that Obama is a terrible president and the unemployment rate has gone up significantly since Obama became president. He is saying that we do not need another four years of this. He is attacking Obama, he is not saying why this is or why he thinks that. He has no evidence to show, he has no reasoning. He is not making an argument, he is simply blaming Obama for everything. Romney is saying that if he becomes president, he will magically fix America's unemployment problems.
"Throwing shade" can be seen in all presidential elections. Trump would be the most recent example. Trump loves "throwing shade", so much, that there is even an article about it for example there is an article on cnn politics called "How to Throw Shade Like Donald Trump". Candidates use this to show how much better they are than their opponents.
Politicians use logical fallacies all the time, because they are wrong but effective. When politicians use these fallacies, it is hard for the audience to stay unbiased. they will affect your thinking, they will make you feel some strong emotions (most likely anger towards their opponent)and that is exactly what the politicians are hoping.
The best way to address these fallacies is, to stay unbiased, think logically about what the person using the fallacy is saying. Ask yourself: do I agree with this? Is he/she correct? Does what he/she is saying even make sense? It is difficult but, do not get the emotions get the best of you. Stay neutral.
Ps. Try not to use logical fallacies. I dare you to try!
This is a good one. Ad hominem is one logical fallacy that seems to happen all the time along with red herring.
ReplyDeleteI love that you mention "throwing shade" here--certainly a new(ish) way of insulting someone. But isn't shade very "layered"--it can be read two ways, and the deeper meaning is the significant insult? The insult might not even be an attack on someone else but a way to say "I'm better than you..." In that video, Romney does suggest that Obama is weak--that having more on Welfare rolls is bad policy, but he doesn't explain those numbers. You're right! In this case, compassion = flaws in character. It's subtle, and it's shade!
ReplyDeleteRomney's political advertisement sure is a doozy, isn't it? You have ad hominem, red herring, AND an appeal to emotions (or my favorite name for it: argumentum ad passiones) present. As humans, we favor a good guilt trip in order to get our way, but when it comes to politics I feel that it would be more beneficial to treat things like a business deal; no petty emotional appeal bull, just straightforward facts and a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. I want to know what you're offering, not your opinion on your competitor!
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