Over on Daily Kos, I encountered someone proclaiming officially that it is anti-semitism to conflate the actions of Israel with the actions of nazis. I’d like to noodle around that idea a bit, because it makes me quite uncomfortable.
Over on Daily Kos, I encountered someone proclaiming officially that it is anti-semitism to conflate the actions of Israel with the actions of nazis. I’d like to noodle around that idea a bit, because it makes me quite uncomfortable.
A few years ago, I played an audiobook version of LeGuin’s The Wave of The Mind [wc] – basically, short essays on writing and thinking about writing – and, as usual, I was impressed by her clarity and thoughtfulness. She ranges widely, including a fascinating meta-analysis of gender in book awards (depressing!) and a piece on genetic determinism.
This is a trope that we here at Argument Clinic have noticed with a thrill of apprehension.
A bit of silliness; it’s actually kind of fun to do.
It is time for Argument Clinic to tackle one of the most important topics in argumentation today: how to deal with a hypocrite.
Here at Argument Clinic we are trying to eschew ableist invective, since it is almost always inaccurate and causes “splash damage.” Our recommendation to the huddled masses is to resort to using the most deadly insult of all, namely: Truth. But what do we do with ‘Stupid’?
We know you need our guidance, but we have to admit that we are transfixed in Lovecraftian dread at the tendrils of doubt that are wrapping tighter and tighter around our left ankle.
Here at Argument Clinic, we are great fans of pointless surrealism. But we do not venerate it, nor do we mistake it for a learning experience.
As you know, we here at Argument Clinic are sticklers for language, especially other peoples’ language. If you have been following along, you probably could write this episode yourself, which is sort of the point. [stderr]
Recently, Argument Clinic received a formal request: “How do you argue against white supremacists?”
Our work is cut out for us. In this particular episode, while we will retain our usual superior, snotty, didactic, tone, we encourage The Commentariat(tm) to help us out. A definitive treatment of the question “How to argue with white supremacists” probably involves winning a civil war – and decisively winning it, at that.
“… that’s a label.”
HJ Hornbeck offers a good explanation [reprobate] of why atheists, scientists, and skeptics should avoid using the label “postmodern” in an attempt to dismiss ideas that are confusing or counter-intuitive, especially if they are confusing or counter-intuitive because the reader has failed a “privilege check.”