Re:Suppression is a bigger scandal than the actual story
by TravHatesMe on Sunday October 25, 2020 @10:54PM
(#24892436)
I get tired of seeing these comments too. In the last few years it has become commonspeak to throw around these terms with no nuance. Strawmanning is a new favorite word for many. I sometimes shudder at the pretentiousness of it all (for some reason "false dichotomy" gets on my nerves, I feel like there are easier ways of saying that there are other possibilities).
Re:Suppression is a bigger scandal than the actual story
by darkerside on Monday October 26, 2020 @12:26AM
(#24892819)
It's a logical fallacy, meaning the statements don't logically follow. That doesn't mean there isn't a heavy implication, which there often is.
I've seen too many "if this happens then that will be next" come true to write every use off just because your 9th grade teacher said it was fallacious. For instance the U.S. legal system leans very heavily on the concept of "precedent". Slippery slopes are baked into the system.
I don't think you can just pull out the fallacy card every time it comes up and declare anyone who is predicting a chain of events to be arguing in bad faith.