Post by Radrook Admin on Jul 5, 2024 23:50:43 GMT -5
So says the Bartender?
Just recently on Twitter, someone objected to Ocasio Cortes criticism of the Supreme Court decision to allow unlimited executive power to the president by responding mockingly with: "So says the Bartender!"" as if her opinion should always be seen in that derogatory way simply because she held that job for a while prior to being elected to Congress.
Well, first, please note that the use of ad hominem, or attacking the person, as they are ignorantly doing, is considered to be fallacious, or flawed thinking. Why? Very simple! Because doing so leaves the issue at hand totally unchallenged. In fact, it is used precisely because the ones employing it can't legitimately and logically challenge the opinion that they disagree with. So out of sheer necessity, they are forced to employ mockery instead.
But there is yet another inherent flaw with their mockery, the fallacy of inconsistency. This can be clearly illustrated by hypothetically leveling it against former USA presidents who also held rather unglamorous jobs in the same way that Cortez did, prior to being elected. What occupations? You might ask? Well here is a list:
Well, first, please note that the use of ad hominem, or attacking the person, as they are ignorantly doing, is considered to be fallacious, or flawed thinking. Why? Very simple! Because doing so leaves the issue at hand totally unchallenged. In fact, it is used precisely because the ones employing it can't legitimately and logically challenge the opinion that they disagree with. So out of sheer necessity, they are forced to employ mockery instead.
Ad hominem
Fourteen had been former Soldiers
1 George Washington
5 James Monroe
7 Andrew Jackson
9 William Henry Harrison
12 Zachary Taylor
14 Franklin Pierce
18 Ulysses S. Grant
19 Rutherford B. Hayes
20 James A. Garfield
23 Benjamin Harrison
25 William McKinley
26 Theodore Roosevelt
33 Harry S. Truman
34 Dwight D. Eisenhower
Four had been Farmers
2 John Adams
3 Thomas Jefferson
39 Jimmy Carter
33 Harry S. Truman'
Two had been Ranchers
26 Theodore Roosevelt
36 Lyndon B. Johnson
Actor
40 Ronald Reagan
Clothing Salesman
33 Harry S. Truman
Tailor
17 Andrew Johnson
Now, imagine that whenever anyone disagreed with any of these former presidents' opinions they would counter in the same way in which Ocasio Cortez was:
Examples:
So says the tailor? Or, so says the farmer. Or, so says the clothing salesman. Or, so says the rancher. Or, so says the soldier. Or, so says the actor. Sure, such derogatory statements could have been easily used. However, they never were, were they? That's because those opposing those presidents knew that using such a flawed argument would immediately identify them as being undereducated ignoramuses. So of course, they very wisely refrained.
Examples:
So says the tailor? Or, so says the farmer. Or, so says the clothing salesman. Or, so says the rancher. Or, so says the soldier. Or, so says the actor. Sure, such derogatory statements could have been easily used. However, they never were, were they? That's because those opposing those presidents knew that using such a flawed argument would immediately identify them as being undereducated ignoramuses. So of course, they very wisely refrained.