Seriously. Learn to stand your ground against rhetorical cheap shots.

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First rule of fighting an ideological battle as the underdog: Do not fall victim to rhetorics.

Fail to appreciate this and you will forever lose your debates. This post was inspired by the following quote from another recent post:

This isn't conspiracy. It's fact.

Learn what 'conspiracy' means, and realize the grave mistake that was just made.

If you defend yourself when people accuse you of supporting conspiracy theories by denying the fact, you are playing right into their hands. Whether or not they realize what just happened is irrelevant. The effect is real regardless.

Rhetorics. Learn it. Practice to spot it in real time. Call the bullshit out when encountered. If they get away with it consider yourself lost.

Example appropriate responses:

Yes. It is a conspiracy. It wouldn't be much of a concern if it weren't, would it?

Is 'conspiracy' too harsh of a term? We can use 'collusion' instead. That should be a lot closer to home.

A conspiracy theorist? What exacty is that? Sounds like a profession.

I assure you I hate conspiracies more than you do. I wouldn't fight against this if I didn't.

This is even more important for other buzzwords such as 'racist'. I assure you no one will be able to come up with a definition of the word that withstands even the slightests of stress tests.

Example definitions:

-- A racist is someone who likes a person less than another based on their race

-- Ah, perfect. Glad to know I'm not racist. I love black people as much as anyone else, I just think they are stupid.

-- Uhh... that's not... bzzzt... *NPC brain shutdown*

-- A racist is someone who believes there are intellectual differences between races.

-- Nice to know I'm not a racist, then. I don't believe all this IQ stuff anyway. I just naturally hate niggers.

-- Wha... did you ju... REEEEEEEEEEE

-- A racist is someone who believes that individuals belong to races and/or that these races should be preserved or separated.

-- Oh. I always wondered why I felt a disdain for the people trying to separate and preserve their supposed 'race'. I guess deep down I somehow knew all along that jews were racist.

-- What? I didn't mea... Wait! This isn......... You racist! You were just trying to find an excuse to continue being racist. Blocked and reported!

Don't let them get away with throwing 'racist' around you without being held responsible. If you are an intellectually honest person (and not soy) you don't tolerate this type of behavior.

Example response:

Racist? I don't know. That word has no meaning to me so it would have to be defined. I however highly doubt you would be able to do that, and rather than concerning myself with trivial matters of wordplay I'll attend to the matter at hand.

Step up your game, boys.

First rule of fighting an ideological battle as the underdog: Do not fall victim to rhetorics. Fail to appreciate this and you will forever lose your debates. This post was inspired by the following quote from another recent post: >This isn't conspiracy. It's fact. Learn what 'conspiracy' means, and realize the grave mistake that was just made. If you defend yourself when people accuse you of supporting conspiracy theories by denying the fact, you are playing right into their hands. Whether or not they realize what just happened is irrelevant. The effect is real regardless. Rhetorics. Learn it. Practice to spot it in real time. Call the bullshit out when encountered. If they get away with it consider yourself lost. Example appropriate responses: >* Yes. It is a conspiracy. It wouldn't be much of a concern if it weren't, would it? >* Is 'conspiracy' too harsh of a term? We can use 'collusion' instead. That should be a lot closer to home. >* A conspiracy theorist? What exacty is that? Sounds like a profession. >* I assure you I hate conspiracies more than you do. I wouldn't fight against this if I didn't. This is even more important for other buzzwords such as 'racist'. I assure you no one will be able to come up with a definition of the word that withstands even the slightests of stress tests. Example definitions: >-- A racist is someone who likes a person less than another based on their race >-- Ah, perfect. Glad to know I'm not racist. I love black people as much as anyone else, I just think they are stupid. >-- Uhh... that's not... *bzzzt*... ****NPC brain shutdown**** --- >-- A racist is someone who believes there are intellectual differences between races. >-- Nice to know I'm not a racist, then. I don't believe all this IQ stuff anyway. I just naturally hate niggers. >-- Wha... did you ju... *REEEEEEEEEEE* --- >-- A racist is someone who believes that individuals belong to races and/or that these races should be preserved or separated. >-- Oh. I always wondered why I felt a disdain for the people trying to separate and preserve their supposed 'race'. I guess deep down I somehow knew all along that jews were racist. >-- What? I didn't mea... Wait! This isn......... You racist! You were just trying to find an excuse to continue being racist. Blocked and reported! Don't let them get away with throwing 'racist' around you without being held responsible. If you are an intellectually honest person (and not soy) you don't tolerate this type of behavior. Example response: >Racist? I don't know. That word has no meaning to me so it would have to be defined. I however *highly* doubt you would be able to do that, and rather than concerning myself with trivial matters of wordplay I'll attend to the matter at hand. Step up your game, boys.

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