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Health & Fitness

What's in a Name: Part 2 – You don't like the Message – Shoot the Messenger

I think people should keep their comments on point - explain why you disagree with a comment or post - attacking the writer instead of pointing out the weakness of an argument is intellectually lazy.

Ad hominem - An ad hominem (Latin for "to the man" or "to the person"), short for argumentum ad hominem, is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out a negative characteristic or belief of the person supporting it.

I am not big on understanding legalistic Latin phrases, so this was how I got my introduction to the meaning of ad hominem:

After his movie “An Inconvenient Truth” came out in 2005, Al Gore was disparaged for speaking about climate change – People called him Saint Albert or said he was a hypocrite because he was a rich man who lived in an energy hogging mansion.  James Hansen, a prominent NASA scientist who had been warning about climate change since 1980, was suddenly Al Gore’s lapdog.  Don’t like the message – shoot the messenger.

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I am not going to get into whether their message was right, I have posted about that one already.

Another example: Chief Justice Roberts was labeled a traitor because he was the deciding vote in favor of the ACA.  And this is a guy whose conservative bone fides are impeachable.  If you did not like his decision – there is plenty to discuss without resorting to name calling.

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More than once I have read on the Patch the sneering remark that Elizabeth Warren is a Harvard elitist even though she went to public college and law school whereas Mitt Romney received his M.B.A and J.D. from  . . . Harvard!  Warren is a Harvard elitist because she teaches there but Romney isn’t because . . . ? You don’t like Warren’s politics, by all means don’t vote for her – but the whole Harvard elitist thing is just hypocrisy and it does not pass the laugh test.

Yes, yes, I know my examples are from the liberal end of the spectrum – I am sure those on the right could come up with similar examples.

Ad hominem is also intellectually lazy.  Why bother with a cogent argument when name calling will do? 

Ad hominem is the sort of thing that makes some people reluctant to post on the Patch, as more than one person has told me personally or as Amy Buttiglieri said in first comment to Part 1 of this post. The old saw about sticks and stones makes intellectual sense – but words can hurt and can have the effect of suppressing valid conversation. In my opinion, it really is a form of bullying.  I know I have had to grow a thicker skin since I started writing in this forum.

There’s no need for cheap shots if you don’t like what a person is saying – they don’t add anything.  Take commenters on based on the merits of their positions. 

My advice - don’t like the message – don’t shoot the messenger – shoot the message.

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