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Potentially legit criticism. I did state some facts about Bolton's behavior. Then, I wrote how I felt about what that behavior means. I'm not sure that's ad hom
by bediger4000 2y ago
Potentially legit criticism. I did state some facts about Bolton's behavior. Then, I wrote how I felt about what that behavior means. I'm not sure that's ad hominem per se.
Thanks for making me think!
- Terr_ 2y agoFor me, the framing is more like: "Holy crap, when even John Bolton has chosen to break Republican ranks in order to denounce someone as a hack with no integrity, that means there's something legitimately-unusual here to pay attention to." There is one scenario where I would be much more sympathetic to "whatever this person says is best ignored", and that's when they keep contradicting themselves with a kind of denial-of-service BS attack on listeners' minds that "isn't even wrong." As much as I dislike most of Bolton's views, awards for that particular style belong firmly elsewhere these days.
- bediger4000 2y agoI'm struggling a bit with the logic. If ad hominem is a fallacy, then surely your proposed framing is, too. I wrote that Bolton is a gutless coward therefore he should be ignored. You wrote that Bolton is a gutless coward, therefore he should be taken seriously. Still thinking, thank you for this opportunity!