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Are all Trump Supporters “Deplorables?”
A non-BS answer to a BS line of attack
In philosophy, we talk about logical fallacies, and we teach students to avoid them. Logical fallacies are arguments or statements that on the surface seem reasonable but are in fact irrational or, to be blunt, BS. People use logical fallacies to deceive people and advance an argument that can’t stand on its own merits.
In political conversation, the most frequently used logical fallacies are ad hominems and straw mans. Anyone who has paid any attention to politics in the last three decades has seen these two fallacies maliciously used many times. Political discussion is dead, replaced by silos of fabricated accusations and “I’m right, you’re wrong.”
Using an ad hominem is to attack the person as a deceptive way to avoid and dismiss what the other person is saying. For example, when in 2016 Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “deplorables,” she was using an ad hominem fallacy to demonize people and distract from the discussion of issues. It was a BS argument.
Using a straw man is to erect an overly simplistic argument that is easy to tear down, attribute that simplistic argument to your opponent, then tear it down and claim victory. For example, to claim that Democrats declare that all Trump supporters are “filled with hate or…
