Actually it is not a new term but it seems to be one that conservatives have forgotten about. We see the left using it all the time against us. What is funny is that they are quite willing to turn it on their own also. A good current example is the attempt to knock Joe Biden out of the race for president in 2020. Instead of talking about his stands on the issues they are trying to destroy him by bringing accusations out of the woodwork about his behavior around women and little girls. It is nothing new. It has been obvious for years. Now suddenly he has a problem.
Ad hominem attacks mean that you attack the person instead of the position he takes. Such an approach to debate makes it impossible for communication to happen. It is like parlor magic, based on distraction and slight of hand. It is impossible to defend against. If someone calls you a liar then nothing you say matters. If people start laughing at you they will not listen to what you say. It works well for the rank and file Democrat voter because they don’t care about facts anyway.
The right uses it too. Adam Schiff is attacked as “pencil neck” and there is constant emphasis on his drug stupor stare. We see constant reference to AOC being stupid. If it were not so common it could be overlooked but we need to take a higher road, or at least both roads at once.
It takes time and demands patience. Remember what it was like potty training your children. You must find the key that gets their attention. I remember when Obama was running for president. The common statement of students was I would not vote for him because he was black. I would laugh at them and then start down the list of issues he was wrong on: Abortion, Second Amendment, homosexual marriage, immigration and anything else I could think of. The strange thing is that the kids would often agree with me on the issues but still act like brainwashed robots. That is probably because they were brainwashed robots.
I hope that conservatives can get beyond the insults and on to the issues.
homo unius libri
I mostly agree with you, though I post countless memes that indicate otherwise. I think you may be off with AOC, however. I believe she really IS that stupid, and it can't help but affect her time in congress.
ReplyDeleteDon't let me discourage you from your meme glean. I don't do Facebook or any of those so what you gather makes my day.
DeleteGrace and peace