Seriously, Dawkins?

[Kai]

Thread reborn.

Apparently Dawkins believes that because of the horrors Muslim women are put through, it's apparently alright to be a general douchebag because it's nowhere near as bad as genital mutilation.

http://www.blaghag.com/2011/07/richard-dawkins-your-privilege-is.html

[Cain]

That would actually explain a lot about Dawkins and his general behaviour.

"Yeah?  You think this is bad?  Well POL POT KILLED 1/3 OF CAMBODIA!  IN YOUR FACE!"

I am going to try this line of reasoning at work this week.

[Kai]

That would actually explain a lot about Dawkins and his general behaviour.

"Yeah?  You think this is bad?  Well POL POT KILLED 1/3 OF CAMBODIA!  IN YOUR FACE!"

I am going to try this line of reasoning at work this week.

[Kai]

Is there a particular name for this sort of argument where a lesser evil is devalued to nothing through exposition of a greater evil?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Wow. Seriously. WHAT THE FUCK.

[Cain]

Seems to be a variation on Red Herring, Appeal to Emotion/Pity/Ridicule and a bastardised version of the False Dilemma.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Is there a particular name for this sort of argument where a lesser evil is devalued to nothing through exposition of a greater evil?

If there is, I would like to know it, because that particular argument always pisses me off no end.

It's the "You shouldn't complain because other people have it worse" argument. Sometimes liked to the "there are children starving in India" argument, but that one actually has some validity (ie. appreciate what you have) whereas telling people they shouldn't complain because others have it worse is basically the same as calling them whiners.

Now, sometimes people really ARE whiners. But pointing out that it is frightening as well as rude to proposition a strange woman in a small enclosed space alone at 4am is not whining, just because nothing bad came of it.

I was really disturbed that at least one person kept using the phrase "a few words taken the wrong way" as if simply saying the wrong thing and being misunderstood could lead to rape. Rape is not the result of misunderstanding. It may be the result of opportunism, but never misunderstanding. The rapist mindset is about whether he thinks he can GET AWAY with it; the non-rapist is not going to rape someone because they "misunderstand a few words".

The problem is, alone in an elevator at 4 am with a strange man, you don't have any way of knowing whether he's a rapist or not, and whether or not women are being oppressed and mutilated elsewhere has no bearing on that.

I'm not saying that he was inherently wrong to proposition her. Just that the situation in which he propositioned her was threatening and he should have used better judgement. To me, the fact that a man propositioned me in the elevator alone at 4 am would tip my assessment of him into the "potential rapist" territory.

[Kai]

Is there a particular name for this sort of argument where a lesser evil is devalued to nothing through exposition of a greater evil?

If there is, I would like to know it, because that particular argument always pisses me off no end.

It's the "You shouldn't complain because other people have it worse" argument. Sometimes liked to the "there are children starving in India" argument, but that one actually has some validity (ie. appreciate what you have) whereas telling people they shouldn't complain because others have it worse is basically the same as calling them whiners.

Now, sometimes people really ARE whiners. But pointing out that it is frightening as well as rude to proposition a strange woman in a small enclosed space alone at 4am is not whining, just because nothing bad came of it.

I was really disturbed that at least one person kept using the phrase "a few words taken the wrong way" as if simply saying the wrong thing and being misunderstood could lead to rape. Rape is not the result of misunderstanding. It may be the result of opportunism, but never misunderstanding. The rapist mindset is about whether he thinks he can GET AWAY with it; the non-rapist is not going to rape someone because they "misunderstand a few words".

The problem is, alone in an elevator at 4 am with a strange man, you don't have any way of knowing whether he's a rapist or not, and whether or not women are being oppressed and mutilated elsewhere has no bearing on that.

I'm not saying that he was inherently wrong to proposition her. Just that the situation in which he propositioned her was threatening and he should have used better judgement. To me, the fact that a man propositioned me in the elevator alone at 4 am would tip my assessment of him into the "potential rapist" territory.

And it's still douchebaggery regardless.

[Kai]

Seems to be a variation on Red Herring, Appeal to Emotion/Pity/Ridicule and a bastardised version of the False Dilemma.

The closest thing I can think of would be apologetics (excusing a greater evil via lesser goods), except it's more like reverse apologetics, then.

[BadBeast]

 

Seems to be a variation on Red Herring, Appeal to Emotion/Pity/Ridicule and a bastardised version of the False Dilemma.

The closest thing I can think of would be apologetics (excusing a greater evil via lesser goods), except it's more like reverse apologetics, then.

A Scitegolopa argument.

[Kai]

Seems to be a variation on Red Herring, Appeal to Emotion/Pity/Ridicule and a bastardised version of the False Dilemma.

The closest thing I can think of would be apologetics (excusing a greater evil via lesser goods), except it's more like reverse apologetics, then.

A Scitegolopa argument.

I think "reverse apologetic" or "minificatious" argument has a better ring.

[Thurnez Isa]

I don't know who I wanna punch more... Dawkins or some of the people in the comment section

help me choose

[Kai]

I don't know who I wanna punch more... Dawkins or some of the people in the comment section

help me choose

I saw that too. Bleh.

[Faust]

What a douche. Glad to see the king of Pop atheism is still doing his best strip off any shred of credibility he once had.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Is there a particular name for this sort of argument where a lesser evil is devalued to nothing through exposition of a greater evil?

If there is, I would like to know it, because that particular argument always pisses me off no end.

It's the "You shouldn't complain because other people have it worse" argument. Sometimes liked to the "there are children starving in India" argument, but that one actually has some validity (ie. appreciate what you have) whereas telling people they shouldn't complain because others have it worse is basically the same as calling them whiners.

Now, sometimes people really ARE whiners. But pointing out that it is frightening as well as rude to proposition a strange woman in a small enclosed space alone at 4am is not whining, just because nothing bad came of it.

I was really disturbed that at least one person kept using the phrase "a few words taken the wrong way" as if simply saying the wrong thing and being misunderstood could lead to rape. Rape is not the result of misunderstanding. It may be the result of opportunism, but never misunderstanding. The rapist mindset is about whether he thinks he can GET AWAY with it; the non-rapist is not going to rape someone because they "misunderstand a few words".

The problem is, alone in an elevator at 4 am with a strange man, you don't have any way of knowing whether he's a rapist or not, and whether or not women are being oppressed and mutilated elsewhere has no bearing on that.

I'm not saying that he was inherently wrong to proposition her. Just that the situation in which he propositioned her was threatening and he should have used better judgement. To me, the fact that a man propositioned me in the elevator alone at 4 am would tip my assessment of him into the "potential rapist" territory.

And it's still douchebaggery regardless.

Yes. Even if the intention behind it was not predatory, the complete lack of awareness or concern of how threatening it would seem is self-absorbed, ignorant, and douchey.