Appeal to Tradition - Avatar

 

Man, I used to love this show. This particular clip is interesting, especially to us Aggies who love tradition so much. This man is refusing to let the female water bender learn how to hone her water bending skills to learn how to fight because it is against their tribes traditions. This is very similar, again, to the gay marriage debate. Many say marriage is between a man and a woman, a tradition that has been around for 100's of years. But just because that is what the definition has been doesn't mean it is right and should continue. This is the same hardship that this female water bender is experiencing. The older male states that she should only be allowed to heal other and train her water bending in this way because it is the way it has been done. Now think of Aggieland, everything we do is rooted in tradition. We do it because it has been done for so long. We often make the joke that if it's done twice, it is a tradition. However, we can learn that just because that is how it's been done doesn't mean we should continue that. Times change and what was once okay to do may not be now, that's how you can get in trouble with appeal to tradition.

Now That's a Slippery Slope

 

Oh slippery slope. The assumption that because you let one thing happen that it will cause the end of the world. Slippery slope fallacies have been made quite often over the debate of marriage equality. Many people make the statement that if we legalize same-sex marriage then how long will it be before we legalize bestiality or pedophilia. The main difference between these is that same-sex marriage is a marriage between CONSENTING adults whereas the other two are unable to consent. Its a slippery slope.  The meme above shows just that in a very comical way. So is gay marriage is to happen, then people will be able to marry their pets. Geez, thanks gay marriage and thanks slippery slope fallacy.  

 

 

Are You Racist?

 

So this is an interesting clip. In this clip this Latin woman accuses the Caucasian male of being a racist because he wants to protect his borders from illegal immigrants when he doesn't think to question the African American male. The black male then comes to his defense and turns the question on her in which she finds ridiculous. She uses the same reasoning that Bahar Mustafa uses to defend her racism, that because she is a minority she cannot be racist due to the system in which racism was created. This redefinition or racism from that Webster's dictionary states is the idea of moving the goal post or the special pleading fallacy. Basically, these women are making exceptions to exempt themselves. Below is the video of Bahar Mustafa as reference.

Part-to-Whole Fallacy

 

This cartoon is a comical way of showing the composition fallacy. This fallacy states that you assumed that one part of something has to be applied to all, or other, parts of it; or that the whole must apply to its parts. In this comic, the little boy makes the statement that something so simple and basic and often through away and not cared for cannot be possible of making something beautiful. Though, even in the real world, we know this to be far from the truth. We see trash made into art on a daily basis. There isn't the phrase "one man's trash is another man's treasure" for no reason. This can be applied to argumentation as well. This is the same as stating, "each brick in the building weighs less than a pound, so the building weighs less than a pound." Ridiculous, right?

That's What You Get for Stating a False Cause

Katy Perry, another one of my favorite female artist. Though I love her and her music deeply, it doesn't mean that I cannot recognize a fallacy in her songs when I see one. In her song Waking Up in Vegas, Katy uses the phrase "that's what you get for waking up in Vegas" trying to say all of the bad luck that occurs in the song and is seen in the music video attached is because you went to Vegas. This isn't the cause. They were irresponsible and didn't know when to cash out when they had the chance. They instead used that money to party more. Instead, she should say "that's what you get for PARTYING in Vegas." However, it does not match the rhyme scheme as well and I don't feel the song would have done as well. Below are the lyrics in case you don't know the song.

You gotta help me out
It's all a blur last night
We need a taxi 'cause you're hung-over and I'm broke
I lost my fake id but you lost the motel key
Spare me your freakin' dirty looks
Now don't blame me
You roll the cash out
And get the hell out of town
Don't be a baby
Remember what you told me
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
Why are these lights so bright
Oh, did we get hitched last night, dressed up like Elvis,
Why, am I wearing your class ring?
Don't call your mother
Cause now we're partners in crime
Don't be a baby
Remember what you told me
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
You got me into this
Information overload, situation lost control
Send out an S.O.S.
And get some cash out
We're gonna tear up the town
Don't be a baby
Remember what you told me
Remember what you told me
Remember what you told me
Told me, you told me, you told me
Shut up and put your money where your mouth is
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes, now
That's what you get for waking up in Vegas
That's what you get baby, shake the glitter, shake, shake, shake the glitter
Give me some cash out, baby
Give me some cash out, baby

That's Not What's Causing That...

 

Now this is an interesting spin on things. Here we have another classic example of false cause, where correlation does not mean causation. If this is proof of global warming, I would fear to see where underwear and other clothing line would turn to at this point. What we see here is just the evolution of fashion in women's underwear. Just because it is exposing more does not mean it is proof of global warming. This has to do, like I said, I part with the changing of fashion, and could be, in part the reclaiming of the women's body in her own expressive nature. Whatever it may be, this is not proof of global warming, rather proof of a logical fallacy, the fallacy of false cause.

It's Bound to Work This Time!!

 

The gambler's fallacy, or the assumption that the past frequency of performance will affect future outcomes. Basically, because it has failed so many times, it is bound to work this time. This sounds like something else very similar, something like doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. What is that again? Oh yeah, it is the definition of insanity as quoted by Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds this world has ever known. They are basically one in the same it seems, so no doubt makes for a weak argument, especially if you are trying to defend your research to  you grant committee when it keeps failing. The blue guy in the comic also looks a little insane in the second comic strip.