Beware of Straw Devils!
Morning Thoughts #39
Friends, be on the lookout for a new update to the classic straw man logical fallacy. This new edition perfectly befits our hysterical age. Let me explain. No longer are we simply content with mischaracterizing our opponents' arguments into straw men. Now, we seek to go a step further and turn them into straw devils! Where once it was wrong to be wrong, a new mandate has arisen that says it is evil to be wrong. To hold or agree with an "evil" opinion has become the new height of unpardonable sin. In such an environment, our debates have become moral boxing matches, where we size up our opponent only to better fit them with a custom crown of horns.
There is an inherent danger in declaring a mediocre opponent to be a supervillain as a lazy means of dismissing them entirely. For one, this opponent in question might start to believe your bombastic rhetoric (retaining only the prefix “super” in their mind), and two, it may implant in their followers’ minds the idea that they should demand more than mediocrity and safe, banal talking points from future leaders.
I can tell by the foam beginning to form around your mouth as you spew words of anger that you’ve come to believe in your own creations. The supervillains have become so real for you, and yet, you yourself created these straw devils out of mediocre men. But it’s backfired, and now you’re scared, and your opponents are inspired. You’ve given them a model, but they are not content with the paltry straw devil you arranged for them. No, soon they will create an organic supervillain of their own, but from their perspective, this supervillain is a superhero come to lead. Do you see what you’ve done? You were not content to debate, disagree, and work to convince others of the rightness of your stance through rational means. Rather, you chose to define, defame, and build a straw devil in a mediocre place. And now, you may have unleashed much more than intended!
On the other hand, and perhaps more importantly, let us make sure we have not been tricked into following any straw devils ourselves! Without a doubt, those who view us as their ideological opponents have their marketing departments and PR teams working tirelessly to convince us that some straw devil or other is our natural leader. They are waiting for us to appear receptive to ideas promoted by their straw devil and then to pounce on us. They will then shout to all the neutral observers that they have convincing proof that "you SEE they were precisely as evil as we have made them out to be." Through such tactics, they have a more effective means of convincing neutral observers to hop on their bandwagon. A word to the wise: never just react. To avoid the appearance of being on the defensive, make sure all of your responses lead toward creating a way forward. Do not let your enemies define you. Always and everywhere, define yourself on your own terms and beware of straw devils reaching out to you with itchy hands!