I want to give a shout out to ProSense.

[JackRiddler]

218. Maven and LiberalLovinLug, these are brilliant posts.

Last edited Wed Jan 11, 2012, 08:02 PM - Edit history (2)

Thank you!

9) The Association: Tie all enemies together into a single Rogues Gallery. For example, if you mention Ron Paul in any way without the required verbiage, even if you're critical, to her you might as well be Ron Paul, and that makes you fair game to also be Greenwald, Taibbi, Stoller, Hamsher, or Norquist by false association with Hamsher, or Cato by false association with Greenwald. Whatever: It's all one 19-headed crypto-Republican Obama-hating, DU-subverting beast that must be banned from sight before it loses us the election! (But remember, the worst thing in the world is conspiracy theory!) Forevermore, no matter how discussion evolves, no matter what you think the topic is, the question will be: And why are you supporting Ron Paul?

10) The Start From Zero: All prior discussions are always forgotten. All premises and points must be made again, and met with the same sophistry at each stage. Always return to the talking-point preset. The constant new thread starting enables this. I've started new threads on a subject so as to reframe and be able to have a different conversation about it, but she can do six a day just to have the same conversation all over again!

So many more, but all variations on the same approach. How about The Eternal Binary (false dichotomies) ?

These are all common elements of sophistry as it is found in all environements and on behalf of all ideologies, but in some ways she presents the Platonic Ideal of a practitioner. It's fascinating and time-consuming. I have to confess it's not just infuriating but also entertaining.

Ah, yes.

11) The Apocalyptic Tell! She keeps trying to wind you up into some admission or revelation, as though you'll finally break down and expose yourself as part of the 19-headed crypt-Republican beast and so turn to dust, like a dissolving vampire.

And the temptation to wind her back in kind is childish but clearly, at times, overwhelming to me. A serious character defect and compulsion in me, a mirror image of hers in this aspect, even if I do try to adhere to logic and can actually change my mind about things and sometimes don't even know WHAT I'm going to say.

That's perhaps the deadliest thing: Never not knowing what you're going to say or think. The philosophy and practice of PR ends up conditioning every possible discussion, no matter how individual.

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