• Privacy policy
  • T&C’s
  • About Us
    • FAQ
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact us
  • Guest Content
TLE ONLINE SHOP!
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
SUPPORT THE LONDON ECONOMIC
NEWSLETTER
  • TLE
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Opinion
  • Elevenses
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • Film
    • Lifestyle
      • Horoscopes
    • Lottery Results
      • Lotto
      • Thunderball
      • Set For Life
      • EuroMillions
  • Food
    • All Food
    • Recipes
  • Property
  • Travel
  • Tech/Auto
  • JOBS
No Result
View All Result
The London Economic
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion

Racism for Dummies: How to detect reductio ad absurdum

Following the breakout of fake news, craftily edited viral vids and the various other bits of clickbait bollocks circulating social media the next big thing getting brainless users in a tizzy is the logical fallacy of reductio ad absurdum. Reductio ad absurdum, as the Big Bang’s Sheldon Cooper so adequately describes, is the notion of extending someone’s […]

Jack Peat by Jack Peat
2017-03-27 11:34
in Opinion
FacebookTwitterLinkedinEmailWhatsapp

Following the breakout of fake news, craftily edited viral vids and the various other bits of clickbait bollocks circulating social media the next big thing getting brainless users in a tizzy is the logical fallacy of reductio ad absurdum.

Reductio ad absurdum, as the Big Bang’s Sheldon Cooper so adequately describes, is the notion of extending someone’s argument to ridiculous proportions and then criticising the result, and in his words, we do not appreciate it.

As if making news that is completely fake isn’t bad enough we now have false equivalences to worry about. You state a proposition and compare it to an utterly ridiculous equivalent thus demonstrating it to be false, but in many ways that’s no different to posting unverified, unchecked falsities, and social media is lapping it up.

The latest example comes from Info Wars on the things we’re (apparently) not been told about the London terror attack. The video, which has been viewed over 2.5 million times, is accompanied by the caption: “Leftists think celebrating multiculturalism will stop terrorism. This is like thinking that celebrating smoking will stop cancer.”

Well, it patently isn’t.

Anyone with half a brain cell knows multiculturalism does not equate to cancer, but put it next to a politically loaded video in the wake of a disturbing terrorist attack and suddenly such equivalences make sense to several million people who’d like to believe that in some way a diverse society is an unsafe one.

But how, and in what way, does cultural diversity make an individual man mentally unstable? They are as unconnected as chalk and cheese. And the hilarious thing is that the people posting will most likely be the ones who celebrate multiculturalism the most – They will indulge in a curry on a Friday night and get a take away from their local kebab shop on a Saturday. They will drink overseas lagers and watch a football league dominated by overseas football players. Yet can’t make the distinction when it comes hate-fuelled Facebook posts.

RelatedPosts

Elevenses: Rishi Won’t Say

Elevenses: The Biggest Swindle Of All

The Royal’s silence has proved Prince Harry was right to move his family out of the UK

Elevenses: You Are What You Say You Are

So here’s our guide. You might accept the premise that celebrating smoking would not stop cancer, but that bears no relation to the premise that multiculturalism is connected to terrorism. It’s a fake equivalency in an age of far right resurgence, and you’d do well to remember it next time you’re scrolling through your feed.

Content Protection by DMCA.com
Tags: headline

Since you are here

Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help.

Journalism in Britain is under threat. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations.

Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But we can't do it without you.

If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point.

To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here.

The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work.

The shop can be found here.

You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER .

Subscribe to our Newsletter

View our  Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions

Trending on TLE

  • All
  • trending
Abdollah

‘Rescue us’: Afghan teacher begs UK to help him escape Taliban

CHOMSKY: “If Corbyn had been elected, Britain would be pursuing a much more sane course”

What If We Got Rid Of Prisons?

More from TLE

Tale of one city? Rangers fans defy rules to sing national anthem as Celtic fans unfurl explicit banner

For the first time, more people now disapprove of the government’s handling of the crisis than approve

French champagne makers say ‘non merci’ to Brexiteers’ pint measure

‘Best video you’ll see today’: Patel speach interrupted by activists at Conservative party dinner

Watch – Mother duck and her ducklings escorted out of primary school

McDonnell accuses Hammond of Brexit ‘cowardice’

Goalkeeper ‘could be one of the best signings of the whole window’ says Aston Villa hero

UK coronavirus – Death toll rises by nearly 1,000 to over 7,000

Surprise and confusion as people learn of new career paths

Asda customer stunned after discovering one of the world’s deadliest spiders in his pack of bananas

JOBS

FIND MORE JOBS

About Us

TheLondonEconomic.com – Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle.

Read more

Contact

Editorial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Commercial enquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Address

The London Economic Newspaper Limited t/a TLE
Company number 09221879
International House,
24 Holborn Viaduct,
London EC1A 2BN,
United Kingdom

SUPPORT

We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism.

DONATE & SUPPORT

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.




No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Sport
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Travel
  • JOBS
  • More…
    • Elevenses
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Tech & Auto
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Privacy policy
  • Contact us

© 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. All Rights Reserved.