I've blogged about this before but I'm just thinking about it from another POV these days. I've grown and I've become an aunt, a teacher and more of a friend since my previous post. Hence I guess while the content may be the same, the flow of thoughts would be different.
Alright, so this would be about the notion that 'if you are A, you should not criticise for being A'. The most puerile form of this argument came out of my mouth when I was ~ sec 1. It goes smth like that
A: eh omg. B said C looked like an elephant in that dress cause she's so fat.
me: eh wtf. B looks like shit also in her top la. look at her love handles please
A: ya lorh wtf. ownself so fat still say others
I know right, I was sec 1 at that time.
but yes, does the argument make sense?
we'll always feel a sense of injustice when some one who has a particular (and usually negative) quality insults another for having that quality. But what's s wrong about it?
We'll always call the person a hypocrite (the 'it' word during sec 1) but aren't we all? In the above conversation. If I were fat, wouldn't that make me another one who judges B for being fat? But to others (namely A), I am not condemned because B deserves it for calling C fat first. How does the world work this way? If B is judged as a hypocrite (which in essence isn't applicable in this case, but we're all young and we use words w/o knowing their meanings) should I be as well?
Okay, look at it at another point of view:
does being handicapped take away my rights for judging other handicaps? (don't lie, we all do).
well, the most cogent argument I can raise would be: because you are a handicap, one would expect you to have a basic sympathy for others of your kind, since you're in their shoes as well. but that only makes the world feel that you should not judge your kind. but what makes it morally wrong?
I have no idea.
To further the argument a bit: does it mean that I can't teach what that I don't possess? that if I'm not a person with integrity, I shouldn't be teaching it to my students? But how does that make sense? surely some teachers are selfish and immoral and carnal. But they're supposed to teach the right values. Doesn't that make them hypocrites as well?
I guess it's about the image of the presenter. More often than not, during a presentation (not just formal ones, but even a casual conversation will count), the audience is not merely listening to the content. The presentation per se matters a lot as it determines whether the audience will be captured or distracted. If a fat person is going to present to you an argument about why you should exercise, people will tend to take it as a joke: clearly, you don't even know the importance; why should I listen to you?
but in this way, we're actually committing the fallacy of ad hominem (hallelujah, Mrs Kang). you're not listening to what i wanna say, but judging my presentation even before it started because of my personal qualities.
However, no one cares if they're committing such errors bc in real life, we all do don't we. In RL, we don't care what you say, whether it's cogent or not, if you have the presumption that what you say isn't reliable.
but that's life right- fallacious and crude.
Like Grace once said: we're our own hypocrites.
Alright, so this would be about the notion that 'if you are A, you should not criticise for being A'. The most puerile form of this argument came out of my mouth when I was ~ sec 1. It goes smth like that
A: eh omg. B said C looked like an elephant in that dress cause she's so fat.
me: eh wtf. B looks like shit also in her top la. look at her love handles please
A: ya lorh wtf. ownself so fat still say others
I know right, I was sec 1 at that time.
but yes, does the argument make sense?
we'll always feel a sense of injustice when some one who has a particular (and usually negative) quality insults another for having that quality. But what's s wrong about it?
We'll always call the person a hypocrite (the 'it' word during sec 1) but aren't we all? In the above conversation. If I were fat, wouldn't that make me another one who judges B for being fat? But to others (namely A), I am not condemned because B deserves it for calling C fat first. How does the world work this way? If B is judged as a hypocrite (which in essence isn't applicable in this case, but we're all young and we use words w/o knowing their meanings) should I be as well?
Okay, look at it at another point of view:
does being handicapped take away my rights for judging other handicaps? (don't lie, we all do).
well, the most cogent argument I can raise would be: because you are a handicap, one would expect you to have a basic sympathy for others of your kind, since you're in their shoes as well. but that only makes the world feel that you should not judge your kind. but what makes it morally wrong?
I have no idea.
To further the argument a bit: does it mean that I can't teach what that I don't possess? that if I'm not a person with integrity, I shouldn't be teaching it to my students? But how does that make sense? surely some teachers are selfish and immoral and carnal. But they're supposed to teach the right values. Doesn't that make them hypocrites as well?
I guess it's about the image of the presenter. More often than not, during a presentation (not just formal ones, but even a casual conversation will count), the audience is not merely listening to the content. The presentation per se matters a lot as it determines whether the audience will be captured or distracted. If a fat person is going to present to you an argument about why you should exercise, people will tend to take it as a joke: clearly, you don't even know the importance; why should I listen to you?
but in this way, we're actually committing the fallacy of ad hominem (hallelujah, Mrs Kang). you're not listening to what i wanna say, but judging my presentation even before it started because of my personal qualities.
However, no one cares if they're committing such errors bc in real life, we all do don't we. In RL, we don't care what you say, whether it's cogent or not, if you have the presumption that what you say isn't reliable.
but that's life right- fallacious and crude.
Like Grace once said: we're our own hypocrites.
Comments