Jonanism

From RationalWiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Part of the series on

Logic and rhetoric

Icon logic.svg
Key articles
General logic
Bad logic

Jonanism is the logical fallacy of believing that everyone you hate is the same. The term is a portmanteau of the name of Jonah Goldberg, and Onanism.

Contents

[edit] Definition

  1. The belief that everybody you hate is exactly the same.
  2. The belief that evidence that nobody takes you seriously means you are very serious.
  3. Any attempt to popularize these beliefs in book and associated website form.

[edit] Offenders

Fundamentalists and many religious right pundits tend to label anybody who disagrees with them "Anti-Christian" or "Anti-Judeo-Christian values". Wingnuts usually call nearly anybody who disagrees with them as "liberal" or "leftist", and far-left activists may call anyone who argues with them "bourgeois" or something similar. However in order to fit the label of this fallacy the person must be some sort of pathetic pundit or activist who tries to push their nonsense through cheap mediums such as books or websites. When ignored or laughed off these pundits or activists may believe it is proof that their "enemies" control the media or other institutions. One could say that "Jonanism" is the combination of several fallacies, mainly overgeneralizations, the false dilemma ("With us or against us!"), and the Galileo gambit.

[edit] Examples

Keep in mind that the offenders have to be considered "fringe", "nutty", or just plain stupid by most of society. Jerry Falwell actually had power and was influential so he couldn't qualify, whereas the pundits below are largely considered jokes and couldn't change much no matter how hard they tried. Most of these people believe that the fact that they have to resort to cheap means to get their point across is evidence their enemies control the media or that their persecuted.

  • Jonah Goldberg, who thinks fascists and liberals are the same. Goldberg is in turn considered an idiot by actual historians and political scientists.
  • Dennis Prager, who believes all of his enemies are anti-Judeo-Christian, or are "Leftists" (to the point where he calls Ron Paul a leftist for straying from a neocon point of view). His ridiculous articles about things like how universities are turning students bisexual and other such nonsense leaves him to be laughed off by most (with the exception of certain wingnut circles who actually believe him to be an intellectual). Him being laughed off or ignored is evidence of the liberal feminist conspiracy.
  • Ray Comfort- (See Dennis Prager)
  • Theodore Beale- (See Ray Comfort)
  • Ann Coulter- (See Theodore Beale)
  • Dinesh D'Souza- (See Ann Coulter)
  • Liberal Logic 101 is the poster child for this fallacy, believing all of its enemies to be liberal while feeling persecuted by the "liberal media".
  • Jack Chick, who believes all of his enemies are anti-Protestant.
  • Katie Pavlich- Pushes conspiracy theory filled books about how Barack Obama is coming for your guns and believes anyone not sufficiently right-wing enough for her tastes is liberal. When ignored she believes it's proof of the liberal media.
  • Radical feminist Cathy Brennan who believes all of her opponents are anti-feminist or anti-women. When told she's nuts it's taken as proof the "misogynists" are persecuting her.
  • Any libertarian blogger who consistently calls people they disagree with "statists".
  • Metapedia and any other Neo-Nazi webshite that uses words like "Jewish/Zionist" and/or "Marxist" to describe people or stuff they hate.
  • Radical right blogger John Hawkins embodies this fallacy, believing that everyone he hates is anti-American and sympathetic towards terrorists.
  • MRA bloggers who believe everyone who opposes them is a "radical feminist" or "anti-man".
  • Islamic Awakening- Thinks everybody against them is "anti-Muslim" and the fact that the "heathens" consider them crazy is evidence they're doing good.
  • Clenard Childress, who runs a website that claims that abortion is a "black genocide".
  • Moonbattery.com, who thinks anybody slightly to their left is a "Moonbat".
  • Any Marxist blogger or writer who labels all of his/her enemies "bourgeois scum" or something similar.
  • Hard green bloggers who believe all their enemies are "corporate whores" or something similar.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Community
Tools
support