My thoughts: this was not an accident. This was testing the waters.

I wonder what the person who absolutely insisted to me yesterday that this wasn’t about black people in general would have to say about this…

  • Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win
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    2 months ago

    Declaring it an accident actually makes the argument ‘dude is racist’ stronger. If the N-word is used so often in your speech you utter it on camera by accident… yeah, that’s racist. I cannot see a charitable version implying the argument ‘dude is not racist for uttering the N-word, accidentally or not’, but I would entertain attempts in the interest of rational argumentation.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 months ago

      As the article says, his claim was that he “began to mispronounce the word ‘migrants’ and caught myself halfway through.”

      Based on your whole ‘principle of charity’ idea, isn’t it your duty to believe him?

      • Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win
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        2 months ago

        Based on your whole ‘principle of charity’ idea, isn’t it your duty to believe him?

        No. The duty is to argue against the best version of his argument. For example: “Uttering the N-word in a racist manner is evidence I am a racist, I didn’t say the N-word, so this is not evidence I am a racist” fairly (side note: this may not be the best version of the argument so if someone concocts a better one I would attack that instead).

        In this example I would (and already did elsewhere) say “I listened to the tape and heard a hard-N so the premise ‘I didn’t say the N-word’ is false” so the rest of the argument collapses and the argument concludes “he said the N-word, so this IS evidence he is racist”.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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          2 months ago

          Ah, I see, the “principle of charity” includes “I know when to be charitable and it’s when I feel like it.”

          Interesting how you didn’t argue against the “best version” of “she became black.”

          • Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win
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            2 months ago

            Again, you’re a mod. Do better. Nowhere did I even imply ‘when I feel like it’.

            You argue against the best version of the opponent’s argument. My argument transcends any accusations of racism, but does not preclude them which makes it the better form. You refusing to get that is sea-lioning at this point. Figureidout or let it go.

            • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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              2 months ago

              I am not a mod in this community either. I know you keep wanting to make that somehow relevant, but it isn’t. In the communities I moderate, it’s my job to enforce the rules. It’s certainly not my job to listen to someone excuse overt racism and not say “no, it’s racism.”

              And the best version of Trump’s “she became black” claim was the one you made- that it wasn’t racist. You didn’t argue against it, you made it.

              • Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win
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                2 months ago

                Are you trying to argue that in the forums you actually moderate you suddenly smarten up and start thinking rationally? What changes in you from one link to another that performs this miraculous change?

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldOP
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                  2 months ago

                  Nope, I’m not trying to argue that. But keep bringing up how I moderate communities other than this one as if it’s relevant to you excusing Trump’s racism.

                  • Cephalotrocity@biglemmowski.win
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                    2 months ago

                    Your seeming inability to comprehend the tenets of basic rational argumentation and outright refusal to accept what anyone says to you that you disagree with, supported or not, are glaring flaws in someone whose job it is to evaluate what people are saying in their forums and arbitrate fairly.

                    Did I not expressly agree that Trump is racist? Show me where I “excuse racism”. All I have done is simply (to some) state that “racism accusations are an unnecessary complication to successfully counter Trumps core argument”. As I’ve said already: if someone like MLK jr, or Al Sharpton, or Maya Angelou said “Kamala was pandering to her heritage” your ‘that person is racist!’ counter would be laughed at. It is besides the point. Nobody disagrees that Trump is racist. Let it go as it doesn’t matter for the best counter-argument.