As a Philosophy undergraduate, I recall that I was given a list of the Thirty Six Dirty Tricks in Debate by our lecturer, Dr Robert Barron. The entire class was required to memorise them, because if any cropped up in our subsequent essays or discourses, then it was an instant fail. In the stupidity of youth, I threw the paper into the recycling bin, as soon as I'd gained the degree. It's a pity, because I could have cited it now, as I recognise so many of the rules being broken wherever people meet online to discuss politics and protest.
One of the biggest transgressions is the use of 'stop words'. This is the introduction of irrelevant or nonsensical sentiments, designed to simply put an end to all debate. It is usually attempted by aligning an opponent with an unpopular position, regardless of its basis in reality. Done skillfully enough, there is no answer, except denial. The dirty trickster wins the debate through default, as the other side becomes derailed. This tactic is alive and well, and gaining traction, on the internet.
Derailing with Stop Words: Why is Michael Moore Perceived as Anti-American?
On September 26th 2011, documentary film-maker and author Michael Moore visited Zuccotti Park, in New York City. He gave a speech there, in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement, which attracted a lot of media and forum attention. The ensuing debates, about the man and the protest, were littered with 'stop words'. One example comes from Gateway Pundit under the heading Socialist Michael Moore Attends Wall Street Protest to Support Young Commie Squatters. Author Jim Toft's opening line started with the words, 'Far left anti-American hero Michael Moore...' The majority of the initial comments focused mostly upon Mr Moore's physique.
As a Briton, the nuances of American patriotism sometimes get lost in the translation. 'Anti-American' appears to me in the context of xenophobia, such as was exhibited in the wave of jokes in Europe during the last decade. Here Americans were uniformly and stereotypically depicted as violent, murderous and stupid. The jokes were anti-American. Taliban fighters scored the Afghan skies with anti-American gunfire. Two planes flown into the World Trader Center by foreign nationals were anti-American terrorist attacks. I struggled with the concept of how Mr Moore, born and bred in the USA and apparently not committing treason, could be considered in this light.
Stop Words in Action: What is 'Anti-American' and How Does it Apply to Michael Moore?
I asked the question: 'Also, as a Briton, I am a little confused by what ‘anti-American’ means precisely and how it relates to Mr Moore.'
The response came from several sources, but they didn't inform me. The most coherent was written by Redbeard. 'I doubt that it’s your nationality that prevents you from understanding what Moore represents, and how it is the antithesis of everything upon which this nation was built. Some of my British friends seem to have quite a good handle on the detrimental nature of runaway socialism, and some of my American friends do not have the slightest idea. If you get my drift.'
If not my nationality, then what denies my understanding of the issues? Redbeard skillfully left the bait dangling for readers to fill in the gaps. (S)he also manoeuvred the discussion onto Socialism. As this is a site created by Jim Toft of the St Louis Tea Party Coalition, Socialism is a 'stop word'.
The trap was sprung by Valerie and WillofLa. Valerie had opened her discourse by dismissing my question outright: 'As you can tell, nobody here believes your comment was in any way sincere. But since we do get others at this site from time to time who are naive, I’ll answer.' They were also both now discussing government systems and Socialism.
No-one actually answered my questions outright. What is 'anti-American' and how does that relate to Mr Moore? The reply: my comments were not to be trusted, as I am insincere and naive. Many other comments focused solely upon personal insults directed towards myself.
However, Redbeard had linked Michael Moore with Socialism and WillofLa stated, 'Capitalism works, Socialism fails. And Americans who are considered to be “Anti-American” are people who believe that Socialism would work better for them, and Capitalism discriminates against those who won’t provide for themselves.'
How UnAmerican Does Not Translate to the Rest of the World
If being 'Anti-American' equates with Socialism, then why was it also being used so widely out of context? Along with its sister word 'unAmerican' (or is that un-American? Both are used interchangeably), it is in common use amongst the left too.
Ironically, the sentiment is utterly American, so much so that the words are the subject of academic study in Great Britain. Dr George Lewis, at the University of Leicester, wrote, 'This long tradition of “un-Americans” is peculiarly American: there is no working concept of the “un-British,” for example, and few other nations have any similar tradition. Those that do, such as Australia, have seen it used only fleetingly to describe a particular social or political moment.'
So What is Anti-American and UnAmerican?
Still none the wiser, I puzzled about it until the evening, when I was able to speak with a group of American friends. By now my reasoning was looking at the Occupy Wall Street protest, Mr Moore and history. In his speech, he had demanded that the richest percentage of the country pay more tax and stop using their wealth to lobby the government into favourable policies. Was 'more tax, less representation' the thing that made him so unAmerican, in a nation founded upon the notion of 'no tax without representation'?
No, my friends informed me. America is a country obsessed with patriotism. 'Anti-American' or 'unAmerican' is the worst insult there is. It's a 'stop word'. My old Philosophy lecturer would have dismissed its usage with an automatic fail.
Jo Harrington - Jo has a BA (Hons) in History and Philosophy and a MA in History. She has a book published on the history of Wicca.
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