Music for the ArticleInsane Logic is the kind of logic that just can't be argued with because it's so demented, so lost in its own madness, that any attempts to correct it would be met with more gibberish.
Basically a character says something so blatantly illogical that it has to be deliberate on the part of the writer.
They will start an argument that has the effect of confusing the opponent so much that they stop arguing with you. If they are too chicken to continue the argument, the point they are trying to argue must be equally as flimsy, right? Right?
In their own mind they think:
• If you can prove the other side wrong, it makes you right.
• If you can word your statements and arguments in a way that is too confusing, intelligent-sounding, or nonsensical for the opponent to respond to, it makes them wrong and it makes you right.
• If you can shock or confuse your opponent and make them think you are a lost cause and not worth arguing with, you've won.
• If you can make an opponent look bad, their logic must be equally as bad, and therefore you are right.
• If you are more popular than your opponent, it makes them wrong and it makes you right.
This includes stuff like
Here are some quotes:
. "We are made for fightin' an' winnin'. So if they lose, then they weren't really Us!"
. "were have never been beaten in battle. If we win.........we win, if we don't survive...................it dosen't count as beat. If we runs for it we don't die neither, so we can always come back for another go, see"
. "Here's the plan: win. If we lose, it's because ya didn't follow the plan"
. "Do you know why do elephants wear green sneakers? s they can conceal themselves when they run across pool tables. Did you ever see an elephant run across a pool table?"
. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it; that does not make sense! Why would a Wookiee, an 8-foot-tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor, with a bunch of 2-foot-tall Ewoks? That does not make sense! But more important, you have to ask yourself: What does this have to do with this case? Nothing. Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case! It does not make sense! Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a major record company, and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca! Does that make sense? Ladies and gentlemen, I am not making any sense! None of this makes sense! And so you have to remember, when you're in that jury room deliberatin' and conjugatin' the Cabbage Day Proclamation, does it make sense? No! Ladies and gentlemen of this supposed jury, it does not make sense! If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you must acquit! The defense rests "
Sadly this happens in Real Life High school and college debate in the US can get extremely convoluted. Since the point of competitive debate is not just to argue about a topic, but to defeat your opponent, most debate strategy is built around trying to trip up the other side. As a result, some coaches feel that implausible and goofy arguments are better, since it forces the other side to waste time trying to respond. If they ignore the argument, you can claim that you won the point since they didn't respond properly. The classic example is if you're arguing against a resolution, you try to prove that their plan will eventually lead to nuclear war, even if it's about something like homelessness or health care. Sometimes debaters will respond to an argument like that by agreeing that it will cause nuclear war, but that nuclear war is a good thing. The "correct" way to respond to it is to refute it with specific evidence in your debate file, taking advantage of your ability to speak last. Another method is to not even argue about the topic but object to your opponent's argument on philosophical grounds.
Depending on the judge, calling them out on their rule abusing their rights may or may not result in it getting dismissed.
Fri May 17, 2013 5:41 pm
