The Wrestling Talk Forums - View Single Post - Anti-Immigrant Sentiment

matclone · 05-09-2008, 07:21 PM

Profit? Can't avoid using rhetorical exaggerations, can you?

We see how this plays out: someone makes a false statement that unauthorized immigrants get Social Security. I say no, not true. They repeat this false statement. I say no. Someone else finds some misleading information on the internet to attempt to support false claims one and two. Again, I point out the error. Finally, King Kong in a supposed fit of clarity says, what we really meant was...the kids (who are not unauthorized) get benefits (careful to avoid the detail that only disabled children get Social Security in their own right--a pretty small group--so maybe he's talking about food stamps or some other benefit) while further muddying the waters by making rhetorical exaggerations that "they" (those people he loathes) "profit" from their children--as if someone's getting rich on food stamps or taking their kids to the doctor. Of course, if "they" have no children, no dollars at all. But, hey, let's exaggerate. Let's fabricate. Let's obfuscate. Truth and accuracy be damned. No exaggeration is too extreme when your object is hate.

And let's be clear: all this sort of exaggeration is designed to demean someone and/or create anger or fear. It's doesn't do a thing to further public policy or education. If our government officials made all their decisions based on false or misleading information, what would we get? Bad policy. Bad government.

05-09-2008, 07:21 PM	#105 (permalink)
matclone Olympic Champ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: It's a long way from East Colorado Posts: 2,763 Tournament Joined: 0 Tournament Wins: 0	Re: Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Profit? Can't avoid using rhetorical exaggerations, can you? We see how this plays out: someone makes a false statement that unauthorized immigrants get Social Security. I say no, not true. They repeat this false statement. I say no. Someone else finds some misleading information on the internet to attempt to support false claims one and two. Again, I point out the error. Finally, King Kong in a supposed fit of clarity says, what we really meant was...the kids (who are not unauthorized) get benefits (careful to avoid the detail that only disabled children get Social Security in their own right--a pretty small group--so maybe he's talking about food stamps or some other benefit) while further muddying the waters by making rhetorical exaggerations that "they" (those people he loathes) "profit" from their children--as if someone's getting rich on food stamps or taking their kids to the doctor. Of course, if "they" have no children, no dollars at all. But, hey, let's exaggerate. Let's fabricate. Let's obfuscate. Truth and accuracy be damned. No exaggeration is too extreme when your object is hate. And let's be clear: all this sort of exaggeration is designed to demean someone and/or create anger or fear. It's doesn't do a thing to further public policy or education. If our government officials made all their decisions based on false or misleading information, what would we get? Bad policy. Bad government.