MoonlessNight
Fides et Ratio
- Sep 16, 2003
- 10,217
- 3,523
- Country
- United States
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- Male
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- Catholic
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- US-Others
I was hasty in dismissing your comments, and I apologize. I, personally, do not object to Mr. Bannon's appointment based on his alleged racism and anti-Semitism.
I consider Breitbart bottom-feeding media outlet and Ms. Geller a dangerous lunatic. Bannon's endorsement by those two alone stand to brand him as questionable in my opinion.
This is the Motte-and-Bailey argument. You began by challenging people to refute the arguments of the other posters in this and other threads, who are claiming that Bannon is a racist. That's the bailey. It's a position which, if held, would benefit you greatly.
But it's hard to hold because, as I noted, the evidence for this proposition is scant at best. So when this is pointed out to you, you say merely that you are troubled by his association with Breitbart. That's the motte. It is certainly true that he has been a significant part of Breitbart after the eponymous's Breitbart's passing. No one can arguing with that. And your worries about why this matters are vague and not stated by you, so those can't really be argued against either. Thus, you are secure. But the position is also much less valuable since the only people who will have sympathy for it are those who already despise Breitbart.
The finale, which completes the strategy, is to come out of the motte after things are safer and claim that the bailey has been proven. You haven't quite gotten that far yet, and if you want to put some weight behind your pretensions, you won't.
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