Monday, December 26, 2005

Life lesson #2341: avoid false syllogisms

One lives and learns. I've learned a new principle. Avoid any syllogism that begins: "no one could be that stupid …". That's a sure loser.

Over at Calgary Grit, I expressed my skepticism about Klandergate. The reason that I was sceptical? "No one could be that stupid…"

The proof that I was wrong. From The Toronto Star, December 23, 2005 Friday ( Pg. A06):
Federal New Democrats are mad about a blog posting by an Ontario Liberal organizer comparing NDP candidate Olivia Chow to a dog.

The web page, operated by Mike Klander, showed a picture of Chow, wife of NDP Leader Jack Layton, and below it a picture of a "Chow Chow" dog with the caption "Separated at Birth." In fact, the dog resembles a Pekingese, which had some New Democrats crying racism. The blog was removed soon after the Star contacted senior Liberals seeking comment.

"I further understand he (Klander) has apologized. Those were, in my view, the appropriate actions," said Steve MacKinnon, executive director of the Liberal Party.

Chow said she was "saddened" by the swipe: "I'll debate policy anytime but to descend to this level is quite disappointing.


Update. Over at Somena Media, Meaghan points out that some of those who have been piling on in the recent Klandergate episode have endulged in similar behaviour themselves.

Update 2. For the best summary of Klander blog affair follow the link to Idealistic Pragmatist.

3 comments:

Idealistic Pragmatist said...

There are even more questions now, though. Why wasn't this article available through google news? And why didn't any other media outlet pick up on this, if they reported on it all the way back on the twenty-third?

buckets said...

That's an interesting point. I suspect that the Start does not put all their print content into their webpage, with the result that it doesn't get fed into google/etc.

Somena Woman said...

Do me a favour buckts, my luv, put a link to a "nobody could be as stupid as this" to the "Oh The Hyperbole Chow-Chow vs GreyOwl" post on Somena Media as well.

Yes.. people can be that stupid.

I was amazed at the time that a pro politician like Solberg would be caught dead anywhere near SDA... even after being alerted to some of the uh... more interesting comments and "photoshopped" artwork therein...

I am equally amazed that Klandar was this stupid.

But in Klandars defence, he almost immediately took the damn thing down. Whereas, the GreyOwl thing, and the AbuGharib thing, as well as Solberg's promotion of the blog wherein such things are contained -- continues... even into an election cycle.

Bizarre.