Sidebar: Blog Poll Results Oct.-Nov., 2010

The question for this most recent poll was: If a person said about you “I don't take (you) as an idiot overall. On the contrary (you) just act like an idiot on occasion.” Would you consider this a form of “ad hominem” attack or personal disparagement?

The choices were four (4): (1) Yes, both, (2) No, neither, or (3) one (an ad hominem attack but not personal disparagement) or the other (4) (personal disparagement but not ad hominem attack). The vote was unanimous: everyone voted for Number One, which was an evident choice. Admission: at least seven of the 15 votes polled were from friends and relatives who I asked to take the poll (and one from me), and I recommended they choose Number 1 (both). So, almost half the poll was rigged, ha ha! But they did not have to pick that choice and they all agreed with me as to the correct response.

Background of this question: Someone in their other (secret?) blog actually said this about me. On another occasion they argued that I didn’t know that ad hominem was not personal disparagement. This is to show that MOST people understand ad hominem as being personal disparagement directed toward whoever they are countering.  It can't be parsed.

One of my respondents said the poll seemed kind of stupid, and I have to say, yes, it was a no-brainer. It was just to show that going to these lengths just to argue, or try to show someone is wrong (according to them), is in itself kind of stupid…and what it says about the person doing it.