”
Double standard: a moral code imposing a different and more
restrictive code of behavior on women than on men, especially in
matters of sex.
”
“Double standard: a moral code imposing a different and more restrictive code of behavior on women than on men, especially in matters of sex.”
– Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1966
Lisa Pampuch employs a variation of the double standard in her column of Dec. 27. Not that Ms. Pampuch is a sexist, perish the illiberal thought. Ms. Pampuch’s double standard is that she accuses others, specifically conservatives, of fallacious argument and ad hominem attacks after perpetrating worse herself.
Ms. Pampuch wrote against using inflammatory phrases and loaded terms such as “flipped her wig” and “goes ballistic'” both of which I used in reference to Ms. Pampuch. She terms these ad hominem attacks. I can see her point.
The trouble with her objection is that this most recent flame war was ignited when Lisa Pampuch penned the following phrases with respect to our co-columnist Bonnie Evans. Ms. Pampuch said that Mrs. Evans “whines.” Ms. Pampuch used the phrases “get your knickers in a knot” “Evans, and many others of her ilk” “tyranny of the majority to force their religious views” and “culture police.”
I would posit that Ms. Pampuch’s ad hominem attacks are far more virulent and inflammatory than any I have used. I do not expect Ms. Pampuch to agree with my assessment, because I think she believes her statements to be merely factual and, heaven help us, logical. Her ideological opponents, on the other hand, she believes to be inflammatory and fallacious. Go figure.
I readily concur with Ms. Pampuch that critical thinking skills are in short supply on the opinion page of The Dispatch. I hereby resolve to do everything in my power to promote reasoned debate and stamp out irrational quarreling.
However, in order to have a reasoned debate, one must begin by acknowledging one’s biases. This first step is critical in determining truth and falsehood: one is far more apt to unquestioningly accept a falsehood that supports one’s prejudices than a truth that contradicts them.
One must also seek diligently for truth. If, for example, one acquires all one’s information from the major media, especially the AP, one should be aware that one’s sources are severely biased. I recommend “Bias'” by Bernard Goldberg, which is a particularly interesting book because Goldberg is a liberal, who managed to discern media bias in spite of the fact that he agreed with most of it.
One must distinguish not only the difference between truth and falsehood, no trivial task in itself, but also the difference between truth and validity. One must support one’s points. And one must refrain from constructing straw man arguments, as Ms. Pampuch does repeatedly in her anti-Merry Christmas campaign.
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One advantage to writing a weekly column for a decade is that one can modify one’s New Year’s resolutions for prior years slightly, and reuse them.
This year, like in 1997, I will again resolve NOT to do things, concentrating on things I am NOT doing anyway.
I resolve NOT to adopt any more animals. This will be an easy resolution to keep, because two cats, one dog, and one horse are already excessive.
I resolve NOT to diet. I enjoy reading the studies that show that diets don’t work, that a nasty yo-yo effect can be set up, wherein the dieter starves to lose, then gains on a miserable pittance of food, the body being convinced that it is living through a famine and needs to convert every calorie to fat. The dieter’s weight swings madly up and down, a state far more harmful to one’s health than mere corpulence.
I resolve NOT to give up any of my vices. I resolve to drink coffee in the morning and cheap wine in the evening, and to eat dark chocolate whenever I feel like it. Dark chocolate is good for high blood pressure.
I resolve to suffer children gladly and fools impatiently. I resolve NOT to hold back any criticism of heavy-handed bureaucrats or pernicious politicians. Criticism is fun and they deserve it.
I resolve NOT to be perfect (an easy one) and to apologize when I do wrong (much harder). (Sorry I said you flipped your wig and went ballistic, Lisa.)
Happy New Year!
