Quote:
Originally Posted by LessinSF
My favorite bad argument corollary to identity politics is when someone prefaces their argument with "As a _______," as in "As a mother, I think Nassar should have received the death penalty."
This use of one's identity to insulate their argument from scrutiny, and de-legitimize the arguments of anyone who is not whatever the speaker is maddens me. It actually makes me discount their argument.
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It's an old favorite of mine, too.
But there is a use for the phrase. When I preface a healthcare related statement with the phrase "As a cancer survivor", I'm highlighting why what follows important. All of you could be relying some day on someone sticking paddles on your heart to make it another day, you're all potential future cancer survivors, so you ought to stay awake for that discussion.
More and more these days, though, my one of choice is "As a rational human being..." It does set you apart from an awful lot of people.
