I have noticed a recent trend of certain kinds of issues being dismissed as “bandwagons,” particularly ones associated with women’s experiences in society. I put this in the Pit instead of in Great Debates, because it seems that at least one regular poster here has started using “bandwagon” as a response specifically to some of my posts.
I am dismayed by this tactic. It seems dismissive in a way that doesn’t seem necessary in context, particular from the poster in question. And if this poster has a particular problem with me, I want to offer an opportunity to get that off es chest and, I hope, put an end to the “bandwagon” comments elsewhere.
Examples (not all of them about me):
In a thread about Margaret Atwood:
In a thread about Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari:
In a thread about a warning issued in a thread about women’s bodies and attractiveness
In a thread about representation of women among Golden Globes nominees:
In a discussion arising in a thread about the recent Tarantino film about movies commonly employing violence as the solution to conflict:
In a thread about Brock Turner, a side discussion about whether whether informal usage of the term “rape” is appropriate:
In a recent thread about allegations against Kavanaugh:
My point is this: Even if you think I (or someone else) is wrong about something, this “bandwagon” thing is nothing more than a personal insult of some kind. It’s not an argument. It’s not valid reasoning. It’s childish and demeaning.
If one might make a polite request in the Pit, I would venture to request replacing such responses with something rational and befitting a conversation between two people with comparable intelligence and sincere intent.
It also seems like a damned if you don’t and damned if you do dilemma.
“Hey, you said something that isn’t being said by a bunch of other people! We can therefore dismiss you as a standalone nutball, go read what these other people said on the issue, you’ve obviously got it wrong!”
“Hey, you said something that’s being said by a bunch of other people! We can therefore dismiss you as a mindless sheep who jumped on the bandwagon. You aren’t thinking for yourself, you’re just saying stuff you heard someone else say!”
Sounds like the new way to say SJW, or some similar nonsense. It’s just a lazy and dumb way for someone to dismiss an argument they don’t want to deal with.
“Jumping on the bandwagon” is an expression I’ve heard all my life. And I’m OLD. It’s probably 100 years old easily. When was the last decade that you saw a bandwagon???
It’s not new. It’s just something that one poster likes to use. Maybe it’s new to him?
It’s a dismissive ad hominem the way it’s being used there - the implication being that you don’t really care about women’s issues, you’re just going along with it for attention. It’s an accusation of deception, verging on an accusation of lying, IMO.
If you tell him the earth is round he’ll “expose” you for jumping on that bandwagon, too, I’m sure. He’s clearly just not the sharpest tool in the box.
Ahhh, my first pitting. Took 11 years. Man I wish it had been done by less of a dumbass…
Who’d actually had sufficient brain cells to write a more decscriptive thread title.
And looking up the threads, they are all spread over a few years. I must say that is obsessive.
Aaw, someone’s still butthurt about their well-deserved warning.
That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
And that was from early last year. So you’re a fine one to chide anyone about “obsessive”, motherfucker. Not that using the search function (doubtless what Acsenray did) would be obsessive in the first place.
One of the more peculiarly ignorant and asinine quotes in OP doesn’t contain the word ‘bandwagon’:
Uh … I’ve got news for you, AK84. Life is too short to Pit every imbecile. The username ‘AK84’ conjures up vague images of pomposity, but otherwise your opinions have been too lackluster or content-free for any lasting memory. Take that as compliment or insult, up to you.
Yeah,seeing as you are a white dude living in Thailand, I am obviously not the cohort you are looking for to make (amongst other things) “impressions” on you.
Putting our disagreements aside, the key goal here is to continue to provide AK84 with a safe space to work out his mommy issues. It’s been over eleven years, so I’m confident there’s a breakthrough coming any day now.
AK84 is Pakistani so he doesn’t really have any reason to toe the GOP party line. But he also has a weird hangup about gender equality and how it can’t possibly be something Actual Human Beings want.