TFY - Chapter 10 Fallacies Exercise

Class Discussion – Page 293:
Study the following examples of red herring arguments. For each one, determine (a) the issue and (b) the diversion.

1. TV can’t be harmful to children, because it occupies their attention for hours and keeps them off the streets. (S. Morris Engel, With Good Reason, St. Martin’s Press, 1982)

Issue: TV has no harmful to children
Diversion: TV keeps the attention of children and keeps them off the streets

2. Those who are so ferociously involved in Mothers Against Drunk Driving would better spend their time in working with A.A. to help alcoholics.

Issue: People involved in Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Diversion: Those people should be spending their time working with Alcoholics Anonymous to help alcoholics.

3. Why are you always nagging at me about the way I drive?

Issue: The way you drive
Diversion: Pointing at the nagging that is being done

4. Person A: I oppose school volunteer programs because they undermine the public school system and give subsidies to rich families who can already afford to send their children to private schools.
Person B: I am not going to engage in class welfare. The real issue here is opportunity.

Issue: School volunteer programs undermining the public school system and giving money to the rich families.
Diversion: Opportunities

5. When Supreme Court Justice Scalia was asked why he refused to rescue himself in a case involving his duck-hunting friend Dick Cheney, Scalia said, “If a person can be so cheaply influenced, then this country is in a bad way.”

Issue: Supreme Court Justice not rescue himself from the court case involving his duck-hunting of a friend of his. Conflict of interest was present.
Diversion: Scalia talking about a person being influenced, leading to this country is in a bad way.

6. John Kerry: “Exporting jobs overseas causes job losses in the U.S.”
John Snow, Treasury Secretary: “Not so. The practice of moving American jobs to low-cost countries is part of trade and there can’t be any doubt about the fact that trade makes the economy stronger.”

Issue: Sending America jobs low-cost countries overseas
Diversion: John Snow talking about trade makes the economy stronger.