Only if the sentiment wasn’t meant.
Like I said, I could be wrong.
I could be wrong. But then again, he showed up with no other posts to tell us about itself. Then posts on an off topic that is pretty much irrelevant to anybody except maybe terrorists and law enforcement. Then argues and nitpicks around the subject. If it hangs around and communicates like something other than a gun nut troll, I can change my mind.
People died in these events and there it is talking about something that has nothing to do with the tragedy. Because I believe it was just having some fun by effing with this thread in classic troll fashion, in my opinion, it was mocking the murder of LGBTQ people and other innocent people..
That kind of post is a classic logical fallacy argument that is used again and again by people who have reasons other than people getting to the truth or having an honest discussion. My opinion doesn't matter to anybody but myself. From it's behavior and what it said, I think it was trolling and choose not to feed it.
effectiviology.com
A red herring is a piece of information that’s meant to distract people from something important in a misleading manner. Red herrings are usually used either as a literary device, such as when an author uses a side character to divert attention from another character, or as a rhetoric technique, such as when someone responds to a question with unrelated information in order to hide their refusal to answer the original question.
When it comes to rhetoric, the use of red herrings is often referred to as the ‘red herring fallacy’. The red herring fallacy is a logical fallacy where someone presents irrelevant information in an attempt to distract others from a topic that’s being discussed, often to avoid a question or shift the discussion in a new direction. For example, if a politician is asked how they feel about a certain policy, they might use the red herring fallacy by discussing how they feel about a related topic instead, to distract people from their failure to answer the original question.
Because red herrings are frequently used in a variety of contexts, it’s important to understand this concept. As such, in the following article you will see examples of red herrings, learn more about red herrings and about the red herring fallacy, and understand how you can properly respond to people who use red herrings in a fallacious manner.
How to respond to red herrings
The first step to responding to a fallacious red herring is to recognize that a red herring has been used. You can do this by asking yourself whether the information that’s been presented is relevant to the topic at hand, or whether it’s meant to distract you or others from what’s being discussed, often as a way to avoid a question or shift the discussion in a new direction.
Once you recognize that a red herring was used, there are several things that you can do in response:
- Ask the person who used the red herring to justify it. This can be especially beneficial in cases where you’re unsure if something that was mentioned is a red herring or not. However, this can also be useful in cases where you know for certain that the other person used a red herring on purpose, because it shows your willingness to engage in a discussion, and highlights the flaws with the other person’s reasoning.
- Point out the red herring and explain why it’s fallacious. Specifically, you should show that the red herring is irrelevant to the original line of discussion, and that it’s likely meant as a way to distract people.
- Redirect the conversation back to the original line of discussion. You can do this in various ways, depending on the circumstances. For example, if the red herring was used to evade a question, you can repeat that question. Note that if the other person decides to keep using red herrings, sticking to the original line of discussion can lead to unproductive dialogue, where people are talking at each other instead of with each other. However, this approach can still be beneficial in some cases, such as when you want to highlight your opponent’s attempts to avoid the topic.
- Accept the red herring and move on with the discussion. Though this means accepting fallacious reasoning, it is sometimes the only way to ensure that the discussion continues in a reasonable and productive manner, which makes it the best course of action in some cases.
- Disengage from the discussion. Sometimes, you might realize that there is simply no point to the discussion, for example if the other person keeps shifting the topic instead of saying anything of value, in which case the best course of action might be to simply drop the discussion. Note that, if you decide to do this, it might be beneficial to state why you’re doing so, and potentially to add that you’d be open to talking again if the other person would be willing to stop using the red herrings.
I first pointed out the red herring and explained why it was fallacious. When it continued to push its dumb ass line of reasoning, I chose to disengage from the discussion with nope. I also add that I'm not engaged in discussion of people posting pictures of their guns. I don't think its appropriate in a thread about a recent mass murder.
But that's just me. They can do as they will. I'm just not going to participate.