Be afraid, Be very afraid!!

[southernman]

HOLY CRAP, NOW YOUVE JUST COMMITED ANOTHER ERROR IN LOGIC - THE AD HOMINEM, OR PERSONAL ATTACK ...

Arguments of this kind focus not on the evidence for a view but on the character of the person advancing it; they seek to discredit positions by discrediting those who hold them. It is always important to attack arguments, rather than arguers, and this is where ad hominems fall down

AND POSSIBLY ALSO THE RED HERRING - damn your good (bad)

The red herring is as much a debate tactic as it is a logical fallacy. It is a fallacy of distraction, and is committed when a listener attempts to divert an arguer from his argument by introducing another topic. This can be one of the most frustrating, and effective, fallacies to observe.

The fallacy gets its name from fox hunting, specifically from the practice of using smoked herrings, which are red, to distract hounds from the scent of their quarry. Just as a hound may be prevented from catching a fox by distracting it with a red herring, so an arguer may be prevented from proving his point by distracting him with a tangential issue.

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