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reinamerrick · 7 years

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Argument Fallacies

These are fallacies of the art of argument. If you can recognize and eliminate these from your daily discussions with the rest of the world, then you will master the art of arguing. As always, however, knowing all sides and all available information about the topic is equally important. I mean, if you don't research, then why in the world are you arguing about it? You clearly aren't passionate about it.

So, with that being said, be passionate about your world.

Personal Disclaimer: I borrowed this from https://literarydevices.net/fallacy/ and do not claim any of the information as my own.

1. Appeal to Ignorance Appeal to ignorance happens when one individual utilizes another individual’s lack of information on a specific subject as proof that his or her own particular argument is right.

“You can’t demonstrate that there aren’t Martians living in caves on the surface of Mars, so it is sensible for me to accept there are.”

2. Appeal to Authority This sort of error is also known as “Argumentum Verecundia” (argument from modesty). Instead of concentrating on the benefits of an argument, the arguer will attempt to append their argument to an individual of power or authority in an effort to give trustworthiness to their argument.

“Well, Isaac Newton trusted in Alchemy, do you suppose you know more than Isaac Newton?”

(Side Note: The only authority figure I trust on anything 100% is Neil Degrasse Tyson)

3. Appeal to Popular Opinion This sort of appeal is when somebody asserts that a thought or conviction is correct since it is the thing that the general population accept.

“Lots of individuals purchased this collection, so it must be great.”

(Side Note: This works really great when using reviews to determine whether you should buy something, though.)

4. Association Fallacy Sometimes called “guilt by affiliation,” this happens when somebody connects a particular thought or drill to something or somebody negative so as to infer blame on another individual.

“Hitler was a veggie lover, in this way, I don’t trust vegans.”

5. Attacking the Person Also regarded as "Argumentum ad Hominem” (argument against the man), this is a common fallacy used during debates where an individual substitutes a rebuttal with a personal insult.

“Don’t listen to Eddie’s contentions on instruction, he’s a simpleton.”

6. Begging the Question The conclusion of a contention is accepted in the statement of the inquiry itself.

“If outsiders didn’t take my daily paper, who did?” (accept that the daily paper was really stolen).

7. Circular Argument This fallacy is also known as “Circulus in Probando”. This error is committed when an argument takes its evidence from an element inside the argument itself instead of from an outside one.

“I accept that Frosted Flakes are incredible since it says as much on the Frosted Flakes bundling.”

(Side Note: I think they meant "They're Grrrrreeeat!)

8. Relationship Implies Causation Fallacy Also called “Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc”, this fallacy is a deception in which the individual making the contention joins two occasions that happen consecutively and accepts that one made the other.

“I saw a jaybird and ten minutes after the fact, I crashed my auto, in this manner, jaybirds are terrible fortunes.”

(Side Note: Where all superstitions come from)

9. False Dilemma/Dichotomy Sometimes called “Bifurcation”, this sort of error happens when somebody presents their argument in such a way that there are just two conceivable alternatives left.

“If you don’t vote for this applicant, you must be a Communist.”

(Side Note: For example, all liberals hate Trump, and everybody that hates Trump is a "libtard" or a "snowflake". Really? What's the derogatory name for Republicans? Oh yeah, we just call them Republicans. O.O)

(Second Side Note: I was just kidding. I know awesome people, and I don't judge them because they voted for the End of Days.)

10. Illogical conclusion This is a fallacy wherein somebody attests a conclusion that does not follow from the suggestions.

“All Dubliners are from Ireland. Ronan is not a Dubliner, in this manner, he is not Irish.”

(Side Note: And people who live in Metairie, Kenner, Slidell, the Westbank, etc., are NOT from New Orleans... except Algiers. We're cool.)

11. Slippery Slope The error happens when one contends that an exceptionally minor movement will unavoidably prompt great and frequently ludicrous conclusions.

“If we permit gay individuals to get hitched, what’s afterward? Permitting individuals to wed their pooches?”

(Side Note: Fun fact, the Supreme Court actually uses this all the time to explain their rulings on cases. They would disallow something for the sheer fact that it may cause problems with other laws and codes. Or they'll attempt to predict the future with potential cases that could arise out of the ruling. True, cause and effect are real and have serious consequences, but it should never be assumed UNLESS you have done extensive research and case studies. In other words, PROVE IT!)

12. Syllogism Fallacy

This fallacy may also be used to form incorrect conclusions that are odd. Syllogism fallacy is a false argument as it implies an incorrect conclusion.

“All crows are black and the bird in my cage is black. So, the bird in my cage is a crow.”

(Side Note: All black people don't commit crime. That's the niggas. Black people own businesses and houses and don't mess over each other. They work hard and have images to uphold. Niggas don't care about you, yo mama, yo kids, yo life. See? Big difference. Next time you see a black person on TV or whatever, just ask yourself. Is this a Barack Obama (upstanding, educated, family man, wears a suit)? Or a Tyrone from the corner? (No job, no car, sells dope probably, always wearing a wife-beater)? Maybe the in-between, normal black person that went to school and holds down a 9-5? 50 Shades of Black.)

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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Please Disregard

Let me reiterate that I'm only writing this blog for my own entertainment. For whoever stumbles across this, please disregard me and my problems.

With that being said...

So, the Senate failed on repealing the Affordable Care Act, also known as "Obamacare". I'm stoked and angry at the same time. First things first, we shouldn't be trying to repeal ACA simply because of political bullshit. The only thing I really don't like about ACA is the tax penalty. God help me if I get audited, but for real.

At some point from November 2015 going into 2016, I had no job. Medicaid had not done their amazing expansion yet, and I went on healthcare.gov to apply for health insurance since I was "required". These fuckers wanted over $100 a month!! Last time I checked, being unemployed meant I had NO money. Granted, I started my current job that February, so I was really only out of work for 3 months. Still, when I started working again, I was on probation, so I still had no coverage until May. And yes, you could argue that at least I had money now and could pay the premiums. But, really?

Pay something like $400 for 3 months of coverage? My car insurance is less than that for 6 months. And just like my car insurance, I barely use it. Pointless. I'd rather just pray I don't get sick or need an emergency room... which is what I did.

And for the record, no. I never needed it.

So, I don't really know what the ACA is really about and what all it contains. The tax penalty is the only thing I know I don't like. Now, for what I love? I got to stay on my mama's insurance until I was 25, which was awesome!

Now, let's talk about the people talking about ACA and its repeal.

I don't know about you, but the true entertainment in this world is in the comments section of all political posts on Facebook, etc. I can tell you that it never disappoints when you get your kicks off of the sheer number of people who are simply ignorant of the world around them but refuse to do research or even bother to read the article they're commenting on. Yet, they have an opinion, usually negative in some way, with nothing to back it up. "This is my opinion. I take it as fact. Fuck you if you disagree."

Here's the problem. I'm finding it harder and harder to NOT call these people out on their stupidity. I have been sitting back and hitting the like button, occasionally daring to venture into actually typing something, but I have erased full paragraphs of straight venting.

Keeping an open mind is not hard, ya'll. All you have to do is listen and consider. Half of these idiots skip the listening part, so there's no hope of them ever considering someone else's opinion other than their own. Even when they are proven flat-out wrong, they deny it and keep it moving. A lot of these people had no strong opinion or argument in the first place and reverted to name-calling and shaming.

When you can tell me the difference between the ACA and Obamacare, then we can start to have a dialog. Common knowledge, not so common.

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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#ThingsThatDidNotSurviveThisWeekend

I'm checking out.

When someone is in your life actively hurting you and causing pain, you have to let them go. I have to look out for myself this time. I cannot let her unapologetically fuck with me every day, do nothing for me, and then expect the world from me in return for this fuckery. Basically, my relationship with my mama did not survive the weekend.

So, I finally had my housewarming party this Saturday. Out of the 87 people, including kids, that I expected to be roaming around my house, only about 36 showed up. Two of the most notably missing were my mama and my stepdad, Tallie. So, not only did she have me invite a bunch of her friends, and even lied to everybody saying that she was going to be there, and lied to me up until Friday night when she said that she had never told me that she was coming.

Well, fuck her.

The reason she didn't come is probably the most childish shit ever. What is this reason, you ask? My daddy was there. So, because the guy she married and had a kid with actually wants to be a part of his daughter's life (as if he's been missing for the last 28 years), she won't be a part of it.

Let me explain something. My daddy was never a deadbeat. He paid child support AND still took care of me outside of that. My relationship with my mama has ALWAYS hinged on how my relationship with him was. As if I'm not supposed to love my daddy. The problem is that she's the only one with a problem. So I'm the one that has to suffer.

I'm now 28 years old, making 29 at the end of the year. My mama has been remarried with Tallie for 17 years. They just celebrated their anniversary on the first of this month. My parents divorced in '95. 22 years ago. I get it. She may have some hurt or whatever, but for God's sake, for my sake, put that shit aside for a single day. What happens when I get married? Is she gonna skip that day, too?

But to add a little insult to injury, let's take a look at my cousin's wedding. Similar situation. Parents have been divorced for years. Mom and stepdad live in Texas. My cousin has lived with his mom since the divorce but keeps in contact with his dad. I won't call my uncle a deadbeat. He was given some spiked drug a long time ago and has had severe mental issues for which he takes medication and collects disability. So, my mama made a comment that my uncle was acting funny at the wedding. And I couldn't hold back my tongue. "That's kinda like how you would act if my daddy was in the room." And she gave me this look that on any other day would've sent shivers down my spine, but I was not in the mood for games today. I gave her a cold, blank stare back. I wanted her to know that if she kept pushing the envelope, I was gonna hurt her feelings. Mine have been hurt for the last few months, so fuck you.

The dumbest part of all this is that she is sharing the same emotional blockage as my mentally handicapped uncle.

The next dumbest part of this is that she literally just started talking to my sister again, a beef that tore into her heart as well. And on top of that, my sister barely had a reason to stop talking to her. She's just bipolar like that.

I'm actually at my Whit's end right now. (That was not a typo.) I've spoken to her about it, and she just simply doesn't care that I'm hurt by this. She refuses to put the foolishness aside in order to celebrate my accomplishments. I just bought a house, and all she can associate the house with is my daddy.

She talked all kinds of shit about him, too.

She kept bringing up how he didn't help me put in any volunteer hours during the process of getting the house. She's quick to bring that up. But what she doesn't care to hear is that he was working retail. You have to stay on site the whole day, and he didn't have the schedule for that. Plus, he could only go if I was also going. I could only go on Saturdays. He only got 1 Saturday out of the month, and I have two out of the month. If our Saturdays ever did match up, I simply never called him.

In November, he had a minor stroke, leaving his right side with diminished strength. So, all her complaints were ranging from August to October. we only had 3 months to link up for a Saturday. 3 potential days out of that time frame. Maybe 1 of them actually could have happened. Maybe.

BUT! Fast forward to April. He's still out of work, still recovering, still unable to do half of what he used to. From the day of Closing on the loan, he's been there. He helped me beyond his capabilities, knowing he wasn't supposed to be doing so much, going home in pain just to help me. Installed a peep hole on the front door, hung the TV and mount on the wall, installed the ice maker, installed the security/storm door, stuck around for all my appliances to be delivered, bought my washer and dryer despite having no income. He's still to this day fighting with the insurance companies to get a single paycheck since November. Yet, he's been spending money and helping me.

The crazy thing is, if it wasn't for the stroke, he would've been doing so much more. He would've been putting up my wood fence, shed, deck, security cameras, gutters, etc. His stroke is probably the only reason that's not done yet. Shit costs.

But whatever. The weekend's over, and the bullshit continues, so I should just go ahead and end this foolishness. I'm so cold right now, it just isn't a good idea to be near her. Maybe one day, she'll apologize, and we'll go back to being a happy family, but as of right now, I will not have yet another conversation about the same thing just so I can end up pissed off and crying and hurt all over again.

#MySanityDidNotSurviveThisWeekend

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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Looper

Isn’t there a moment in time you wish you could jump to? Back in time? Forward in time?

My time is 2038. I’ll be 50 years old, thinking about retirement, ready to move on to the next step in life. My house is paid off. My assets have grown. My net worth is at least a million. I had decided not to have kids, and my husband was cool with that. His last name was cool enough, so I decided not to hyphenate after all. I still live in New Orleans, on the same street, in the same house. My husband helped me build a deck that rivals Bayou Beer Garden. Our friends come over often, and it’s always a good time. By now, I’ve been to all the countries that were on my list, all over Europe, South America, even Australia and Japan. The Italy trip was my favorite. Definitely. With the money we saved by not having kids and paying for diapers and later on Catholic school, my husband and I invested in rental properties all over New Orleans. He left me in charge of the paperwork since I’m so knowledgeable thanks to work. He trusts me 100%. Besides our rental income, he’s the breadwinner of the family. He scored a great job and turned it into a career in the 6-figures. Alongside my job, I’ve been selling crafts on Etsy. I’ve been making some decent money off of that. I’m driving a small SUV, and he’s got his truck. Gotta let the man have his truck. All is nice and peaceful in our lives.

Maybe the biggest hiccups were when our parents died. It was heartbreaking, and there was so much paperwork, but we held each other down and managed to get through it together. There was also just the small situations with hubby’s brothers and sisters. They’re a pain. One of them was in and out of jail on drug foolishness. One of his friends attempted to break into our house, but thank God for the camera system and hubby being nearby. He nearly cracked the jerk’s skull, he hit him so hard. That brother was never allowed to come over ever again. Then, his niece was having problems in school, getting caught with some boy. He started to understand why I am so distant with my family. It’s not that my family doesn’t have these problems. I just stay away so that I’m never getting that call. I’m just glad my sister stays to herself for the most part. My problems should only come from my husband and myself. End.

2067. My husband is really sick, but he’s hanging in there. My health isn’t so great either, but I’m worried about him. Our 80th birthday parties have come and gone, and we’re not getting any younger. We’ve lived our lives, and although we have no kids to bury us, we have everything arranged, and we’re ready to meet Him. We are by no means lonely. We have each other. Maybe, my sister’s kids will be there to make sure that everything goes well. We shall see.

2070. Well, world, I guess this is it. I’m on my way out. It’s been a nice life. I await my place in line near my husband. We can’t wait to see Him. What a beautiful dream heaven is. Goodnight.

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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Winging it can be fun

So, I'm not a person that asks for help.

I have a problem delegating things that I know I can do myself. I see no point in middle men and task lists. I have no faith in other humans. I will always trust in myself to accomplish anything.

With that being said, learning to count on other people can be fun in a sense. I'm planning a housewarming party for this weekend. A terrifying concept. Let me tell you why. I have a decent size family. My invite list is about 80 people, not including the children. And the list keeps growing because of course, my parents have friends and spouses, and their spouses have family, and so on.

So, my potential RSVP list is about 87...

I can potentially fit about 40 inside the house, and for that, I have 32 chairs and two tables, a card table, a countertop, and 4 dinner tray tables.

What about the other 47? God help me.

So, my dad is fussing of course, and all I can tell him is that I'm winging it.

So the good news: My cousin has chairs and tables, and we can pick them up Friday, right on time. My uncle has a cover and maybe a fan, and I just need to call him to find out when we can pick that up.

The bad news: The weather. The prime weather would be just a little light rain. It's the dead of July in New Orleans, and my God, it is going to be hot. This past weekend, the chances were at about 50-60%, and it never actually rained at my house, just threatened. Lots of lightning and thunder, a huge cloud, and it rained elsewhere in the city, but it never touched my house. And the air was cool, cool enough to sit on the porch and watch my neighbors. That would be ideal, but Lord knows. Rain would mean that more people would be in the house. I'm honestly hoping it keeps some of them from coming until later and splits up how many people are on the property at any given time.

Say, for example, if it rains over half the city at 3, the time I'm starting, then the first half of the party will be the older people that like to show up early to stuff. Then, the youngins that want to party will come after the rain stops. I can think of a few that would stay the entire party, but that's fine as long as some people just drop by and friggin' leave. Eat, drink a minute, be merry, and GTFO. And bring gifts.

I do think that we can pull this thing off, but of course, I have my dad nagging me about whether or not I have enough food and what else we could make.

Ok, so I delegated. I ordered chicken and sandwiches from Rouses, beaucoup money. I'm making jambalaya and cupcakes. My aunt is making 5 pounds of potato salad. Holy shit. My mama is making jello shots. My dad is making the meatballs and a pasta dish. And maybe my chef cousin can make something awesome.

Delegated.

So, let me tell you the not-so-fun part about delegating. You will never predict the first time someone will let you down. Let's start with my other aunt. Let's call her the Hair Aunt. She was supposed to bring a major dish to our Thanksgiving Dinner. What was this, 2015? Maybe. She showed up late, like hours late. Then, my mama decided to count on her again for sandwiches for Mardi Gras morning. Needless to say, she was "sick" suddenly and never made the sandwiches. We ended up at Rouses in the CBD getting ingredients and making our own sandwiches at 5am on the side of St. Charles and Julia streets. Disappointing.

But at least I know my Potato Salad Aunt is reliable. She brought her potato salad to our Thanksgiving Dinner even though she was already going to another dinner across town. She simply dropped it off and left for her family's dinner. She came back later, of course, because we're her family, too. :)

I suppose we'll see how crazy this party will end up. I'm hoping for a success.

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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Communication is key. Part II

So… I realize that as I’m preparing for this cruise in two weeks, I have no idea what’s going on. This is what happens when you book with people who don’t have good communication habits. I paid $1000 for my part in this, and I just had to ask for itinerary. This was prompted by the text that my aunt was planning excursions for all of us, and we’re “going with the flow”. That’s cool and all… except for the fact that in order to go with the flow, you’re supposed to tell people what the flow is. All I got was a price. No plan. I don’t even know where the cruise itself is going, let alone the excursions. I shouldn’t have to ask for this. I should have a bill, a receipt, and an itinerary. I have none.

This is unacceptable.

This really wasn’t a good week to stop drinking. It’s raining for the fourth day in a row. Of course, that is nothing compared to the eleven straight days of rain we had entering June. It’s hurricane season, and we’re going to be out on the Gulf in a friggin boat. I have a feeling that all types of shit will be hitting the fan, and I’d rather at least see it ahead of time.

I’m a person that requires information, as much as possible. I absolutely need as much detail so that I can literally spot all the potential in any situation. The good and the bad. I can’t tell you what the cruise will be like if I can’t even tell you where it’s going. I can’t really predict the weather, but for God’s sake, I can track a hurricane. I can track a system. I can see danger a mile away… if I know what we’re within a mile of.

Whatever. I just went digging in her email, and all I found was what the excursion was and how much. I just love how it got forwarded to 3 people, not me. Like I don’t need to know. Nothing about the cruise itself. No booking number. Nothing. It must all be in Tallie’s email. Lucky for him, I don’t have his password. I tried anyway. He’s lucky. I just texted him to forward it to me. Let’s see if he’s faster than my mama… With her, it’s already been an hour and a half.

Two hours later. Still haven’t gotten them from either one.

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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A little bit of Communication

So... I'm pissed again.

My mama and stepdad (Tallie) flew back in from California last night. Apparently, unbeknownst to me, I was supposed to pick them up from the airport. So now, I get to tell you a story about Communication.

If you are requiring another person for any part of a project or task, just perhaps, letting that person in the need-to-know details will make the task more efficient.

This all started last week. They took a trip to Ft. Lauderdale and needed a ride home from the airport. She asked me to pick them up. I agreed. They usually pay for parking at a hotel near the airport, but this time, the hotel had no available spots for them. No biggie. I texted her that Saturday... about 3 times... about when they were supposed to land. I got several "I don't know" and "Let me check" replies. Apparently, Southwest lets you book flights and won't tell you ETAs and shit like that. Bullshit. But whatever.

She finally gave me the ETA, and although they landed early, I still managed to pick them up in a timely manner and get them back to my car (They had left theirs by my aunt's house, and we needed the bigger cab space.) so that they could get home. Everything was all good.

Flash forward to Saturday, this past weekend. At no point did anybody ask me to be anywhere near anybody's airport. I didn't even know they had left until she texted me Thursday after they landed. Again, no mention. And we had no phone conversations, so everything is in the texts.

So, I needed her SUV to pick up some end tables my coworker was selling, so I headed over to the house Saturday. I texted her, asking when they were coming back. Sunday at 10:35pm. Oh good, I finally get a right-away answer. Anyways, her car isn't there, only Tallie's massive Tundra. Oh, Lord. So, I text him, asking if I can use and bring it right back. I was picking up the tables on Sunday. No mention of an airport or me needing to be there.

Sunday, I go get the tables, proud of myself for driving that monstrosity, and bring it back to the house. I go home, and the day is done. I doze off, waking up way too close to bedtime. I get ready for bed, and then promptly at 10:30pm... the texts start going off.

I'm thinking. "Can't be anybody but my damn mama." I roll over and see two from her, and one from Tallie. "We just landed" and "Headed to baggage claim". And I'm thinking, why do I need this information? So I text back "Wait, was I supposed to be picking y'all up?" She's like "uh, yeah". And I'm thinking, thanks for telling me. Anyways, I tell her they'll just have to wait for me, and I throw clothes on. I get literally 2 exits from my house, and she texts back for me to stay in bed and rest for tomorrow. I hop off the next exit and go my ass back home. Not my problem anymore. I text her back "Communication goes a loooooong way."

So, then my grandma calls me. She asks me if I was at the airport. Nope. Not my problem anymore. She told me to go home. But now, I'm furious. Because now, I'm awake, can't sleep, and pissed. What a waste of my time! All of this could have been avoided if she had said something, ANYTHING! But no, nothing. But I'm supposed to read minds.

How was I supposed to know that you guys didn't get a parking spot again this week? How was I supposed to know that your car was in the shop? How was I supposed to know anything when you said nothing? All I could do was assume you were going to do exactly what you always do, seeing how I had no idea that the circumstances had changed. We're talking about someone who is on her phone constantly but can't communicate with the people she actually needs to talk to. How hard would it have been, even on Sunday morning, to say Hey BTW don't forget to pick us up. We land at blah, blah, blah. I would've been there! Or even as the flight was boarding, to say Hey, we're boarding. Don't forget us! Blah, blah, blah time!" Nope. Nothing.

I can't read minds, and I can't see the future. If you need me to know information, I shouldn't be trying to read between lines, especially if you're asking me for a favor. I didn't mind at all picking them up, but the fact that you didn't even bother to tell me, maybe just assumed I'd be there, is the problem. Maybe you forgot, but at the very least, when I asked you what time you were landing... a DAY and a half before... you should have been cued that maybe I didn't have all the information I needed. I shouldn't be asking that question the day before. I should have known it the day you claim I said I'd do it.

Maybe, if I'd known that your car was in the shop, I would've taken Tallie's truck so that we'd have cab space. Maybe, if I'd known that you were pushing back the rental car pickup date for Geico, I would have suggested that you pick it up AT THE AIRPORT!! See? See how Communication could've saved the day? Saves time, money, and angry Ren rants.

Communication goes a long way.

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reinamerrick · 7 years

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Hi.

So, I'm here because I decided to create a journal again... Well, I have a perfectly good journal at home, detailing the steps that I went through to get my newly-constructed, very first house. Her name is Renville, loosely translated to French and back, it means "town of the Queen". Anyways, despite all the negative and crazy things that happened throughout that process, I still wanted to keep my home journal as positive as possible.

Well, dammit, I can't just stay positive. I'm gonna rant, rave, and throw shit. I love my house, but since moving in, I can't seem to find my peace. I developed all these other issues. Family issues. Work issues. Hell, even issues with the house itself. So, I'm here. Trying to find peace.

A long time ago, I used to do Twilight Reflections on Facebook in the Notes. Basically, on nights that I couldn't sleep, I'd get up and start writing. I'd write about anything that was on my mind. I think I had about 32 of them. I will continue that here.

Hopefully, I will find the peace I'm seeking and find my inspiration again. A long time ago, again, when I had peace, I used to write stories and poems. I lost many of them because of Katrina... the solid end of my peace. Katrina turned all my whimsical writings into harsh journals. My writing changed drastically, became darker, more cynical. Then, following major life decisions that brought me to Los Angeles and back to New Orleans four years after, I no longer find the world worth poetry. But I'm trying to find it again. In a city like New Orleans, inspiration is all around us. I'm just too muddled in the day-to-day.

But, hey. It's the weekend. I get to spend this time reflecting. Relaxing. Resting.

Naw, screw that. I'll be in my backyard leveling out dirt tomorrow. No rest for the wicked, I guess.

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