>And, I do remember how you refuted the idea women hadn't reached the
>upper echelons of chess playing. That was crisply done. But others used
>the discussion as an opportunity to throw themselves under as many "I,
>and my chess playing ass are not worthy" buses as possible. I should go
>to the archives but time isn't on my side.
i missed that discussion, but from what you describe, it's simply a logical fallacy. or, when not used in argument, it's just a way of insulting people by insulting yourself first. Somehow, people think it's OK if they call someone a name, diagnose them with depression, blah blah -- as long as they cop to the dreaded condition themselves. clever.
"Your argument is wrong because you're an asshole. It takes one to know one, so don't get all offended or anything. I'm just tellin' it like it is." of which the insult version would be "The gist of this is that you're a flaming asshole -- and I say that as a supreme asshole myself."
There's actually a name for it, when deployed as logical fallacy. It came up in some discussion -- heh -- of the way Twisty Faster's rhetoric gets under your skin in ways its often hard to pinpoint -- which is why it's so effective. I noticed it recently, IIRC, in one of Hitch's articles on his make over in Vanity Fair -- which were hilarious -- even if he is an asshole. :p
But more fun, I was just rereading Zzzzzzzzizek on his analysis of The Lady and chivalrous love. That analysis works too! The SNAG engages in chivalry in order to turn into an object in need of protection something that otherwise terrifies him. Women terrify SNAGs so in order to control women they objectify them by turning them into a lady around which rituals are deployed which appear to place her on a pedestal because of her perfection, superiority, etc. In fact, though, she's turned into a thing and the real action takes place between men since now she's pivot babe for the circle jerk.
hee.
Bitch | Lab http://blog.pulpculture.org (NSFW)