[governance] On "ad hominem" and "twisting words"

David Allen David_Allen_AB63 at post.harvard.edu
Sat Aug 10 10:24:51 EDT 2013


There is a saying from the Christian Bible, in its Old Testament:

"Don't worry about the mote in my eye, until you have dealt with the  
timber in yours."

[direction of the original reversed and then rendered in current  
argot, but with some King James version vocabulary ...]


First of all:  I too am aghast at the relative decline / demise, of  
the IGC list.  What a waste, and a great shame.

I lend my voice, most pointedly, to see a turnaround.


But.

To imagine that the problem is with one person (the mote), is to  
ignore massively the the timber also there.

Oh my goodness.

To be clear:  Just what is 'ad hominem'?  In my too-extended, if  
personal and individual, travels and travails with 'discussion  
spaces':  Ad hominem is entirely straightforward, not requiring  
detailed enumeration.

Ad hominem - the prohibition against it - can be put most simply:   
_Never_ discuss the persons discussing; never inject those persons  
into the argumentation.  Always, and only, discuss ideas, their logic,  
and supporting or dissenting evidence.

Ad hominem is the introduction of talk _about the people talking_.   
That is proscribed.  Period.  ... and your mileage may vary.

(Yes, sometimes it is necessary to talk about bad behavior.  Indeed,  
as we are doing here.  That is a 'reserved case.'  Then space is set  
aside specifically for the purpose.  Ideas are not the subject, rather  
the behavior being questioned is the subject.)

To imagine that the problem, of introducing discussion of those  
discussing, is the province of one person, of Parminder - to imagine  
that is utterly not supported by the record.  Found hereon, in the  
archives.  Massively, and most sadly.

Quite regularly, there is innuendo and outright slander.  Then.   
Some / a few / one, find it necessary to respond to very many of the  
list posts - seemingly to virtually all the threads.  (Though probably  
that is an overstatement, borne of weariness, on seeing it ...)  The  
brew, of personal nastiness together with overflowing intervention on  
the airwaves, creates - predictably - a toxic discussion space.   
Useful only to those spewing.  And damning the IGC name.  Not to  
mention the ability to get anything done.


A 'new day' is required, to see any prospect or future.  But '_all  
sides_' have to adopt that new day, with faithful adherence to the  
proscription against discussing the people discussing.  That is the  
only prospect for a resurrection.

To imagine that Parminder is somehow the root of this is risible.   
(And disrespectful of the rest of us, who have eyes and can see.)

Only if all the folks responsible are noted and join a new day is  
there any prospect.  Even then, it would take some time for a new  
culture to be trusted.


To move from the proscribed, to the prescribed - to the positive, over  
the negative:  So, what is the main thrust of a quality, productive  
discussion space?  It is even-handedness, in a word.  A certain  
'neutrality' with respect to judgment.  So that all sides, regardless  
of position, may be heard and taken account.

What is the point, in my text here?  Evenhandedness, in assessment of  
the facts, of the history.

Only if there is honest and complete description of the problem - and  
those who have been part of it - is there even the beginning of  
prospect for a better day.


David


On Aug 9, 2013, at 9:16 AM, Bertrand de La Chapelle wrote:

> Parminder,
>
> I have stopped posting on this list for a quite some time now for  
> exactly the reasons that Avri has mentioned. And as one of the  
> people who were at the origin of the creation of this very list and  
> caucus to empower civil society, I am extremely saddened by the way  
> it is currently evolving and indeed becoming irrelevant.
>
> I nonetheless feel compelled to react to the most recent exchange.  
> You wrote: "Ad hominem is when one says something like "you tend to  
> twist people's words in order to score political points"".
>
> I would like to differ. "You tend to twist people's words in order  
> to score political points" is NOT an ad hominem attack (see  
> Wikipedia) because it does not use your behavior to weaken a  
> specific argument of yours. It is rather a judgement about your  
> behavior, about whether you display (or not) the necessary fairness  
> in representing somebody else's position.
>
> To illustrate the point: An ad hominem attack, would be for  
> instance: "This person is usually lying, hence, when they (really)  
> say A, this must not be true". However, if someone says A and  
> another person says: "this person said B and therefore this person  
> is wrong and should be condemned", this IS twisting people's words.   
> In this case, you are basically saying: Anriette did not explicitly  
> denounce something, therefore she supports it. This is putting words  
> in somebody else's mouth.
>
> To be frank, I understand the tactic of discarding as an ad hominem  
> attack a judgment about your behavior to avoid having to respond to  
> it or ask yourself whether it is true. But it would be more credible  
> if you did not yourself frequently attribute ulterior motives to  
> other people's comments just because of their alleged political  
> preferences, ties to certain types of actors (for instance  
> business), geographical origin, lack of civil society purity, etc...
>
> This behavior is harming the civility of discourse on this list and  
> actually weakening its influence in the global debate.
>
> I always respect your expressing positions, even when I disagree  
> with them and engage in debates with you. But I resent your becoming  
> one of the main sources of ad hominem attack on this list. There are  
> moments when one must call a spade a spade. I wish the co- 
> coordinators of this list had called your attitude to accountability  
> earlier, for the sake of a sound debate.
>
> This is below you. You have more to contribute.
>
> Respectfully still.
>
> Bertrand
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sun, Aug 4, 2013 at 8:37 AM, parminder  
> <parminder at itforchange.net> wrote:
>
> On Friday 02 August 2013 02:39 PM, Avri Doria wrote:
> On 31 Jul 2013, at 09:33, parminder wrote:
>
> ad hominem comment
> (to misquote an old IETF adage - comments made wearing asbestos -
> i tried to ignore this the first time hoping it would just go away  
> and we could all get back to rational calm conversations)
>
> an ad hominem attack would be an attack that: because someone is a  
> bully, their views are illegitimate/irrelevant.
> It does not include the content of calling a bully a bully.
>
> I am not sure I have ever heard an ad hominem attack on this list.
>
> Then you are not quite right in your understanding of what is ad  
> hominem. Literally, attack against man, it occurs when, in a  
> discussion, someone attacks a person's character or personal traits,  
> instead of, and with a view to undermine, her/ his argument.  You  
> are making a specious distinction above that  does not hold. In  
> middle of a discussion, personal attacks are almost always made -  
> certainly in conditions like of this list, where people otherwise  
> have little or no offline relationship and thus no particular reason  
> for animosity - with a view to undermine that person's argument.
>
> On the other hand there is indeed some difference between just an  
> allegation and an ad hominem attack.
>
>  Saying something like , to stick to present case of Anriette's  
> email to me, 'you are twisting my words' is an allegation.  
> (Allegations themselves could become quite serious, like you are  
> deceiving, lying, cheating etc, whereby they may be tending towards  
> ad hominem.)
>
> , Ad hominem is when one says something like "you tend to twist  
> people's words in order to score political points". That is  
> attacking someone in terms of ones character and personal traits,  
> and as in this case, obviously to distract from the argument made -  
> which in this case what that Anriette seemed to see nothing wrong or  
> new with the Indonesian document, which I said was problematic to me  
> for a CS rep on the MAG to say, which is just my view. Nothing  
> personal here.
>
>
> For example a comment one might hear: X is a terrible bully, but  
> sometimes, if you can get past the bullying, X makes a lot of sense.
> Another comment one might hear: I think I agree with what X is  
> saying, but X is such a bully I am afraid that if I put my agreement  
> in the wrong way I will get beat up for it.
>
> One could also say, I agree with a lot of what CX says, but X is  
> just so mean.
>
> (I have versions of all of these about certain unnamed IGC  
> participants)
>
> Those you accuse of ad hominem attacks against you, are among the  
> greatest defenders off-list of some of the positions you represent.
> Many of us disagree with you but would never dare say so on the list  
> for fear of starting a flame war.
> Many of the rest of us just try to hunker down and wait for the  
> storm to pass.
>
> BTW, it is ad hominen whether the attack on one's character is made  
> directly or rather more subtly. Your above statements themselves  
> tends towards such an ad hominem attack, and you have very often  
> said such things about me. And I claim you say it to undermine my  
> arguments rather than anything else. However, I would give you an  
> opportunity to disprove my claim. And I hope you will take this  
> challenge. Please point out the precise language in the current  
> exchange over the last few days that you find problematic in my  
> emails, that is something other than a critique of someone's views,  
> that I have a right to make, and rather of the nature of a personal  
> attack. Please just give even one example. You may even go back  
> further to earlier emails, becuase from the above it appears you are  
> a very good record keeping and retrieval methods. Ok, I promise, I  
> will not argue with the example/ instance you provide, I wont even  
> respond, I  just want it to out for everyone to see,  rather that  
> your be subject to your insinuations.
>
>
> Someone/everyone, please stop the venom.
> It has rendered the IGC nearly irrelevant.
>
> I have a different theory of what has rendered IGC irrelevant, which  
> I am ready to enter a discussion about.
>
> When the IGC is discussed, pretty much the main content is the  
> outrageousness of a few individuals.
>
> Certainly, I do often express strong feelings on some views - not  
> people, never - that I feel strongly about. (And the fact is that  
> there enough degree of difference in views on this list that at  
> times one side and at other times the other  side will feel strongly  
> about things.) But, never against any person as such, unlike what I  
> am almost regularly subjected to. Again, I am open to be given an  
> instance to prove my statement wrong. As for personal attacks on me,  
> apart from Anriette's email, even your reference above of not  
> responding to me with the fear of starting a flame war is such an  
> attack, although a somewhat lighter one, given the normal standards.
>
> (Another thing - yes, I have a structural critique of the role and  
> positions of a good part of  civil society involved in IG space -  
> often dominant in its expression - and its support for certain power  
> structures, which I do often voice, which I understand may not go  
> well with some people. But I always voice it in a collective  
> structural manner and never directed at an individual, or even a set  
> f them. This is the view I have - and I consider it very important  
> in the current global circumstances -  and I cannot desist from  
> offering when the occasion so demands.)
>
>
> The words of a few serving to delegitimize the efforts of many.
>
> Well, that, who are 'few' and who 'many' itself needs to  
> examined.... That is always the million dollar democratic question!
>
> parminder
>
>
> please stop
>
> Note to coordinators.  I would never quit IGC, but sometimes I  
> beleive being kicked of the list would bring great relief.
> I have heard others say similar things.
>
> And now back to hunkering down hoping the storm will pass.
>
> avri
>
>
>
>
>
> ____________________________________________________________
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>
> -- 
> ____________________
> Bertrand de La Chapelle
> Internet & Jurisdiction Project Director, International Diplomatic  
> Academy (www.internetjurisdiction.net)
> Member, ICANN Board of Directors
> Tel : +33 (0)6 11 88 33 32
>
> "Le plus beau métier des hommes, c'est d'unir les hommes" Antoine de  
> Saint Exupéry
> ("there is no greater mission for humans than uniting humans")
> ____________________________________________________________
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