WTF is a "Derailment Argument"?

pcarvious · 2012-03-01T15:49:28+00:00

She's accusing you of injecting unrelated information into the discussion with the intent of stopping the discussion. It basically uses marginally related issues, or extremism to control the argument.

Sounds like your counterpart can't either see, or doesn't want to see the logical connection to the topic.

Edit: the type of derailment I brought up is actually a derailment argument.

frehop · 2012-03-01T15:06:03+00:00

Logic is a tool of the patriarchy. Stop waving your logic around like a huge phallus you oppressor!

/s

But check this out: Derailing for Dummies

You see, the very capacity to conduct studies, collect data and write detached “fact-based” reports on it, is an inherently privileged activity. The ability to widely access this material and research it exhaustively is also inherently privileged. Privileged People® find it easier to pursue these avenues than Marginalised People™ and so once again you are reminding them you possess this privilege and reinforcing that the world at large values a system of analysis that excludes them, and values it over what their actual personal experience has been.

TIL: Facts are a tool of the patriarchy too.

ghebert001 · 2012-03-01T16:58:47+00:00

By proving them wrong you are derailing their argument. /s

linearThinker · 2012-03-01T19:57:31+00:00

I've been arguing with some feminists

That was your first mistake.

You'll never convince most feminists of anything, since most are rigid, ideological zealots. The only point of arguing with feminists is when you're not surrounded by the feminist choir (who will never listen to you anyway) but when you're surrounded by more open-minded people, which will allow you to expose their cult-like mentality and logical fallacies.

As for the "derailment arguments" -- from your description it sounds that the accusation of "derailment arguments" is itself a derailment argument.

stemgang · 2012-03-01T15:55:59+00:00

I've been arguing with some feminists, and I keep being accused of "derailment arguments". I have no idea WTF they are, and it's not in Wikipedia, but it happens every time I point out the glaring logical holes in their arguments, or their own hypocrisy and bigotry.

demand that they define it, and demand that they stick to that definition.

iMADEthis2post · 2012-03-01T17:04:58+00:00

If they can't comprehend facts and logic try using morality and ethics as a fall back. I have been thinking about ethical arguments as opposed to logic with some feminists as they are unable to move on from a fact based argument and just close down and choose to dismiss evidence rather than evaluate it.

aetheralloy · 2012-03-01T17:47:46+00:00

Don't worry about it. Feminists don't really debate. It's like worrying about a religious fanatic's opinion.

thedevguy · 2012-03-01T20:53:46+00:00

Here's a template for responding to these claims.

It's no more possible for me to derail a discussion on reddit than it is possible for me to shout you down or interrupt you on reddit. Reddit is a threaded discussion board. Every little thread is self-contained and does not interfere with other threads. See that little minus sign next to my post? If you feel my post is off topic, all you have to do is click the little minus sign and continue on to the next on-topic post. I even made a handy image to illustrate this point: http://i.imgur.com/OrKWl.png

zoomzoomz · 2012-03-01T16:03:38+00:00

I think the worst part of the whole idea is that they claim that any evidence supporting your position is a just another confirmation of privilege and thus (the evidence) is unacceptable.

It's got to the point that I will immediately stop arguing with someone who uses the words "privilege" or "derailing" (in this context) because I know that there is no point. They have given up trying to argue a position and make it about how wrong you are rather than the position you take in the debate.

Solus01 · 2012-03-01T18:07:35+00:00

They're just trying to control the frame of the argument. If a point is made they can't refute or don't want to address, it's either ignored or dismissed. You see it all the time when politicians blatantly ignore a question and answer the one they wish had been asked instead.

I don't really know a lot about Feminist dogma, but it could be like Freud's psycho analysis. If you're not exhibiting one aspect of partriarchy, it's just because you're exhibiting another, leaving no holes that you can use to disprove it or show that the phenomenon is deeper than they say it is.

Or it might just be you're off topic, it's hard to say.

editted for pronouns.

IHaveALargePenis · 2012-03-02T00:59:38+00:00

It's just bullshit terminology they use like "check your privilege", "your privilege is showing", "why do you hate women", etc. Since the beginning up to today, feminism has always used lies and manipulated statistics when it favored women. This is also why there's no clear definition of what feminism is. It's always "feminism to me is..." but if you ever say something negative with "feminism to me is..." then hundreds of feminists will come out of the woodwork. When provided with facts, they'll just use the "no true Scotsman" and point out that they're not really "feminists" even if the person(s) you're talking about are a feminist group supported by all feminists (such as the feminists in the British government).

OThomson · 2012-03-01T16:17:47+00:00

Its the Feminist way of saying 'YOU ARENT TALKING ABOUT WOMEN ENOUGH!'

SilencingNarrative · 2012-03-01T21:36:21+00:00

Well said

Solus01 · 2012-03-01T16:14:52+00:00

First mistake, discussing stuff with a feminist. A famous British prime minister named Chamberlain tried to reason with Hitler and gave him half of Poland with the hope he would stop.

This mistake costs the lives of millions of men.

Winston Churchilll won the war and Chamberlain is made a leason for those who think they can negotiate with someone who wants to take your stuff or make you dead.

So, again, why discuss stuff with a feminist? Just tell them to f off, anything you say will be heard as that anyway.

If you do negoiate they now know your a fool.

It is interesting that femipedia doesn't even define terms feminists don't want us to know about. Truley Orwel was their guide.

Once a feminist says stuff like that tell them to go screw themselves and leave the thread.

More importantly, learn to recognize when their doing it to you, because it's one of their favorite word games and men don't use it.

For example, men sure do committ suicide alot, we should deal with it.

Feminist: But women attempt suicide more.

BinaryShadow · 2012-03-03T07:07:23+00:00

I imagine, in this case, derailment argument can be defined as any logic that derails their bullshit worldviews to the point that they need to invent some "smart" sounding label to slap you with.

PeterArching · 2012-03-06T06:23:07+00:00

I keep being accused of "derailment arguments"

That's code for: You are playing chess with pigeons

C0CKPUNCHER · 2012-05-10T15:16:10+00:00

Derailment arguments are pretty annoying though. You an quibble citation forever while never actually addressing the argument or offering a outer argument, but it only serves to shut down the debate.

Title	WTF is a "Derailment Argument"?
Author	MartialWay
Upvotes	13
Comments	72
Date	March 1, 2012 2:56 PM UTC (14 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/qcydn/wtf_is_a_derailment_argument/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/wtf-is-a-derailment-argument.1026824 https://theredarchive.com/post/1026824

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