Annmarie Throckmorton, M.A.
- Jul 18, 2018

Straw Man Attack

The following are comments, between myself AdroitWaterBear and someone with an avatar named True Believer, on the interview that Margaret Sanger* gave to Mike Wallace in 1957, during which Mr. Wallace performs straw men attacks on the elderly Mrs. Sanger, instead of discussing her advocacy for birth control.

During this interview Mr. Wallace pretended that Mrs. Sanger had espoused certain views on abortion, population control, the Catholic Church, and morality. After setting up these strawmen, he attacked them with derision and scorn for Mrs. Sanger, even though she repeatedly stated that she had no such views. (For a much lesser version of the straw man argument, see the comment exchange below.)

By the way, a straw man is a person regarded as having no substance or integrity, so it was not surprising that Mr. Wallace used this strategy. As a child of eight, I remember my parents watching this interview on television and speaking of Mr. Wallace with distain for his duplicity. Now I understand why.

AdroitWaterBear

The Surgeon General reported links between smoking cigarettes and cancer in 1940's, in the 1960's Mike Wallace was still taking Phillip Morris money to seduce people into smoking what my grandmother called "coffin nails". It was a dishonorable way for him to make his living, and his deceitful interview where he twists the words and attacks the person of the good Margaret Sanger is just as dishonorable. Still, that kind old lady Sanger held her own against the dishonest and disrespectful shill Wallace. Sanger's advocacy of birth control saved many lives and reduced suffering just as she intended."

True Believer

Reduced suffering? LOL Obviously, if you kill millions of people, they no longer "suffer". By your idiot logic, we merely need to kill every single living human, then there would be 0 human suffering. You're an oblivious idiot.

AdroitWaterBear

You have misunderstood both me and Mrs. Sanger. You would not speak to me that way if we were face to face, you and I.

True Believer

I certainly haven't misunderstood Margaret Sanger, because she is an oblivious idiot. If you agree with her, then you are the same. If you made logically incoherent an idiot arguments, as she does, and we were face to face, I would tell you the same thing. She has saved exactly 0 lives, because that is a logical contradiction. This would be like arguing "In order to save your life, I am going to kill you." It makes no sense, just like nothing that your side argues makes sense. It is logically incoherent drivel. She has saved 0 lives. The way she "reduced suffering" is by killing. If you were to kill every human being on earth, there would be 0 suffering. If you do not understand that this argumentation is incoherent and lame, then you are an idiot.

AdroitWaterBear

True Believer. UNDERSTAND THIS, abortion is a tragedy to be deeply grieved. That is my opinion, abortion is a tragedy to be deeply grieved. I told you that you were misunderstanding me, yet you persisted and even name-called me “idiot” multiple times. As for Mrs. Sanger, you are judging her by 21st century standards and she cannot defend herself because she is dead. What does that say about you? Again, abortion is a tragedy to be deeply grieved.

True Believer

Ok then. If you read closely what I said in my last post, I stated *IF* you believe the same way she does, then you're an idiot. I stated, and I quote: "If you made logically incoherent and idiot arguments, as she does...I would tell you the same thing." Margaret Sanger did not believe as you. She did not believe that abortion is a "tragedy". She did not believe that it should be "deeply grieved". She believed that it was a wonderful thing to take part in. She believed that it was one of the most wonderful things a person could do, and it was a moral good. She believed that you should be FORCED to get an abortion, unless you received a license to be a parent. I maintain, that IF you think that you should be able to kill your offspring, at ANY age, so you can have all the sex you want to, then you are an IDIOT.

AdroitWaterBear

True Believer. You are on your own now. Wishing you the best,

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* “Margaret Higgins Sanger...was an American birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse. Sanger popularized the term "birth control", opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, and established organizations that evolved into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.” NOTE: Mrs. Sanger held and is reputed to have held many controversial views on eugenics that by 21st century standards, and by my personal standards, are not acceptable. Mrs. Sanger’s promotion of birth control has been a boon to humanity.

Margaret Sanger lived: Sep 18, 1879 - Sep 06, 1966 (age 86)

Nationality: American

Spouse: James Noah (m. 1922 - 1943) · William Sanger (m. 1902 - 1921)

Founded: Planned Parenthood · American Birth Control League · International Planned Parenthood Federation

Source: Wikipedia.com