Sometimes when I watch a video that meticulously and accurately debunks in detail some conspiracy theory, snake oil salesmanship, or anything else that generally goes against what we know for certain about science, I like to make a joke in the comments, that goes a bit like:
"I could post a long essay debunking every single point you are making, but why bother? There's a much easier way: You are just a paid shill. There. Every single one of your arguments refuted with one single sentence."
I'm of course being completely facetious and jestful there. However, it references a rather common tactic among conspiracy theorists and peddlers of hogwash: Dismissing the criticism, not by refuting it, but by calling the critic a corporate shill (with zero evidence, of course).
Well, there's another word that has been recently appropriated by the regressive left to dismiss, belittle and disregard any criticism that they or anything they like get: Just call the critics "trolls".
It doesn't matter how much criticism there is, how influential and competent the people presenting the criticism is, or how well-argued and sound the criticism is, even if the criticism is completely detached from politics and has nothing to do with it... if the criticism is against something that the regressive left roots for, it's all refuted by merely calling the critics "trolls". They don't need to even present any counter-arguments to the criticism; simply calling the critics "trolls" is enough to deflect and dismiss all criticism.
You see that constantly everywhere. This absolutely fallacious and infantile counter-argument has become so prevalent and pervasive that it has started being used even in mainstream media and by people and sources that used for decades to be very respectable and high-quality. It's actually quite cringey to see some of the world's largest and richest news shows use that word to describe the critics of whatever the regressive left is rooting for that day. Everybody is a "troll" now.
Like with so many words, this one has also lost pretty much all meaning by being appropriated and overused by the regressive left. It means nothing anymore.
"I could post a long essay debunking every single point you are making, but why bother? There's a much easier way: You are just a paid shill. There. Every single one of your arguments refuted with one single sentence."
I'm of course being completely facetious and jestful there. However, it references a rather common tactic among conspiracy theorists and peddlers of hogwash: Dismissing the criticism, not by refuting it, but by calling the critic a corporate shill (with zero evidence, of course).
Well, there's another word that has been recently appropriated by the regressive left to dismiss, belittle and disregard any criticism that they or anything they like get: Just call the critics "trolls".
It doesn't matter how much criticism there is, how influential and competent the people presenting the criticism is, or how well-argued and sound the criticism is, even if the criticism is completely detached from politics and has nothing to do with it... if the criticism is against something that the regressive left roots for, it's all refuted by merely calling the critics "trolls". They don't need to even present any counter-arguments to the criticism; simply calling the critics "trolls" is enough to deflect and dismiss all criticism.
You see that constantly everywhere. This absolutely fallacious and infantile counter-argument has become so prevalent and pervasive that it has started being used even in mainstream media and by people and sources that used for decades to be very respectable and high-quality. It's actually quite cringey to see some of the world's largest and richest news shows use that word to describe the critics of whatever the regressive left is rooting for that day. Everybody is a "troll" now.
Like with so many words, this one has also lost pretty much all meaning by being appropriated and overused by the regressive left. It means nothing anymore.
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