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The Irish Solution to The Ben Lomond Problem 19-Sep-2017 At 11:29:00 AM Wendy

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On 19-Sep-2017 uwhp510 wrote:
>On 18-Sep-2017 Wendy wrote:
>>(strawman)
>
>In the spirit of drawing analogies between our own personal points of
>view and overwhelmingly popular (though entirely unrelated) political movements,
>thereby aiming to tar our opponents with associations that we've just created
>out of thin air...
>
Not quite thin air, just the most topical slippery slope I could think of.

>Adding bolted rap stations to Ben Lomond is exactly equivalent to building
>the Adani coal mine. You don't REALLY want to destroy the barrier reef
>do you?!? Just so that you don't need to bring a static to rap down on
>at Ben Lomond? Gee, you must be a horrible person!
>
>\end strawman

I don't know that your straw man really works, simply because there is a direct and logical connection - the coal mine needs the port expanded, port expansion requires dredging, dredging creates silt, silt damages reef. Then there's the climate change line of arguement that is still reasonable, although not as direct. What's the direct connection between the rap anchors and the end of ben lomond as we know it?
>
>Honestly though, the stupidity of the slippery slope argument trotted
>our by opponents of SSM doesn't invalidate slippery slope arguments in
>general.

Slippery slope arguments are dodgy, lazy arguments, because they are not based on any inevitable sequence of events. No one uses a slippery slope to argue about climate change because there is a direct and evidenced connection between rising green house gases and climate change.

I have another pet slippery slope example about the manipulation of women's bodies. In the modern western world, we generally agree that FGM is unnacceptable. However, high heels, body hair removal, make up and many forms of cosmetic surgery are totally acceptable to most people. They are on the same slippery slope. Where is the outcry that we should not sell high heels and make up or outlaw brazilian's because they will lead to FGM? With the rise in cosmetic labiaplasty, we are getting pretty close to that end of the slope. Society as a whole sets some boundaries as to where the slippery slope will stop. I'd set the boundaries a lot further up than most people, but still, we haven't descended into compulsory clitoridectomies.