THINKER'S ALMANAC - April 7

What logical fallacy is exemplified by the slogan “America, Love It or Leave it”?

Subject:  False Dilemma - “America, Love It or Leave It”

Event:  Birthday of journalist Walter Winchell, 1897

Long before cable TV news or even television for that matter, newspaper columnist and radio commentator Walter Winchel captured an audience with his gossip-driven journalism.  Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell -- who was born on this day in 1897 -- rose to national prominence in the 1930s and 40s, combining his journalism with entertainment in both a syndicated newspaper column and a nationally broadcasted radio show.

Unfortunately, Winchel’s reputation took a blow when he aligned himself with Senator Joseph McCarthy in his campaign against communists in the 1950s.  Capitalizing on rising Cold War fears, McCarthy questioned the patriotism of anyone who challenged his claims of communist infiltration of the U.S. Government.  Winchel assisted McCarthy by coining the slogan “America, Love it or Leave it,” a not-so-subtle suggestion that you must either be an unquestioning patriotic supporter of the United States, or you should find another country to live in.

Winchell’s slogan is the quintessential example of a fallacy called the false dilemma -- also known as the false dichotomy or the either-or fallacy.  As Winchel’s slogan demonstrates, the false dilemma oversimplifies an argument, falsely presenting it as a choice between just two exhaustive and exclusive options.  In the real world, things are rarely so black or white; instead, there is usually a third, fourth, or even a fifth option.  

Winchell’s slogan resurfaced as a popular bumper sticker during the turbulent years of the United States’ involvement in Vietnam.  Although some tried to frame protests against the war as unpatriotic, many understood that it was possible, and in fact necessary, to protest America’s involvement in Vietnam as a part of one’s patriotic duty.

The false dilemma was later deployed by President George W. Bush after the terrorist attacks on 9/11.  Speaking before a joint session of Congress on 

September 21, 2001, Bush proclaimed:  "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."

It is true that sometimes we must choose between only two options. For example, a child who refuses to eat the broccoli that was lovingly prepared by his mother might be presented with the following ultimatum: “Junior, either you eat your broccoli, or you may not have dessert.”  Usually, however, life is not so simply broken down into such limited options.  Beware of the false dilemmas 

that are thrown at you by politicians, marketers, or false teachers.  An advertisement will try to convince you that you must either acquire their product or be an uncool, unhip, or unworthy person.  Don’t buy it.  Instead, look for alternative options.

Recall, Retrieve, Recite, Ruminate, Reflect, Reason:  What is the false dilemma fallacy, and how did both Walter Winchell and George W. Bush use it in political contexts?

Today’s Challenge - Exaggerating The Extremes:  In the following paragraph, Rachel Held Evans creates a false dilemma about parenting:

The word on the street was that I had two options when it came to caring for my future baby: I could either eat, sleep, drink, bathe, walk, and work with my baby permanently affixed to my body until the two of us meld into one, or I could leave my baby out naked on a cold millstone to cry, refusing to hold or feed her until the schedule allowed. Apparently, there was no in between.

Obviously, her goal here is to exaggerate the extremes for humorous effect.  Pick a topic of your own, and using Evans’ passage as a model, write your own exaggerated false dilemma.

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

April 7, 1837:  On this day Hans Christian Anderson’s classic story "The Emperor’s New Clothes'' was first published.  Long before the psychological phenomena dubbed “groupthink” was identified, Anderson crafted a story that illustrates its hold on people.  For more on the story, see THINKER’S ALMANAC - April 2. 

 

Sources:  

1-Sigman, Michael.  “A Brief History of Loving or Leaving America.” The Huffington Post 26 March 2012.