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I feel like everyone needs a tutorial on what a “dogwhistle” is.
A dogwhistle is a statement only certain ppl understand the meaning & significance of, said for the purpose of conveying this information.
A dogwhistle is NOT “something repeated by ppI I think are bigots.” 1/x
A dogwhistle is a statement only certain ppl understand the meaning & significance of, said for the purpose of conveying this information.
A dogwhistle is NOT “something repeated by ppI I think are bigots.” 1/x
It is NOT the same thing as making a statement which is arguably true and is used as the basis for an argument you disagree with. (Example: “women= adult female human”). 2/x
This statement does not attempt to convey additional information to the some listeners (supporters) and not others. If anything, it is a *talking point*, which is the exact opposite of a dogwhistle— the goal is for everyone to understand the information it conveys. 3/x
It is NOT the same thing as asking question with an uncomfortable answer. (Ex: “Do you believe that a male bodied person with a penis who identifies as a woman should have the right to undress in a communal changing room with teenage girls?")
Nor is the Staniland question 4/x
Nor is the Staniland question 4/x
A logical fallacy.
It is not “a loaded question; there are no facts presumed by the question.
It is not a “gotcha” question, as it does not ask about an extreme or unlikely outlier consequent of the opposition’s policy. It asks about is the *likely*, if unsavory, result. 5/x
It is not “a loaded question; there are no facts presumed by the question.
It is not a “gotcha” question, as it does not ask about an extreme or unlikely outlier consequent of the opposition’s policy. It asks about is the *likely*, if unsavory, result. 5/x
The answer cannot be taken out of context, as it is “yes” or “no”, and thus the question would need to be included. And the question itself is a fair question: it asks the supporters of a policy if they support a likely, but under-examined, effect of that policy. 6/x
It is not a “dogwhistle” because there is no information conveyed that is understood by some ppl and not others, nor is any information intended to be. The question is understood by all on its face. 7/x
These are not dogwhistles and cannot be dismissed out of hand simply because they are frequently repeated, and by people who you don’t agree with or like.
Even if they are repeated by “transphobes,” that doesn’t make them dogwhistles and it doesn’t make them invalid. 8/x
Even if they are repeated by “transphobes,” that doesn’t make them dogwhistles and it doesn’t make them invalid. 8/x
It also doesn’t make them “hate speech” because you think the ppl who say it are hateful. If you want to refute their argument, you still need to do so on the merits; not by (incorrectly) dismissing them as dogwhistles.( 9/x
#sexnotgender
#thestanilandQ
#sexnotgender
#thestanilandQ
