Re: "Straw-manning" tactics used against the freedom movement doctors, scientists, and educators in attempts to discredit them and harm them.
Is Straw-manning also used as a “shield" to hide possible hate crimes against disabled vaccine-injured and to dehumanize them? How do we deflect the hate while protecting others and our serenity?
Straw-Man Fallacy (strawman or straw-manning) is the act of substituting an argument altogether or with a weaker or exaggerated version of the argument and then knocking the argument down (easier to criticize).
This manipulation of facts, data, or words takes place while simultaneously failing to acknowledge the distinction between the original argument or blatant change in the argument.
In short, Straw-manning misrepresents an argument or position to make it easier to attack or refute. This tactic creates the appearance of a victory over the first argument, which then creates a false narrative for the antagonist to point at. In this, the antagonist has diverted the argument away from the facts. He stands up the Straw-man argument (fallacy) and then knocks it down, congratulating himself as the winner.
This fallacy was recently employed when the FDA set up the Straw-man false argument that horse wormer was dangerous for people, and as a “result,” they should not take ivermectin. They then gaslighted countless people by using this false argument they “spun up” in their Straw-man fallacy, adding images of a horse (symbolizing horse wormer) to attempt to scare the populous from taking a useful medication (the human version of ivermectin) for COVID-19.
Now, there are hundreds of thousands of documented injuries from the COVID-19 vaccines, even though human ivermectin is known to treat early Covid-19 infection. However, it seems as if the known safety and efficacy of human ivermectin could not be refuted, so the FDA reduced the good reputation of ivermectin to a meme about a horse. With the manufactured appearance of “no viable treatments,” The COVID-19 vaccines were granted FDA Emergency Use Authorization.
Straw-man Fallacy is the act of "attacking a straw man" in a discussion or argument.
Those who advocate ending medical censorship, promoting legal justice for those who are harmed, and seeking rectification of the Pandemic era’s chaos on our health system are often the targets of the above tactics.
The legacy media, regulatory, and public health systems have censored many physicians and medical information meant to save lives. As such, many federal cases have been filed that aim to put an end to and call out this censorship. However, opponents of these advocates have used tactics to build a false distrust of those who speak out.
After the FDA had its run with the horse wormer tactic, I think this country has had enough grifting for pro-vaccine fist-bumps and “leveling-up” in this manner amongst what is shaping up to look like hate groups who target the outspoken doctors, unvaccinated, and the vaccine-injured.
According to the helpful professor, “Attacking the parties in the discussion with a misrepresented version of the argument fails to engage in the real argument. This also creates a false sense of victory for the antagonist, who uses the false argument.”
The article continues on to say, “Instead of addressing the actual position or argument of the other person, the fallacy involves substituting it with a weaker or exaggerated version that is easier to criticize. It is considered a deceptive tactic as it undermines meaningful dialogue.” [1]
[To be clear, my article is in no way meant to be alarmist; on the contrary, this article is intended to educate and support all of those who have been targets. The antagonists are brazen, but this article is not about how scary they are; it is about how we learn to identify them, their tactics, and how to live our best lives despite them. These strong and brave humanitarians did not get where they are by being pushed around or intimidated. While it is true that many of the outspoken physicians and advocacy groups are subjected to the tactics of these antagonists, this always brings them/us to support each other. Please look for these support resources at the end of this article. ]
“Smoke and Mirrors:” Just like all doctors, when the freedom movement doctors and scientists provide charts, studies, and articles for context as they bring their life-saving information to others. However, Straw-manning antagonists often counter the doctor’s data using studies that aren’t comparable to the argument. For instance, they pointed to articles in which ivermectin was used on its own and then deemed ineffective for treating COVID-19 infection. However, according to physicians and studies, successful COVID-19 treatments include ivermectin administered as a co-therapy along with other viral inhibitors such as vitamin C or Zinc. We see it is not administered alone to treat Covid-19.
[Dr. Jackie Stone of Zimbabwe does a good job of explaining the COVID-19 antiviral co-therapies. She successfully treated many patients but was later put on trial for doing so. She was also one of the most heavily targeted life-saving physicians in the pandemic and likely one of the strongest people you will learn about in our time. [2] ]
If the tactics described above seem like gaslighting, I learned that they can also be considered gaslighting when the antagonist repeatedly represents their straw-manning as fact to gaslight you or others into believing the falsehood.
It is clear to me that gaslighting and Straw-Man Fallacy go hand in hand, and to me, it almost seems as if the details are interchangeable; the use of the tactics depends on how the details are presented, either as a false argument or a falsehood stated as a repeated fact, as seen below. The following is what I found in reading about the differences and similarities between Straw-Man Fallacy and Gaslighting, including referenced examples from others and examples of my own below.
The straw man fallacy definitions:
1. Straw-man Fallacy sets up a false position [or argument] for the opposition and then knocks it down. (It defeats a straw opponent [or argument] rather than a real one).” [3]
2. Straw-man Fallacy distracts people from the facts in an argument by diverting to a false argument.
Example:
False argument: “Doctors who recommend ivermectin want to harm people. The FDA saves lives by warning people about this dangerous horse wormer. “
Fact: Physicians do not recommend horse wormer; they recommend human ivermectin.
Gaslighting definitions:
1. Gaslighting refers to confidently and repeatedly stating a falsehood until it is accepted as fact. It leads to denialism and conspiracy theories. [3]
2. Gaslighting is an attempt to gain power over others, bringing them to believe a falsehood about themselves or their circumstances. (gaslighting can involve pointing to the results of the false argument (a falsehood) to gain power.)
Example:
Falsehood: “Ivermectin isn’t effective for Covid-19 infection. Studies routinely show this as fact.”
Fact: The “studies” that are referred to in this case omit key principles, such as using one part of an antiviral co-therapy and calling it ineffective without using all parts of the therapy.
We have all seen these tactics take place as physicians, scientists, educators, and politicians are repeatedly harassed or subjected to retaliatory litigation or bureaucratic processes by a vast number of governing bodies, especially during the pandemic under the EUA and its "policies" and mandates. The above professionals are singled out for questioning or refuting the blatant disregard for medical facts, the law, and the Constitution seen over the past three years.
This harassment has, of course, extended to those who are harmed or injured by the above disregard for the law and constitution, including COVID-19 vaccine-injured, bereaved families, and the families and victims of the failed pandemic hospital policies (Remdesivir victims), those who lost their careers (Nurses, military, etc.), lost their homes and more. The attacks are also directed at the people and parties that protect them (attorneys, advocacy groups, educators, etc.). It is a broken moment in our world when the injured are made targets.
Harassment of the vaccine injured, the bereaved, and their families: This week especially, there was an organized effort to discredit, harm, break, or otherwise harass and/or taunt those speaking out about the dangers of the COVID-19 vaccine. There were several incidents aimed at others who brought this to my attention. This is a group that also took aim at me and Cody. It has happened before; it will happen again. The harassment is not original, and we have learned from the experiences and learned their tactics.
With this, I thought it might be helpful to write this article and call out the tactics that are intended to harm the above people and parties. Note: the disabled are a protected class, and threatening or harassing the disabled due to their disability is a hate crime. However, be aware that Straw manning looks to be an attempt by the antagonists to divert the true appearance of their motive.
Online Harassment of the Freedom Movement: On X, most have seen this scenario in which the harassment of the doctors, scientists, and the vaccine injured, or advocates begins with the antagonist demanding “proof.” They often say, "Where is the study?" or "Why won't you post the study with it?" This is said despite the study being included in the story link or linked directly. Everyone else follows the link but the antagonist. But this is the “set-up”…
This “show me the study” tactic is old and transparent, but even so, the antagonists act as if they are innocently seeking knowledge and that we are being “deceptive” by keeping them from the knowledge! They then predictably cry wolf and employ the Straw-Man Fallacy, claiming the study must be false; otherwise, we would give it to them. They can click the link like everyone else. It is the bending of the truth/argument they seek, not the medical “study.”
By employing the Straw Man Fallacy, they are not looking to learn; the intent is to harass and to make it appear as if the antagonist has won the argument and proved their intended target to be “a liar” or untrustworthy, etc. This is a trophy for these harmful individuals.
In the case of the vaccine-injured, once the antagonist has publicly declared them as “untrustworthy,” the antagonists typically will then claim that the vaccine-injured individual is “narcissistic” (or worse) for “believing they have a right” to speak of their injury or disability (shamefully harassing the disabled for their disability).
[If this is happening to you, I strongly encourage you to learn about hate crimes and take the steps necessary to protect your online information. Know your rights and learn about online safety.]
Almost always, the antagonist uses the term anti-vaxxer (again twisting the argument as the vaccine-injured clearly took a vaccine). This, too, is straw-manning and looks very much like a hate crime when this harassment is aimed at disabled individuals for speaking of their disability or being disabled.
When ignoring them, their Straw-Man tactic is to discredit, repeatedly claiming the study must not be real, etc., as you won’t respond to them. In my experience with them, even if you do give them the link directly, they do not bother to look at the study or documentation but will criticize its legitimacy anyhow. This is a classic Straw-Man Fallacy.
Without reading the articles and clicking the links on the studies, the antagonist groups can’t know the point we are making, or the point the doctors are making. There can be no discussion. Their deceptive tactic is against the concept of (antithetical) to meaningful dialogue.
When a full day of ignoring them did not stop them, I once responded with emoji kisses (the most harmless response that I could think of), but they created a narrative out of that as well. We have all engaged with them, and we have all ignored them, but the common theme is that they become fixated on their manufactured and false argument with the intention of harassing even the disabled. It is clear that the hate they exude is palpable and repugnant…
But we can’t let their hate infect us.
So what to do? Many seek to have all sides work together. But we run a fine line seeking to inform others of our pandemic and COVID-19 vaccine experiences to save lives. Is there a way to bring “both sides” together? I hope that we are all able to recognize the difference between people who are sincere and those who only seek to harm.
Over the past three years, we have all engaged in meaningful conversations about pandemic policy, COVID-19 treatments, and vaccine topics with those who don’t see eye to eye with us. We know how to debate and to remain civil. But in the instances described above where “their side of the story” is for organized antagonists to use the Straw Man tactic to harm and harass us, there can be no meaningful engagement.
Sometimes, these antagonists do step over the line. I saw a video this week of a doctor in Texas receiving death threats on a workplace voicemail. Clearly, we have to be careful and involve the authorities when these issues escalate to the level of harassment she is receiving. We know we run the risk of having to protect ourselves or our loved ones from the hate directed towards us when we speak out. But we have to remain strong, and by doing this, we take the power away from the hate. See the links below for support because we aren’t alone in speaking out to save lives.
If you are a physician or parent and you realize this vaccine was rushed and not tested, and you see high rates of disease that are not typical for the age range and population, or if your child died (or nearly died) shortly after their vaccine, you would likely ask questions and raise awareness, as you would not want another to suffer the same fate.
Those who speak out are often accused by antagonist groups of being responsible for the future deaths of others by speaking about their experiences. The other accusation that is made against us is that by speaking out, we are responsible for future deaths of children who will have no vaccines.
I won’t go into COVID-19 vaccine efficacy and transmission data in this article, as public health officials have already spoken about these matters. (When Dr. Offit won’t take another booster, these matters should be obvious.) So, I will talk about safety from a mother’s perspective.
It should be known that in all other past medications and drugs, serious harm data was considered valuable to the FDA and the public. It often made headlines in mainstream media. But not with COVID-19 vaccines. Still, this does not mean that the harms should be silenced and censored. The vaccine consumers have a right to know, and if the FDA and CDC won’t do it, the citizens must help their fellow man.
We speak out to save lives.
We are all often accused of “grifting” as we speak out. I will be the first to say that there is no “money” in advocating for others; this movement isn’t about money. I think everyone speaking out has either taken a pay cut or volunteers without pay entirely. Personally, I stopped what I was doing when my son nearly died and have spent my time since then hoping to save other children from what my son endured. My husband is amazing and has been a rock for us. We knew this would be a bumpy ride, but there is no monetary gain in it.
There are countless other families that have gone to one income or who live off of their savings (if they have it) to advocate and/or to care for their vaccine-injured family member or both. It is a life with many challenges. I know most are making sacrifices. I sincerely hope that those who are singled out and harassed over their advocacy have a support system.
For now, I learned, and I think many of us learned, that the only thing we can do when these harmful people try to discredit and distort the facts is to grow stronger from the tough experience, identify the tactics, and share what we learned from it with others who have been in the same situation. But we can’t do it alone.
We must also heal and find our inner peace when our world feels broken. If you meditate, pray, listen to music, or walk in nature, please remember to take the time to nurture yourself. The harassment and the division in our world can hurt and sadden us. When we are stressed, we can forget to care for ourselves. The pain is real, and we should be aware, but we must also live our lives and remember that we have a purpose and the strength to help others.
Many doctors and groups are here to help. Dr. Lawrie [4] has thoughtful articles and guest writers, and her “Better Way to Health” series, which can be found on her SubStack, often has advice on the emotional issues of the past three years. React-19 [5] has groups to help vaccine injured, advocates, and volunteers to cope and to get involved, and the Former Feds Group/We The People 50 group [6] has similar support groups and ways to get involved. Also, see and reach out to Team Humanity, which advocates for vaccine-injured individuals and their families. Please do reach out to them or to someone you trust if you are sad or hurting as we endure or witness harassment. You are not alone.
In closing, I believe it is fitting that we recognize and bring attention to this Straw-man tactic as we enter into fall. The scarecrow is an apt warning. But remember, the groups that help us find our way through the pain of the pandemic chaos are ready to listen or help if you need them.
God be with you all, keep speaking out, and thank you for your bravery.
[A special thank you to Cody, who reminded me (as we witnessed this online harassment) that what is happening to us and the doctors is the Straw Man Fallacy that I taught him about years ago when he needed advice. He hugged me and sat to help me write it. It is always amazing when what we have taught our children comes full circle to teach us.]
Here’s the deal. Western Medicine has always been about treating the symptoms. I, am obviously not a rocket scientist. I’m just thinking. As with everything else we need more cures than bandaids. And since it’s impossible to locate any info whatsoever on the internet. If you are looking for true knowledge and science and medicine. And not who to blame.
Oh God. I miss the old internet. I learned so much.
Mary Ann Alice. Way back. Like 15 years ago. Some of us out here in real land were experiencing weird things. Symptoms. Skin issues. Brain fog. And I remember trying to learn about this stuff online. You know. Back when you could.
And so different people came up with protocols with supplements Like Zinc. Vit c Vit D. And stress was a big problem. And also I’m almost sure I remember hearing about this horse dewormer drug.
Would be helpful if someone could explain what exactly the horse dewormer thing actually does and other recommended treatments.. And then we could all have a better understanding about the immune deficiency problems We all seem to be dealing with these days especially afte post Covid and post Vax. And how and what and why certain treatments could help. Seemed like the medical community didn’t have the answers way back then.
I’d love to hear more conversation about how we all can strengthen our systems to combat some of these unnecessary viral or whatever issues. Preventative stuff.
Thank You MAA.