anti-idiotarianism

From a quote by Glenn Reynolds: "What bloggers are more than anything, I think, is anti-idiot. That makes life tough for Noam Chomsky, Cornel West, and the Revs. Falwell, Robertson, Jackson, & Sharpton, for reasons that transcend traditional partisanship and ideology." The term "anti-idiotarianism" refers to a philosophy of not being an idiot.

"We reject the idiotarianism of the Left — the moral blindness that refuses to recognize that free markets, individual liberty, and experimental science have made the West a fundamentally better place.

We also reject the idiotarianism of the Right — whether it manifests as head-in-the-sand isolationism or as a Christian-chauvinist political agenda that echoes religious absolutism.

We prefer an anti-idiotarianism that promotes the individual and not the institution."

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Fisking

The word is derived from articles written by Robert Fisk that were easily refuted, and refers to a point-by-point debunking of lies and/or idiocies.

Here we have a great example of a fisking of a clearly biased writer.

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Durbin

The use of excessive hyperbole and rhetoric when describing a situation or thing. It is commonly absurd and grossly disproportionate when used as an example. Named after Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who often said things that in actuality were over-the-top and unsubstantiated allegations.

Al Franken pulled a durbin when he spoke of the current US actions in Iraq. His own words eventually made a mockery of his career.

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