Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Ad Hominem
What can you say about the truthfulness of a person who uses ad hominem attacks against anyone who contradicts him? Consider this fellow, for instance. Rather than answer charges that he was not in combat, Bill O’Reilly spews at the person who made them. Unfortunately, that person was with him at the time the event occurred and has credibility. Further, he has been backed up by others who were in Argentina as well during the riots. One must question why it took them so long to speak out but even so, if there was no pitched battle, O'Reilly ought to admit it. Instead he uses words like "guttersnipe" to characterize his former colleague. PR practitioners ought to eschew ad hominem attacks whenever possible. They demean the person who makes them as well as the person who is the subject of abuse. O'Reilly might save his job by being combative but at the cost of his credibility. (On the other hand, his credibility has been at issue for some time.)
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