Convince Me That I Should Buy "Fair Trade" Goods

[Cow Poke]

So it seems it didn't take you so long to reach your conclusions. There there, it wasn't too difficult, was it?

I proclaimed my bias in the very beginning, and nobody has offered anything to change it. Including you.

[Paprika]

I proclaimed my bias in the very beginning, and nobody has offered anything to change it. Including you.

And why should anybody?

[Cow Poke]

And why should anybody?

Because the purpose of the thread was to see if anybody had anything of substance to justify utilizing "fair trade".

"there, there" indeed.

[Jesse]

So your strategy is to assume and dismiss. We knew that.


"You really think not buying these products stops anything?"
"You are talking about not buying a product because it came from a country you disapprove of."
"You are trying to do the very least that you can, while patting yourself on the back."

1. That was a question. One you didn't answer. You could tell it was a question, by the question mark.

2. That is the definition of "Fair Trade". If you are part of the "Fair Trade" movement, you boycott products from countries whose policies you disagree with.

3. That was an opinion.

I think before you use big words like "straw man", you should at the very least understand the definition of the word. Just to give you a heads up while conversating with someone, It's not good form to try an misuse logical fallacies in order to not answer questions. Just FYI.

[Paprika]

1. That was a question. One you didn't answer. You could tell it was a question, by the question mark.

I take it as a rhetorical question that implicitly attributes a position - that I "really think not buying these products stops anything" - to me.

2. That is the definition of "Fair Trade". If you are part of the "Fair Trade" movement, you boycott products from countries whose policies you disagree with.

"not buying a product because it came from a country you disapprove of" isn't my position.

3. That was an opinion.

It is a misrepresentation of my position - that I "am trying to do the very least that you can, while patting yourself on the back"; it is also an attack on my character. Substantiate it or retract it.

[Jesse]

I take it as a rhetorical question that implicitly attributes a position - that I "really think not buying these products stops anything" - to me.

That would have been your first mistake. Instead of taking a question the way you want, how about instead just taking the question and answering it? Talk about mind reading.

"not buying a product because it came from a country you disapprove of" isn't my position.

No one said it was your position. How can I say anything about your position when you didn't give me one? All you gave me was this:

So slavery matters not. Neither does child labour. Nor wanton destruction of the environment.

Which if you didn't know, is an actual straw man argument. So tell me again, how what you said to me could even in the slightest be considered an argument I could make a straw man out of? Is your position that I tried to make a straw man out of a straw man?

It is a misrepresentation of my position - that I "am trying to do the very least that you can, while patting yourself on the back"; it is also an attack on my character. Substantiate it or retract it.

Don't go catching the vapors just yet. As I showed above, you gave me no position I could make a misrepresentation of. My opinion of those in the "Fair Trade" movement is just that, an opinion. So no, you will not get a retraction of my opinion on the movement. If you want to consider that a personal attack, I don't really care. Now, would you like to make an actual argument that can be discussed?

[Paprika]

That would have been your first mistake. Instead of taking a question the way you want, how about instead just taking the question and answering it? Talk about mind reading.

Indeed, you're one to talk.

No one said it was your position. How can I say anything about your position when you didn't give me one? All you gave me was this:

You attributed a position to me that was not mine.

Which if you didn't know, is an actual straw man argument.

No, it's a reductio ad absurdum.

Don't go catching the vapors just yet. As I showed above, you gave me no position I could make a misrepresentation of.

Yet you felt very free to attribute a certain position to me.

My opinion of those in the "Fair Trade" movement is just that, an opinion. So no, you will not get a retraction of my opinion on the movement. If you want to consider that a personal attack, I don't really care.

"You are trying to do the very least that you can, while patting yourself on the back" was directed at me, was it not?

Now, would you like to make an actual argument that can be discussed?

It is very clear that no profitable discussion can be had with you, so I will not waste any more of my time.

[Jesse]

Indeed, you're one to talk.

I told you before, I can't read minds. I don't know why you don't believe me.

You attributed a position to me that was not mine.

You gave me no position to make any attribute towards. Unless you made one up in your head and didn't communicate it to me. Again, I can't read minds.

No, it's a reductio ad absurdum.

Both fallacious arguments are so relatively close to one another that trying to making a distinction is useless. Good try though. Oh and by the way, it's still not an argument.

Yet you felt very free to attribute a certain position to me.

See above.

"You are trying to do the very least that you can, while patting yourself on the back" was directed at me, was it not?

If you can read sentences in context, you will have your answer. Though why would you? I already gave you the answer and you still are on this point.

It is very clear that no profitable discussion can be had with you, so I will not waste any more of my time.

You do know you responded to me right? Not the other way around. So I thought you might have had something intelligent to say. I'm sorry that I didn't allow you to use wording anyway you saw fit. Maybe you should try it on someone else .

[Cow Poke]

I take it as a rhetorical question that implicitly attributes a position

An error you appear to enjoy repeating.