Illogical Statements
In America’s political culture, it is not uncommon for us to hear statements which are illogical or do not make sense, when one takes time to mediate on what is actually being said. Here are some examples of such statements:
(A) John Doe, was killed last night, he came from a good family. The problem with this statement, is that it implies that, if John Doe, had come from a bad family, it would have been alright for him to have been killed. Also, this statement implies that death has a respect of persons, when death does not.
(B) The untimely death of Mary Jane, was a shock to all of us. The problem with this statement is, when is there a good time to die? Would tomorrow be a good time to die? How about next week, or maybe next year?
(C) A rabbit’s foot is good luck. The problem with this statement or belief, is that, if the rabbit’s foot is good luck, then how come the rabbit lost it?
(D) It is 5:15p.m., rush hour traffic. The problem with this statement, is that anyone who has been on the highways or expressways, after 5;00p.m., knows that the traffic is bumper to bumper, and the cars are barely moving, and, no one is rushing at all. It should be, it is 5;15p.m, slow hour traffic.
(E) I can grow up and be whatever, I want to be. The problem with this statement or belief, is that it gives one false hopes. A person can be whatever he or she was created to be, and, not what he or she wants to be. A little person or midget, is not going to play basketball for the N.B.A., and, I don’t care how hard he trains, and the average super model, is not going to be over 115 pounds. Any female who is a larger than that, can forget about being on the cover of “Sport Illustrated”.
(F) I will get a job based on my qualifications. The problem with this statement is, that no one gets hired, based on qualifications alone. A person’s looks, also play a major role in determining whether or not, he or she will get the job, as well as other attributes. We have all seen situations whereby individuals, who were in positions of authority, acquire these positions, by some other means, than being qualified.
(G) Grandfather Willie, passed away this morning, he was a wonderful person, and, he did not have any enemies. The problem with this statement, is that it pointed out that Grandfather Willie, did not have any enemies. We all have enemies, including, the late Grandfather Willie.
(H) Women are more mature than men. The problem with this statement is, that maturity is based on suffering. If a 25 year-old woman, has been through a great deal of trials and tribulations, and a 25 year-old man, has had an easy life, more than likely, the 25 year- old woman, is going to be more mature than the 25 year-old man, and vice-versa. Just because one happens to be a female, does not automatically, means she is more mature than a male. That is like saying, “whites are smarter than blacks”, and, believe me, at one time in America, there were so-called scholars who tried to prove this, such as Shockley and Jensen, and, even today, in 2010, there are individuals and groups who adhere to such nonsense.
The above are only a few examples, of illogical statements, made in American political culture.
The Bowtie Professor Speaks!
Tags: Logical Thinking
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Politics And Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
When I first read this I thought maybe you were just be a little silly or taking regular phrases too far(especially with the rush hour traffic example). I don’t think so now. These illogical statements run past everyone because that’s just the way everyone says it. We’re so used to it that we don’t notice it anymore. They say ‘the untimely death of Mary Jane’ and things like ‘John Doe was killed last night and came from a good family’ to cause us to feel sorry for whoever they’re talking about(I think), you know, to make us feel sorry for the family who suddenly lost a loved one unexpectantly or because John Doe was a great person and had a good life ahead of him, therefore he shouldn’t have died. I never picked it apart like this or even put much thought into it. It’s illogical, I agree!
class 5:35
After reading your illogical statements, I realize that yes, thats exactly the way we think or say when something like this happen. For example on “John Doe statement we are so ignorants that we forget that the one upstairs is the one who decides when and how is our final going to be. Is not going to matter if he/she comes from a good family or not. People,lets not critize instead lets land a hand to the ones who need us.
class: MWF 8oclock.
I enjoyed reading this. It was both comical and a realization how many lack common sense. Now, I’m not pointing fingers here because I too lack common sense. It’s humans nature. I like how reading these, I am not learning but reviewing. Because majority of these statements or information that you give us is stuff thath you have taught us in class. I love the things we learn in class, it’s information I believe every U.S. citezen should know… but then again I like feeling like I know the secret that noone else knows about :).
I agree that people often make statements without thinking them through. This includes myself because everyone does. I like it that you make us think about what we feel and believe, and even how to improve the way we think! I wish more people, especially elected officials would truly look at the people of America and get a pulse on how we actually feel and have to struggle to survive in a land of fat and opportunity! If they would take the time to think things through, they would really get some work done quickly to help our stricken economy get back on its feet!
It is amazing how we are drawn into accepting illogical statements and believe they are great phrases. Before we speak or write something down, we must first analyze all of the content of such statement(s). In essence, the phrase “Think before you speak,” comes into mind. We live in world where things go by so fast, we miss the small details. Such style or way of living creates in us a trait to not always think before we speak. If it sounds it, it is good. However, this is not always true. It’s funny because this happens in church even!! Here’s my experience:
Once I went to a church and the time to give testimony came up. The person presiding over the service announces that the time has come. It sounds all good until he said, “May God bless the first and last person that comes up.” What’s even funnier (or sad) is that everyone in the congregation says, “Amen!” Now, my question to that is, “What about the one who comes in second or third but not last? Do we not want them to get a blessing for sharing their testimony?” Unfortunately, this trend still continues in that church. It’s amazing how no one in there has caught on to that ridiculous statement. Well, what else is there to do, huh? Great point, Bowtie Professor!
I see this type of reasoning in the paper all the time. Everytime a young person dies that person is almost always eulogized as a “Happy, everyones friend, student who was trying to make good grades, good brother or friend, or whatever.” If they commit suicide, no one knows why. If they are killed in a gang drive by shooting, no one knows why.
I hear young people making the statement that they can be whatever they want to be.
What has happened too often is that the young people then traslate this to mean they can do whatever they want.
How many times have we all heard some small child say “I’m going to be the President”,
and the parents say “Oh yes Sally, you can grow up to be whatever you want to be.
Is everyone hoping “Sally” grows up and figures it out?
By that time this child has an attitude of being and doing whatever they want.
Now most mature people know you cannot be or do whatever you want. At least not without a lot of hard work. Just saying “I’m going to be President of the United States” will not make it true.
It is time for a reality check.
When people talk like this i kinda think the same way. There was a guy on the radio that would ask these kinda questions. Things that make you go hmmm. When you sit and really think about it these statements make no sense. I don’t know who comes up with this stuff but its catchy and people repeat it without hesitation.
Before Reading these Statements I never gave it so much of a thought of how we make ridiculous statements and yet continue to do it. These are great examples of illogical comments we go by day by day. Like you said there’s is never a good time for death nor does it make exceptions for good or bad people. I totally agree with you Mr. Bowtie professor these statements are definitely illogical.
Class Tu/Thur 11:00
In (A) above I would like to add that not only from a good family but they were a good person, good spouse, good fater etc. etc. If this is true then only the good get murdered or die untimely. That means the world is left with nothing but us bad folks.
Also another statement not listed is from our declaration of independence which states that all man are created equal. This is not true all man are created unequal. I have no head for numbers yet my son-in-law is great at them. Men are born with different talents. I think what this statement is suppose to say is that all man should be created equal by the law.
Class: mon and wed at 12:30
I agree that we use the expressions used as examples just because we have heard them throughout life. You have made me think more about what I’m actually saying and if it actually makes sense. Like the example with the rabbit foot being lucky. It was very humorous but also very true. Also the example of Mary Jane dying an untimely death.. We really do not have an expected time to die. All this time we have been thinking illogically, but after reading this I will definately pay more attention to the expressions I use.
This is Danielle Barnett from your Tuesday Thursday 11:00 class. I think my favorite illogical statement is the one where we park on drive ways and drive on parkways. It makes me wonder what people are thinking when they say things like this. Why cant we just call it what it is? The irony in stuff like this makes my head hurt.
These statements in some form or fashion are illogical now when I read them in detail as you have explained, but then again many of them are just common sense, because reasoning is an intellectual ability we progress in through the development of our brains, yet not every person upholds this capability each individual should posess. I must agree though there are fallacies in the above illogical statements.
These statements are in some way true. most of them do not make sense, however I think people use them because in the situation they are in. Like for example the ones that talk about the death of people. Like the one that say that The death of Mary Jane was a shock for us. A death always is a shock for everyone people who said that I believe that they are saying it in a way to express their sorrow.
Tuesday 7:05-9:55
Govt. 2302
I liked the rabbit foot statement, it made me laugh. This is very much true though, if a person was killed and came from a bad family, what exactly is there to say? “John died, he came from a bad family”? The untimely death made very much sense, people use this statement it seems like on a lot of articles. No one is expected to die, we don’t know when we will die, ONLY god knows. The thing that really stands out to me is the maturity issue, it is proven women mature faster than guys, but if a man comes from a poor family and is forced to get a job, and pay for his needs. While a woman comes from a rich family, and doesn’t work, parents pay for everything. Then, of course, the man will be mature because he has been faced with many issues and situations. Life is all about learning, if you don’t learn then you won’t be successful. It’s as easy as that.
The rabbit foot statement was funny. I agree that when it comes to getting a job, you are never hired just on your qualifications because looks play a big role if you get that job or not. Studies have shown that males over 6′ ft tall tend to have a better chance of getting a job. I also agree that a person cannot be anything they aspire to be. I give the example of becoming a president, let’s say that a person born outside the United States wants to be President; they cannot become president since they have to be natural born citizens. They have no chance in becoming president unless the requirements change which is very unlikely that they will.
Thae rabbit foot one was funny. Some of these statements are oxymorons. Like, “rush hour traffic”. However, all of these statements are obviousliy illogical. We come across these sayings everyday and don’t pay much attention to them. We should really start to think before we say things.
Some of these statements sound silly when you really start to think about them. Most people say these statements because thats what they grew up saying. I grew up with alot of the same statements because they are past down from generation to generation. I know when i have a family of my own i will be telling them they same things my mother told me. Like when my legs hurts it suppose to rain when almost all the time its already rainging and dont vaccum with the tv on because the tv will mess up. I know that some of these statements are silly but thats what i learned and grew up with.
The statements really make you think. Especially, the one about the rush hour. Everybody know that at 5:00 p.m traffic is at a stand still. Your not rushing anywhere but bumper to bumper.
I see where someone may question these statements or think they are silly. In some of these statements it just depends on how much you want to read into them, what you assume, or things you were just thought to believe.
I think it is just cliche and its an expression everybody says. I do not even realized it until now. (haha) And like Grandfather Willie, maybe they thought their grandpa was a great man and role model. Even if he did have some enemies but maybe before he died, he was a good man and made amends. You just dont know but it is fun to think about these kinds of things.
I strongly agree illogical statements are not always what they seem to be. So many times we say one thing and enforce the meaning of the statement, without really questioning the statement. I believe that every statement that a person decides to take in consideration should be good for that person, and motivate that person, otherwise why even take the statement in consideration. I think many points were made about illogical statements and many times we don’t stop and think what the true meaning of these statements really are.
I see where you are coming from with all these statements, that if we were to pick them apart as you have, would make no sense. But my thought on this is that we put things together at the time and believe it was the correct way to word it. No one now really cares how they spell, write an essay, or care about punctuations. So why would they change anything now about a simple phrase that in their mind is correct even if a person was to correct them, most people still wouldn’t budge.
i have never took the time to think about these phrases, and i hear them all the time at work. Its true that they dont make sense but we really dont intend to put them in a bad sense. I do not disagree with what you are saying when you say why do people use them if they mean bad things sometimes but i do however think that people use these phrases and sayings just to make something sound good even if its bad, they dontthink about the whole story like why the bunny lost its foot or anything like that.. its just a figure of speech.
Very true. I especially agree with the letter “E” example you gave. Many people are given false hopes, thinking they can do something when it’s physically impossible. I mean, it is good to feel like you can do anything, just use it metaphorically. If I say “I will climb the highest mountain in the world,” my fat self cannot climb mountains. Metaphorically, my mountain can be graduating from college and having a great career, for example. For a little person to say, “I want to be an NBA player,” this person can train to become a coach instead and teach his knowledge of the game to his team, an indirect way of being in the NBA.
Excellent point. And who puts out this information? THe media! And Who does the media? People! They try to brain wash us with superstitions and rewire our way of thinking. THey use our emotions and clever word phrasing to make us think how they want us to. They try to get a certain effect. I will think twice when i read something again.
Yes, many people say things that sometimes, once closely analyzed, isn’t logical. Many people are taught young by their parents in these exact words, “If you don’t have anything good to say then don’t say anything!”. Why would we make a statement saying, “I knew Mary Jane was gonna die”? This isn’t exactly something someone would want to hear after one’s death. Why would we say “Uncle Willie died this morning, with his stinky old self”? We would prefer to say something nicer as to console the family of Uncle Willie. I think most illogical statements are made to spare the feelings of the person being said to. I’m going to be the President some day, even though in our minds we know this person isn’t President material, agreeing with them doesn’t hurt their feelings but disagreeing will. We can make fun and poke jokes about the person saying them but in reality, would you rather hear the opposite?
This actually made me laugh and think about each statement for a minute and made me realize that each statement is very true. But on the rush hour traffic one, I always thought it was called that because everyone is in a “rush” to get home but they get stuck in “traffic” ? But if taken literally then it is true. And maybe grandfather Willie didn’t have an known enemies that his family actually knew off, so according to his family he did not have any enemies. Just a thought.
Professor, I agree 100 % with what you have presented here. I believe that the media and regular people in general make these “illogical statements” because they want to make things sound better or worse to get emotions or a certain opinions of of the people, so they manipulate statements for that specific purpose. When they do this can can get any reaction out of the public they want so in turn they spin these statements to their advantage.
Illogical statements will always be around and has come to the point where it is natural to come accrose such statement. Some of Bowtie Professor’s points are funny but true. One may say something and that person knows what they are talking about, but there may be others that interprit something else. I think it goes the same way with dirty minded people and others that pull jokes about what people say such as the Professor did so with the “rush hour traffic” statement.
I believe and agree fully with these “illogical statements”. But people are not ever just going to sit down and think beyond these statements. But it would be a good idea if they did because, for example a parent should never tell a child they can do whatever they want and be whoever they want, when they do they have standards to meet and expectations from society. Always speak the truth and explained what someone can do, and what someone has the capacity to do with the talents and looks they were blessed with.
These illogical statements and reactions are true. But then someone could say they are only true depending on whose eyes you are looking at the situation from. The reaction that you have when something is being said could be totally different from another persons when they hear the statement. Like when you say rush hour it may be a situation that is slow but they may call it that because even though it is moving slow people that are in the traffic are rushing home or rushing somewhere at the same time otherwise there wouldn’t be traffic. The death of Mary Jane is shocking because people don’t know when someone is going to die period. So every death is shocking because there is no human being that knows the time to die thats set for you.
After reading all your illogical statements you got me thinking. Therefore; i read them again. You make sense but not everybody looks at them that way. Me my self, when it comes to women maturing quicker than men i believe is partially correct. Im not saying its a fact but in most cases women do mature quicker, id say about 80%. When it comes to modeling a girl that weights more than 115 pounds can loose weight. In other words, i don’t beleive all but some of these statements are actually illogical.
GOVT 2302 TR 11am-12:20
It is funny how such illogical statement become accept saying. Almost anything, no matter how crazy it sounds, repeated enough times sounds like the norm. This process is now accelerated with viral youtube video, 24/7 news, twitter, facebook, ect. Something can go from illogical and unacceptable to the norm almost over night without anyone taking the time to question its validity. As for the warm words spoken over those that pass, I think that in our humanity we will never get past trying to make ones life seem almost perfect once they die, in respect.
All I can do is laugh after reading this article because it is definitely true. People say stupid, illogical statements ALL THE TIME without thinking. Like Jesus said the “THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK” phrase comes to mind. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to say that to either family members or friends. However, EVERYONE should say that they’ve been guilty of expressing illogical statements at one point in time. Sometimes, things like that just happen-it’s apart of being a human being. The funny thing about it though is that you may poke fun at your family and friends when they do it, but when the jokes on you, you feel retarded/dumb. A person may just laugh it off or either get very angry because now the jokes on them lol. Some things in life are meant to be taken very seriously, while other things are meant to be out of humor - all depending on what the topic/situation it’s being discussed over.