Bloviating

At Alas, a Blog, there's another frantic troll using the favorite, and most useless, tactic that anti-feminists use against feminists--assume that because we are women, we are dumb and easily cowed by showy demonstrations of intelligence.

What we learn from this comment is that this is just another BB where there are vastly different standards for insiders than outsiders. In the immediate instance we see that insiders are given far greater license in terms of language (i.e., what is considered insult). There is also plenty of evidence on this BB that anecdote that confirms the consensus is validated and anecdote that contradicts the consensus is dismissed or is the subject of condescension. In other words, this BB is typical.

What is it with conservatives and five dollar words? George Will does the same trick with his endless quoting, too. Do they really think that liberals are going to be so impressed that they won't notice the illogic at the center of their arguments? Or is it just that they are so impressed with five dollar words that they assume everyone else is?

I'm glad they do it, though, because it's the rare opportunity to reach into a lifetime's worth of reading waaaaay too much. Just wait for the arrogant conservative to misuse a big word or make an argument based on a history they only have a hazy grasp on and then it's time to beat them about the skull with the facts.