SMBC Theater - Ad Hominem

[SmashJazzBlammyMataz]

I hate zebras..



[GrayStudios]

Shoot a wooden door.

Create a metal bullet hole.

[Exarian]

the problim is, he WASN'T using an ad homenim fallacy. it is not exactly just insulting an opponent. to say "you are an idiot" is not an ad homenim fallacy. "you are an idiot, and that is why you are wrong" is.

what's more, claiming someone is wrong entirely just because of an ad homenim attack, or a mistaken one, is just as much a fallacy as an ad homenim.

[Crazyivan777]

I don't like zebras! I don't like zebras!

[Omni315]

Get a top comment on an smbc video by saying something vaguely related to the video followed by "touch him on the penis", and then touch him on the penis

[Jetz72]

I can't believe I just got the visual pun: attacking the person instead of their argument.

[Rawffuls]

0:54: that looks like an Orion XT8 telescope. /astrogeek

[timeel39]

...where the hell are they? "Office Hours" on a chalkboard...then a radiation hazard sign...then another chalkboard...then a kitchen?

[VoidKeeper]

You know why your gun jammed? cause you kept pulling the damn charging lever on a AUTOMATIC RIFLE!... even in single shot mode you don't have to do that...

[runemaster123654]

@VoidKeeper because the leader of a debate team is going to know that?

[VoidKeeper]

@runemaster123654 I dunno, doesn't anyone over at SMBC play video games at least =X

[nybbThering]

To all the posters asking "why is she recocking the rifle?", its perfectly plausible. If you look at the rifle as she shoots it, the parts don't move to recock the rifle. This means that the gas parts (which recock the rifle) are disengaged. I know that thats completely possible to do on an SA80, and while i'm not familiar with the gun she uses, i'm sure its the same. In that case, she needs to recock the rifle after each shot - it's effectively become a non automatic gun

[scythian0528]

@nybbThering It seems to be an AK 47 variant, which I have fired several of, because of the magazine feed. I think the writers lacked experience with guns which is a simpler explanation than a broken gas system.

[Lionel4482]

she turns me on

[McNoah94]

Dumb bitch. Cocking it again would expel a bullet and put another in the chamber.

[LukeMillerIsAwesome]

I have that knife!

[RuskePerson]

It isn't an ad hominem just because it's insulting. In order to be an ad hominem, it has to be used as an attempt to undermine the argument by attacking the opponent. If it's true, and relevant to the debate, than it's not an ad hominem.

[VeohXni]

Ad hominem is Latin for "to the man". As explained by blasphemychannel7, it is a personal attack made towards a person (called an abusive ad hominem) by linking something that is wrong with their physical or mental being to the original argument or idea. blasphemychannel7 used a perfect example.

[phattyguy]

Dem gates.

[Moondras]

She has a horrible shot!

[bigwhiteyeti]

The AK's safety was on the whole time. Just thought I should mention that.

[Blarger222]

Has anyone noticed that the gun at 2:01 is the one from Half Life 2?

[tannedNgreen]

Is calling someone a hypocrite necessarily an ad hominem claim? If you can prove that the person is contradicting themselves, and in fact has made sound arguments in favor of what they are currently arguing against, that can prove a logical flaw.

[MadeOfCATS]

@tannedNgreen However, if their argument is still valid and logic in and of itself then it's still viable, as an ad hominem doesn't actually changed the argument.

[ultravioletj]

@tannedNgreen calling someone a hypocrite is; calling their argument hypocritical and showing it contradicts itself isn't ad hominem.

[avielMenter]

@ultravioletj Nope! Calling somebody a hypocrite means that their actions are contrary to their argument, which is irrelevant.

[wickersham]

i have that knife

[CR4TES]

I much prefer the "Ad Feminam"; i.e. "You're a bitch so get back in the kitchen and WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU A PAIR OF SHOES?!"

[VannahWilson]

What the hell is the diagram underneath the writing on her chalkboard in the office? O.o And where the hell ARE they that there's a KITCHEN?

And…what the hell does the chalkboard in the hall say? Something like:

-module (my_times)

-export ([send … /2, sleep/)

send_ …

Hmm. Pseudo-math? I wish they'd be like Cyanide & Happiness and always have background writing be a funny Easter egg, like "Rob voted for Hitler". XD

[VannahWilson]

LOL DO YOU LIKE ZEBRAS YES BANG

[crow2crow]

OH MY GOD ITS LIKE COLLEGE FORENSICS ALL OVER AGAIN THANKS GUYS

[Xialoh]

unexpected ending, but I lol'd.

[ibasicallytotalyrule]

Why did she cock it so many times ???

Even in video games you will see you only need to do that after reloading...

[VannahWilson]

@ibasicallytotalyrule Because they weren't giving a lesson on weapons use?

[ibasicallytotalyrule]

@VannahWilson

holy fuck you're smart!

[VannahWilson]

@ibasicallytotalyrule I...okay? XD Was that sarcasm? Oh well, still funny. And I still feel inclined to take it as a compliment. XD

And also, who says video games are an accurate portrayal of weapons use? I mean, c'mon, they're video games. XD I'm not saying you're wrong, but that's not exactly what most people would call a "reliable source". XD Imagine some guy giving a seminar, "For a lesson on proper weapons use, please refer to this video game..." XD Ahh, I amuse myself...

[kcbnac]

@ibasicallytotalyrule Agreed! She didn't empty a magazine after each shot...so unless she was putting 30-round magazines with 1 round in them into her AK...AAAAAAGGGHHHH!

[BTCBRIN]

@kcbnac I could have lived with it had there been something that looked like a suppressor on the rifle; Suppressor + subsonic ammo in a rifle not tuned for such generally will not cycle.

[Vodnik70]

"If violence is unethical, then how can it be justified in any context?"

That's begging the question/circular logic. Whether violence can ever be ethically justified is precisely the question under discussion, and it is illegitimate to demand the opponent concede as a premise what is actually the proponent's conclusion.

[ronnyboy1988]

Finally a video that represents college professors!

[squidsquidsquid32]

Good point. NOW DIE.

[h8uall66]

Calling someone a "crazy bitch" is not an ad hominem unless it is used as a premise for an argument.

[hbregalad]

First SMBC to ever make me laugh. Thanks.

[TheMoaBird]

Only a woman could miss at that range.

[Basketno707]

Everytime she cocks her AK, I die a little on the inside.

[stealthydude50]

@Basketno707 agreed

[VenomFro]

@Basketno707 it's obviously subsonic ammunition.

[Sylar03]

I have a knife just like the one she threw at him.

[Gunman84]

Jeeze, take the safety off your AK. Sheesh.

[PaeP3nguin]

Why does the gun only have like a 5 clip mag? Definitely looks big enough for at least 30 rounds. And he sucks at shooting...

[derpherpala]

I really wish you would stop racking that fucking slide

the only guns that need the slide racked like that are airshit. If you're using airshit, why not just photoshop in a bullet?

[guibin]

@derpherpala

Red Herring!

[jbrandonf]

I promise from now on I will say "Citation needed" before shooting people from now on. That's some bad ass shit.

[Leadman1989]

i feel smart because i knew what the fallacies were before they said what they were

*gives self-hug*

[Naturality]

Why does their education facility have a lounge and a kitchen?

Also, 0:54 = Dobsonian win.

[rickrussell]

CITATION NEEDED!

[part2themovie]

ITT

[polymphus]

Logical Phallusy: make a poor argument, then touch him on the penis.

[kilmindaro3]

@polymphus

brb, discussing things with preschool kids

[lief1250]

@polymphus just like prom 

[Mekose]

@polymphus I C wut u did thar! "Phallusy"... lol

[astrotoadp6]

@polymphus after his non sequitur.

[GraeHall]

@polymphus FUCK. FUCK. FUUUUUUCK.

That's the best "god damnit why didn't I write that, I feel so inferior, but god damnit it's so fuckin' good that I can't stop giggling and am impressed with you... SO MANY FEELINGS, TWO WHOLE ONES. AT ONCE. HOW DO I RETURN TO MY USUAL PASSIVE AGREESIVE ANAHEDONIA?"

"I guess that joke makes sense if you watch a lot of SMBC, to the majority of people though it might just come off too 'in-joke' smug. It's funny to a few people though".

And I'm back - close call

[SpiroHrvoje1989]

Never mind her continuous racking of the gun, how the hell is it firing with the safety on?!

[N3THER]

Too many people here concerned with the trivial accuracy of the gun.

[46ryfhvn57tugjbm]

wow that wsa really violent. but it made senes!

[brudswick]

non sequator , great work in at the end there. makes me wish I took debate.

[BlasphemyChannel]

Insults aren't ad hominems by themselves, they'd only be one if you said something like "you're a bitch and that's why you're wrong"

[lexo30]

@BlasphemyChannel Or "You're wrong because you're a bitch", which might be even more of an ad hominem.

[psykulor]

@BlasphemyChannel True, but an insult within the structured confines of the platform of debate implies a judgment of the insulted party's validity of position. Besides, your username is stupid.

[CarbonatedCube]

@BlasphemyChannel Or if they strongly imply it by context, but yes, you are correct.

[VannahWilson]

@BlasphemyChannel EXACTLY. THANK YOU.

[mrdaym]

@BlasphemyChannel So you actually need to use a personal attack as the basis of refuting someone before it can be considered an ad hominem?

So what if someone claims that healthcare for all is a good idea and you say that they only say it because they're drooling rednecks? Would that count as purely an insult or an ad hominem? Because shit I'm getting confused.

[pirofeg]

@mrdaym While I'm not exactly familiar with this subject, it seems like that if you attempt to substantiate your argument with the insult to the other person, then it would become ad hominem; like your example, it would be ad hominem because it uses "drooling rednecks" as your defense of why the other person would say that. On the other hand, if you simply called them "drooling rednecks," then it would be an insult.

However, I cannot say for sure without actually looking it up.

[lynth]

@BlasphemyChannel

Exactly. The misconception that it's a fallacy to insult (=criticize) someone is absolutely ridiculous.

Calling someone a hypocrite can very well be justified. It can be very important to a debate and say a lot about their argument, there obviously is a conflict in their personal understanding of the subject matter. Such statements become a fallacy only if you conclude something from them that is non sequitur. BlasphemyChannel already elaborated on the difference.

[boxofsoap]

if you are even mentioning zebras then you must be a communist

[UsefulThinking]

Yay for shooting fallacious debaters! :D

[Dopplershift]

I've had a great idea for a twist ending to a sketch: you do the whole 2 - 3 minute bit leading up to it, blah blah blah whatever, then at the end you DON'T kill the guy+cut to black. bazinga.

[MikeLitoroius]

if u quote Wikipedia you might be making a false statement making your premise wrong therefore i like cookies

[lifeindayglo]

arguably my favorite SMBC-Theater ever. not only funny, but truly witty and more than a little nerdy. sorry "Gateway Drug," you've been replaced.

[Nicoon]

To quote Wikipedia:

"Gratuitous verbal abuse or "name-calling" itself is not an argumentum ad hominem or a logical fallacy.[5][6][7][8][9]"

[Sephychu]

@Nicoon Furthermore, I'm pretty sure answering a yes or no question with a yes isn't a non-sequitur. Regardless, hilarious.

[sarrk]

Disliked for AND gates without outputs.

[kingmikeofthenorth]

@sarrk yay for logic gates in a logical fallacy themed video!

[NickStedmon]

Why was an AK bolt-action?

[O8SERVER]

Why the hell is she racking the action after every shot?

It's a semi-auto AK, not a bolt action rifle!

/that guy

[Brettcat38]

This is much better than other more recent ones.

[ScottyGrayskull]

She's a terrible shot. :P

[titaniummon]

The gun was a prop and arguing over it ruins the joke.

[linkgenesis]

@titaniummon poor set-up = bad joke.

[linkgenesis]

so she's committing an ad hominem as well, by literally attacking him? I see what you did there.

[muserocker05]

Why is does every SMBC video end with someone dying in a giant spray of blood?

[mountainmage]

@muserocker05 Yes, why is does that indeed?

[TheInquisitiveMug]

You bought Gerber knife. Good choice.

[bensavoca]

I'll give it a thumbs up for the sexy Cinelli track bike at 1:07

[rlewie18]

@bensavoca loving that bike!

[Mattmoo36]

This video is above my IQ, i miss the simple jokes xD

[idwellinapathy]

Lecture him about logical fallacies, touch him on the penis.

[hiddenrains]

New favorite SMBC video. Fantastic.

[Lunchbox7]

Still, I liked this video. It was hilarious.

[imbakinda]

why does she need to reload each time on a fully automatic gun?

[SuperMutie]

@imbakinda

The more important question is why is she trying to work the bolt with the safety on? Also shooting with the safety on is a no-no.

[YamiAura]

Considering the shitstorm in the credits, I'm just going to assume they intentionally got the gun facts wrong to fuck with you guys.

[KevinADCarter]

I like Zebras, too.

[TheLionside]

this was the only funny one they've done. i lol'd hard at the end.

[TheAnimeFalcon]

DO YOU LIKE ZEBRAS??

[obeyme3]

I think the ending goes over my head.

[LunarEntity]

Does the gun matter? Good grief...

[JGK150]

Yeah, the gun shots need to be more extreme. Frankly, if that gun is supposed to have any "killing power" for the sake of the skit/video, then it needs to simulate a real weapon. This is because I did not see an attached silencer in which would justify a silenced shot. It would be illogical to think we've weapons deadly enough that have built-in silencer chambers within the weapon's actual chamber connected to the round-chamber.

[TheBloodyloon]

You needed to up the sound of the guns by quite a bite. They weren't really... UMPHY enough.

[reNINTENDO]

Here's how they could have made people not so angry about the whole AK thing:

-Play an actual AK sound when firing. Doesn't seem like they play any sound for the gun.

-Don't cock it every time you shoot... Probably shouldn't have cocked it at all.

I know very little about guns, and I don't mind them using a fake one, but with a little common sense they could have made people care less that they were using a fake one.

[Totema1]

@reNINTENDO It's a firing pin. If it's on single-shot mode as opposed to three-round burst or full auto, you pull it back after every shot. You're right about the sound though, it sounds more like 9mm handgun or something similar.

[Lunchbox7]

@Totema1 No. The military version of an AK-type weapon has three modes, Safe, Auto and Semi. None of these modes requires the operator to work the bolt after every shot. Safe prevents the weapon from firing, Auto allows more than one round to be fired for each pull of the trigger-up to the capacity of the magazine, and Semi allows one round to be fired for each pull of the trigger.

The civilian version only offers Safe and Semi. Unless it's UK legal, which is completely different.

[EmitStop]

@Totema1 Actually thats incorrect. I'm assuming she's using semi auto here, in which case she would not need to pull back the bolt after every shot. (unless the gun jammed or something like that- in which case you would shell casing fly out when she did)

[dartsharp]

This is how all debates should be run.

[MrNDSteinbach]

@dartsharp Ad Hominem

[TheFantasticFordy]

Almost none of these were ad hominens.

[dolzaolcom]

@TheFantasticFordy You tell her that!

[Thorbie]

@TheFantasticFordy A likely story...coming from a racist!

[MrSergeantQuagmire]

0:39 Epic face.

[ShinyRust]

Hey, I have that knife

[Kaizuna]

Isn't trying to murder Jon for a poorly-constructed debate an ad hominem?

[DairunCates]

@Kaizuna No. It's fixing the problem.

[vamptor666]

"you should stop shooting at me!"

"citation needed!"

win

[SirTmTerry]

I roflmao this video

[Huihuihui3]

She plays a crazy person very well.

[KMallinson]

Calling hypocrisy isn't ad hominem, so long as the two inconsistent philosophies are in the purview of the same debate or discussion.

[Lilyonsan]

....I'm not feeling it guys....try again next time

[thedealer456]

Damn, at first I thought they used a real AK as a prop, then the repeated cocking showed it was an airsoft gun. PHAIL.

[werxx]

@thedealer456 Pretty sure you failed harder thinking a plastic ak47 was real. Real AK's are made completely of wood/steel, they're not m16s.

[thedealer456]

@werxx Ok, prepare for comment ass whipping. First off, I own an AK and an AR-15, so I know what they each look like. Secondly, not all AKs have wood furniture, and more and more nowadays they have black polymer furniture like an AR/M16. I said that I thought it was real because when they first show it, the muzzle is not orange and has a proper sized bore. Also, the bolt carrier is silver while the receiver is black, which is the case with many real AKs. That's why I said what I said.

[tehredmage]

@thedealer456 I thought that was an AN-94 (y'know the russian replacement to the AK). Then again, I know next to nothing about guns.

[thedealer456]

@tehredmage No, definitely just an airsoft or prop AK-47, it just has poly/plastic furniture and a quad rail handguard with a light stuck to it. Not the real deal at all.

[Afkamm]

Presidential debates would be so much more entertaining if they were like this. :D

[wowus123]

OMG ITS HASKELL!

[robot797]

worst ever

[DairunCates]

You ever notice how every single short is a sign of "SMBC Theater going downhill"? Did it ever just occur to you guys that there's going to be some shorts you don't find funny or just don't get?

Also, I find it hilarious that people are insinuating that the entire point of the video isn't funny because the creator doesn't understand AK-47s. It's almost like you're insulting the person instead of the point... What does this remind us of?

[kghp925]

@DairunCates

That we're stupid people?

[Occidon]

fake and gay

[LopezzT]

I'm a big fan, but honestly, this sucks, not funny at all. I agree with the ones saying that SMBC is going down the hill. And by the way, AK's are semi-automatic weapons, every person who ever played any FPS would know this. It doesn't take a gun geek to notice that. I can't believe you guys filmed this whole thing and there wasn't even one soul at the studio to notice that.

[fannymcslap]

Didn't realise AK's were bolt action.

[Elonyy]

@fannymcslap LOL

[KidneyPi]

@fannymcslap Every breech loading rifle has a bolt. You have to cycle it to chamber the first round. It cycles automatically on automatic rifles like the AK.

[ShoeDestruction]

Boy, what a slippery slope.

[johnmartins]

nah

[abikyoukan]

If only I could get away with using such tactics when explaining fallacies.

[phrozenfeonix]

Yeahhh... smbc theatres just keep going down hill. I agree with anenigma8624, the touch him on the penis was WAY better.

[Jourei91]

I thought this was an ad.

[ikibalam]

please, just stop trying.

[Draugo]

Best finish ever... Then touch him on the penis.

[UncleFesterius]

Yay for logic! My favorite logic fallacy is appeal to authority. Bill Clinton said it was the best logic fallacy, after all.

[videogamer810]

@UncleFesterius I see what you did there.

[gazbostuart]

@UncleFesterius Ha, well done friend.

[jtmcdole]

Is it just me or did anyone else cringe when she kept racking the gun? Its a semi-automatic!

[Lunchbox7]

@jtmcdole also, the safety was on. You are not alone!

[jtmcdole]

@Lunchbox7 I didn't even catch that, awesome!

[MegDellaa]

@jtmcdole oh wahhh....

[montydrei]

@jtmcdole

Well, it might explain why she ran out of bullets so quickly (notwithstanding the lack of visible cartridges being ejected).

[jerwahjwcc]

Best one yet.

[Elephantintheroom01]

Ad homonym is sometimes logically sound, especially if your diagnosing a mental illness. To assume that most debate opponents have perfectly functioning minds is ultimately destructive, and almost all debates end when they meet the limitations of one or both of the debaters.

Violence can be justified, not in the defence of the 'greater good' which is an appeal to popularity. But in terms of genetic relatedness and altruism.

[cabby007]

why is she recocking an automatic assault rifle after one shot, stupid women needs to learn how to use a gun

[Eldxale42]

Use a fallacious argument, touch him on the penis.

[Eldxale42]

@Eldxale42 Phallusy!

[sam51092]

Sounds like the ending was over a lot of people's heads... it was a non sequitur, people! A conclusion that didn't follow from what led up to it.

[Elephantintheroom01]

@sam51092

I was not taught Non sequitur probably because its as good as saying "it does not follow" which is as good as saying i don't understand how it follows. It is a barrier to diagnosing their other fallacies.