Accusations carry more rhetorical force in disputes than denials do
Evidence
It is in the nature of disputes that a forceful accusation by an injured party often has more rhetorical power than a denial. Partly for that reason the opening statements—the denials, as it were—made on behalf of W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods struck many observers in the gallery as anticlimactic. — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 1709
Categorization
- SEED: A piece on the asymmetry of accusation and denial — why ‘you killed my children’ cannot be answered, and what that means for defamation law, politics, and personal feuds.
- CANDY: Neat elevator line: in any fight, the accuser gets to frame reality and the denier just gets to say ‘no.’
- XREF: connects to: Accusing opponents of ‘sympathy’ is a rhetorical tool for redirecting debate — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media: Race…, 876; Accusations of suppressed evidence provoke fury in the accused rather than contrition — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action , 2931; Justifiers abandon one rationale for another when accusations strain credibility — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 2240 (+11 more)
Broader Connections
- Accusing opponents of ‘sympathy’ is a rhetorical tool for redirecting debate
#corroborates(0.91) — Evelyn Alsultany, Arabs and Muslims in the Media, 876 - Accusations of suppressed evidence provoke fury in the accused rather than contrition
#corroborates(0.91) — , Harr Jonathan - A Civil Action, 2931 - Justifiers abandon one rationale for another when accusations strain credibility
#corroborates(0.91) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2240 - Repeated false accusation can generate belief through sheer illocutionary force
#corroborates(0.91) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1466 - Conflict rhetoric attributes barbarities to foes so that the persuaded are not self-deceived
#corroborates(0.89) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 708 - Accusing rivals of conspiracy can itself be a defensive projection against real conspiracy exposure
#corroborates(0.85) — Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 111 - Challenging consensus triggers dismissal of the arguer rather than the argument
#qualifies(0.85) — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 2389 - Mutual accusations of folly can leave both parties equally unconvinced
#corroborates(0.82) — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 1350 - Denying confrontation can itself be a deliberate strategic displacement of an argument’s horizon
#contradicts(0.76) — Catherine Malabou, The Future of Hegel, 80 - Weight of rhetoric reveals an argument’s true allegiance.
#complicates(0.75) — Hamid Dabashi, Brown Skin, White Masks, 287 - Deceptive judicial rhetoric does not refute explanations of behavior
#corroborates(0.75) — Richard A. Posner, What Has Pragmatism to Offer Law?, 120 - Outgroup accusations often reveal the accuser’s own repressed faults
#corroborates(0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2345 - Unfathomable accusations delight by disorienting their targets
#corroborates(0.75) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 94 - Confrontation with contrary evidence can intensify rather than weaken firm belief.
#corroborates(0.74) — Philip Mirowski, Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste, 97