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Chapter 5. “You want me to be wrong”

Expert ethos , (de-)legitimation, and ethotic straw men as discursive resources for conspiracy theories
  • Thierry Herman und Steve Oswald
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Conspiracy Theory Discourses
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch Conspiracy Theory Discourses

Abstract

This chapter discusses features of conspiratorial discourse related to the representation of social actors through the lens of rhetorical and argumentative analysis. Specifically, it identifies a previously undocumented variant of the straw man fallacy (a misrepresentation of an opponent’s position meant to refute it more easily), namely the ethotic straw man, which unscrupulous arguers can use to legitimate their own credibility and undermine their opponents’, thereby evading scientific discussion of relevant issues. A TV-interview with French virologist Didier Raoult, who championed hydroxychloroquine-based treatments in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, is taken as a case in point to explain why such quasi-populistic discourse, prominently centred on questions of ethos, fits conspiratorial narratives so well.

Abstract

This chapter discusses features of conspiratorial discourse related to the representation of social actors through the lens of rhetorical and argumentative analysis. Specifically, it identifies a previously undocumented variant of the straw man fallacy (a misrepresentation of an opponent’s position meant to refute it more easily), namely the ethotic straw man, which unscrupulous arguers can use to legitimate their own credibility and undermine their opponents’, thereby evading scientific discussion of relevant issues. A TV-interview with French virologist Didier Raoult, who championed hydroxychloroquine-based treatments in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, is taken as a case in point to explain why such quasi-populistic discourse, prominently centred on questions of ethos, fits conspiratorial narratives so well.

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Chapter 1. Conspiracy theory discourses 1
  5. Part I. Conspiracy theories
  6. Chapter 2. A corpus-driven exploration of conspiracy theorising as a discourse type 25
  7. Chapter 3. Is my mobile phone listening to me? 49
  8. Chapter 4. “Go ahead and ‘debunk’ truth by calling it a conspiracy theory” 71
  9. Chapter 5. “You want me to be wrong” 99
  10. Chapter 6. Fake conspiracy 121
  11. Part II. Conspiracy theory-related communicative phenomena
  12. Chapter 7. Exploring the echo chamber concept 143
  13. Chapter 8. “If you can’t see the pattern here, there’s something wrong” 169
  14. Chapter 9. Complementary concepts of disinformation 193
  15. Chapter 10. COVID-19 conspiracy theories as affective discourse 215
  16. Part III. Social media and conspiracy theories
  17. Chapter 11. The ID2020 conspiracy theory in YouTube video comments during COVID-19 241
  18. Chapter 12. #conspiracymemes 267
  19. Chapter 13. The New World Order on Twitter 295
  20. Part IV. Stancetaking and (de-)legitimation within conspiracy and anti-conspiracy discourses
  21. Chapter 14. Expressing stance towards COVID-19 conspiracy theories in Macedonian online forum discussions 319
  22. Chapter 15. Ideologies and the representation of identities in anti-vaccination conspiracy theories 343
  23. Chapter 16. Collective identities in the online self-representation of conspiracy theorists 365
  24. Part V. Political and international dimensions of conspiracy theories
  25. Chapter 17. Anti-Sorosism 395
  26. Chapter 18. “These cameras won’t show the crowds” 421
  27. Chapter 19. From strategic depiction of conspiracies to conspiracy theories 443
  28. Chapter 20. “Gender ideology” and the discursive infrastructure of a transnational conspiracy theory 465
  29. Epilogue. Beyond discourse theory in the conspiratorial mode? 489
  30. Notes on contributors 495
  31. Index 505
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.98.05her

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Acknowledgements ix
  4. Chapter 1. Conspiracy theory discourses 1
  5. Part I. Conspiracy theories
  6. Chapter 2. A corpus-driven exploration of conspiracy theorising as a discourse type 25
  7. Chapter 3. Is my mobile phone listening to me? 49
  8. Chapter 4. “Go ahead and ‘debunk’ truth by calling it a conspiracy theory” 71
  9. Chapter 5. “You want me to be wrong” 99
  10. Chapter 6. Fake conspiracy 121
  11. Part II. Conspiracy theory-related communicative phenomena
  12. Chapter 7. Exploring the echo chamber concept 143
  13. Chapter 8. “If you can’t see the pattern here, there’s something wrong” 169
  14. Chapter 9. Complementary concepts of disinformation 193
  15. Chapter 10. COVID-19 conspiracy theories as affective discourse 215
  16. Part III. Social media and conspiracy theories
  17. Chapter 11. The ID2020 conspiracy theory in YouTube video comments during COVID-19 241
  18. Chapter 12. #conspiracymemes 267
  19. Chapter 13. The New World Order on Twitter 295
  20. Part IV. Stancetaking and (de-)legitimation within conspiracy and anti-conspiracy discourses
  21. Chapter 14. Expressing stance towards COVID-19 conspiracy theories in Macedonian online forum discussions 319
  22. Chapter 15. Ideologies and the representation of identities in anti-vaccination conspiracy theories 343
  23. Chapter 16. Collective identities in the online self-representation of conspiracy theorists 365
  24. Part V. Political and international dimensions of conspiracy theories
  25. Chapter 17. Anti-Sorosism 395
  26. Chapter 18. “These cameras won’t show the crowds” 421
  27. Chapter 19. From strategic depiction of conspiracies to conspiracy theories 443
  28. Chapter 20. “Gender ideology” and the discursive infrastructure of a transnational conspiracy theory 465
  29. Epilogue. Beyond discourse theory in the conspiratorial mode? 489
  30. Notes on contributors 495
  31. Index 505
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Heruntergeladen am 24.9.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1075/dapsac.98.05her/html
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