| Fallacy of begging the question
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Aren't we supposed to be able to show
how proud we are of the United States of America by lighting off fireworks on
the Fourth of July? Then why is it illegal except at Minnesota State
University Moorhead?
I grew up in Granada Hills, Calif.,
and every Fourth of July the block we lived on would buy fireworks and the
adults lit them off and all the kids got to have lit sparklers. Nobody was
hurt. After all the fireworks were lit, we had a big bonfire in the middle of
the alley.
Here in Fargo we aren't supposed to
light off anything – I don't know what the harm is – a lot of people do
anyway. It's really sad. We are supposed to be proud of the United States and
everything that we as a nation went through on Sept. 11, but we aren't allowed
to do anything to show how proud we are except watch at MSUM. What's wrong
with this picture?
Karen Beltran
Fargo |
Source: The Fargo Forum, Sunday, July 11, 2004,
page A20
Issue: Should fireworks be legal in our area?
Evaluation: In the third paragraph, Beltran tries
to get support for fireworks by saying "we aren't allowed to do
anything to show how proud we are except watch at MSUM. What's wrong
with this picture?" Her question assumes that something is
wrong with the situation. However, support for that idea is the false
claim that here in Fargo-Moorhead, we can only show patriotism by
watching MSUM's fireworks. But that is not plausible. You can do many
other things to show patriotism, such as putting up an American flag. Or
you can work at a booth registering new voters. Or you can just wear
red-white-and blue clothing. So her premise (we aren't allowed to do
anything but watch) is less plausible than her conclusion (we should be
allowed to shoot off fireworks).
Because of the fallacy, Beltran's argument is unsound.
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