A Fallacy by Personal Responsibility Types

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I have noticed fallacious reasoning used by conservative and personal responsibility types. First, take a look at this video by Amiri King. https://www.facebook.com/TheRealAmiriKi ... 777716089/ He went to prison, was able to turn his life around, and became a millionaire.

Let's look at another example of a commentator named Dextor Pitts. Here is what he says. He says and I quote "As a successful black man, I absolutely agree...before I go any further, let me give the black people who hate me and view me as a coon or Uncle Tom for not siding with them because I am an independent, free thinker a moment to vent (insert insult here) https://www.facebook.com/TheRealAmiriKi ... 22R3%22%7D

As I have gotten older and found my own path I find myself at odds with a majority of the black community over our differing views. You speak the truth, Amri. Racism does exist. White privilege does exist to a certain degree for some people, but so do many other types of privilege.

Hell, I think black privilege has become big. Despite these things existing, they are not a determining factor in one's success. People use them as a crutch to lean on because they are lazy. If we can put a black man in the White House twice, why can't you or anyone else be successful?"

They both use the exact same fallacy. Here is what they do. They take characteristics of a small sample space and apply it across the universal whole. What they say is that they have achieved success you should be able to do it to. This is called the fallacy of composition. http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacie ... ition.html

They generalize a certain group's abilities based upon one person (namely themselves) without sufficient evidence for justification. They use themselves as testimonials to represent the whole. For Amiri King, the group is prisoners and for Dextor Pitts, the group is blacks. https://www.facebook.com/TheRealAmiriKi ... 777716089/

How do they know that anyone and everyone out of these two groups can succeed no matter what the circumstances are just because an individual small sample was able to truthfully succeed?

Let's present this a different way. Let's say I have an assorted mix of Jelly Beans. (20 Reds, 40 Blacks, 10 Whites, 5 Blues, 60 yellow) One of the blacks has a tinge of yellow on it. Does this mean that all 40 Black Jelly beans is going to have that tinge of yellow. Under Mr. King and Mr. Pitts' reasoning all black jelly beans will have this tinge of yellow. This is a weak argument that uses a small sample to represent the whole.

Another question I have is, what is the norm and what is the exception to the norm. Those who are exceptions to the norm may not realize that they're exceptions to the norm. Temple Grandin is an exception to the general rule that Autistics can't get and keep jobs. It is said that 88% of those like myself can't get or keep jobs which is the overwhelming majority so therefore it is the rule. Grandin falls into exception. If person B is an exception to something then it doesn't necessarily hold water to claim that just because person B says they can do something that person A and Persons C through Z can do it as well even though things can change.

You're right,
People who are gifted at making money tend to mistakenly assume others are just as capable.

Two people could enter the same field, such as acting,investing, owning a business and have totally different outcomes.

You could own a restaurant for example and then go into huge debt and foreclosure.

You have to be selective about whichever business you want to go into and do lots and lots of research into all the factors and really apply yourself. It's not for everyone.
I know of a restaurant in an excellent location that has had four owners in three years, none of which knew WTF they were doing and none of them have lasted long because of it. Right across the street from that one was another restaurant. I say was because they had to move to a bigger building. Business was that good and the new place, about 3 times bigger, is still crowded. The owners have all of their ducks in a row (figure of speech) and that's why they are successful.

Last edited by Raptor on 06 Feb 2016, 5:06 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Raptor my friend ya got it. You are the next contestant on the price is right.

Not everyone can be rich or successful. I don't mean 'not everyone has what it takes to be rich', but that being rich or business-world succesful is something that, by definition, is not open to everyone.

A radio comedy sketch, imagining an interview between broadcaster Patsy Straightwoman and World Champion Sprint Tricyclist, Benjie Arnborough:




PS: But seriously, you must realise your story is inspirational?
BA: Yeah but seriously, why?
PS: Because it shows with determination and hard work anyone can be a world champion.
BA: What? No! No, that's not what my story shows at all. Wow, you really haven't understood my story. No, my story shows that with determination and hard work, I can become world champion. I mean, that's it. That's what I've spent my whole life proving.
PS: But the message applies to anyone.
BA: No! No - the message literally only applies to me. That's the whole point of making it a race. Do you think the people I beat didn't work hard? They really did - I saw them. And their story shows that with determination and hard work, you can come second. Or eigth. Or not qualify. Or not even be selected. And there are loads and loads of people with that story, and only me with mine. Mine is a statistical anomaly - you should discount it.

Lol that's true
Athletics ,art and business are extremely risky career paths

A little off topic, but having been in the restaurant business a few years now, I have to say, I've never seen an industry with more unqualified people that have no business being there, especially owners. I think people have this romantic idea of what owning a restaurant is going to be like, like they're just going to be able to cook leisurely and hang out with their friends at their own place, when it's really one of the toughest industries out there requiring the most discipline and the most talent. You always see these guys that had successful careers in other fields plowing all their money into a restaurant or bar and just blowing it, but never the other way around; ever heard of a guy working restaurants for years before pursuing his dreams of being a plumber?