Hi there, internet commenter.
You've been sent a link to this video
because someone is concerned that you might not
be arguing your case to your utmost ability.
They're concerned you might have used a fallacy
to make an important point, thus defeating your own claim.
The fallacy they're concerned you might have used
is the black and white fallacy.
A black and white fallacy is where
you present limited choices as the only choices when, in fact,
additional options do exist.
MAN: It's time to choose.
Sometimes called the false dichotomy or false dilemma,
the black and white fallacy is a really easy way
of eradicating complexity and nuance.
The most common black and white fallacy
is the old saying either you're for us or against us--
when, in fact, it's highly likely one might find arguments
on either side of a position appealing,
and therefore, occupy some previously unannounced space
on a continuum between the two positions.
Much of governmental and gender politics, for example,
operate on a very widely spread adoption
of a black and white fallacy.
Sometimes, the black and white fallacy
presents a dichotomy between two things that are not actually
opposites or mutually exclusive.
No continuum exists between those two things,
because they are not related to each other in the way
that the black and white fallacy presents them to be.
For example, it would be nice to have
more well-written, playable female characters
in video games.
If you want more playable female characters,
that means you must want fewer male characters,
and those are the ones that I like the most.
Are you trying to ruin games?
In this situation, Straw Mike's black and white fallacy
is that in games, either specifically
or generally, there can only be male or female characters.
Having more of one automatically means that there
is less of the other.
That is not the case.
More of something is not always automatically less
of its opposite, and so this dichotomy is false.
The black and white fallacy presents nuanced arguments
as being, well, black and white, and it presents only extremes
as being available for further discussion, even when that's
not the case.
What are you doing?
Are you backing down from a challenge?
That's not like you.
I hope this description of the black and white fallacy
has been helpful.
Happy conversing.