You Know Who Said That?: Difference between revisions

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Occasionally, the same thing is used in an opposite manner; to show that, just because an evil person agreed with it, doesn't mean it's wrong. Sometimes, the person doing the quoting is actually pointing out that the ''other'' person agrees with someone considered despicable, to illustrate the universality of the idea. After all, even [[Josef Stalin]] thought that walking upright was a pretty good idea. This is mainly used to show that the technique is rhetorical rather than logical. (''[[You Fail Logic Forever|Appeal to Authority]]'', if the authority isn't an expert in the field, or ''[[Hitler Ate Sugar|Reductio ad Hitlerum]]'' if Hitler himself is used for the shame job).

Played straight, this can be an elaborate biographical snapshot, where it's revealed that the subject is a historical figure (good or bad) whose [[Backstory|origin and backstory]] are [[Politically Correct History|often overlooked.]] These sort of anecdotes are often greatly entertaining, although be aware that the [[Unreliable Narrator|narrator]] may be [[Urban Legends|sensationalizing]] or [[Retcon|distorting]] the facts to justify his own theory of what this person actually believed. Other times, however, [[Reality Is Unrealistic|It's All True]].

Played straight, this can be an elaborate biographical snapshot, where it's revealed that the subject is a historical figure (good or bad) whose [[Backstory|origin and backstory]] are [[Politically-Correct History|often overlooked.]] These sort of anecdotes are often greatly entertaining, although be aware that the [[Unreliable Narrator|narrator]] may be [[Urban Legends|sensationalizing]] or [[Retcon|distorting]] the facts to justify his own theory of what this person actually believed. Other times, however, [[Reality Is Unrealistic|It's All True]].

There's also the little matter of the person missing the point - pointing out someone who approved or disapproved of a notion fails to explain why exactly that notion is a good one or a bad one. The implication is usually that the person being quoted knows what he or she is talking about. More often, though, it's an [[Appeal to Authority]] or an [[Association Fallacy]] and the person quoting them (or the author) is [[You Fail Logic Forever|failing at logic]].

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[[Category:Narrative Devices]]

[[Category:You Know Who Said That]]

[[Category:Trope]]