> Yes, these political ideologies are "bad" (I'm not naming any here, fill in your own blank), but every idea, no matter how awful you find it, deserves a voice and public judgement.
Even pedophilia advocacy and Holocaust denial?
Even pedophilia advocacy and Holocaust denial?
"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith. "
"A straw man is a form of argument and an informal fallacy based on giving the impression of refuting an opponent's argument, while actually refuting an argument that was not presented by that opponent. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".
If a topic is not discussed in public space enough, its counterpoints and refute arguments become less and less obvious and visible, which leads to people colliding with it for the first time not being mentally equipped to muster rational arguments against it out of their own brain due to not being mentally equipped or mature enough. Not everyone can recreate a hundreds of years of mental and cultural progress on the spot without any external references and talking points readily available.
So if you know nothing about holocaust and encounter a convincing-looking argument that it's a hoax, it's very easy to adhere to this idea and move on with your life thinking it's the truth, especially if you don't see any moral issues with it.
Tabooing controversial topics creates an ideological vacuum that is very easily gets filled with garbage. Especially if the the only actors willing to break the taboo are those who have questionable motives and pushing some sort of angle.