Going to war with other nations is NOT analogous to being in a school yard fight.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

Senator Menendez tried to use his anecdote about a schoolyard bully to make his case for strikes against Syria.

Anyone who relies on these anecdotes, which are not analogous to going to war with another nation in size, character, scope, or substance, is a moron.

[redgreenandblue]

1. By extension, anyone who invokes grand historical mythology is also a moron.

"We need to go to war because Hitler, the Founding Fathers and 300 Spartans!!11"

(on edit: none of these things are "mythology" per se, but the narratives usually are.)

[Fantastic Anarchist]

2. I understand what you mean.

While important to look at history and derive its lessons thereof, I do agree when it's used frivolously and the point made is tenuous at best.

[redgreenandblue]

6. My observation is that the analogies are indeed usually tenuous at best, by design.

They are not meant to be accurate. They are designed to stimulate the ideas of mythological heroism that were instilled in people in their childhood.

Might as well say "we need to go to war to save the Ewoks from Darth Vader" or "it will be like when He-Man defeated Skeletor". Would serve the same purpose.

[GeorgeGist]

3. It's appealing to Teabaggers

[Fantastic Anarchist]

4. I.E. Morons

[cali]

5. That was infuriating and embarrassing

asshole talking down to people.

[tkmorris]

7. You failed to make your case

In fact you didn't even attempt to do so. You just stated an opinion and offered nothing whatever to support it. If you wish to convince anyone you have to say WHY the two circumstances are not analogous. Furthermore, declaring that anyone who doesn't share your opinion is a moron, is itself moronic. Especially when your argument left out critical elements necessary to make a compelling argument.

[Ed Suspicious]

11. I was once in a school-yard fight. No children lost their lives, limbs, or family in that

altercation. My opponent's critical infrastructure for transportation, food distribution, and medical care remained unaffected even after the tussle.

The analogy between war and a school yard anything is moronic, juvenile, and beneath the thinking folks at D.U.

[Quantess]

12. The two situations are NOT analagous.

Evidence is necessary to show they are comparable situations, not the other way around.
The person making the analogy needs to convine the rest of us that it isn't just abstraction, prevarication.

Otherwise it gets reduced to silliness, such as:
Sometimes the bus is late but there'll be 2 at the same time pretty soon, just you wait.
I just told you that a new romance = a bus
Really, you really demand that I disprove a new romance = a bus? How stupid would that be?

[caseymoz]

13. Sometimes simple declaration is okay.

Why is one not analogous of the other? How many seconds do you need to think of reasons?

For the schoolyard bully, mass casualties aren't an issue.
For the schoolyard bully, motivations of self-defense are quite simple.
For the schoolyard bully, to compare to a nations, it's like the bully has just bullied himself, and a bigger bully (the US) is intervening to punish him.
For the schoolyard bully, there's not a danger of escalation and vendettas over generations, affecting the lives of millions of people.
For the schoolyard bully.

That's only what I could think of in a few minutes. Really, do you need this one argued? The two are so extremely unalike that analogies between them can't be very close, and neither can applicable moral equivalencies be drawn.

Sometimes a post is just a declaration asking that people who agree say so and give their arguments. It's okay from the simple fact that always making such arguments is like having to reinvent the wheel every time you want to drive a car.

And that's a better analogy than the school yard bully comparison.

[marmar]

16. So, you're saying you have to offer PROOF that war isn't like a schoolyard fight?

Dios mio !!!!!

[Fantastic Anarchist]

17. The conclusion is self-evident.

It really didn't require further explanation as to why a schoolyard bully and going to war with another nation is not analogous.

I don't have to explain why the sun creates warmth, do I?

[malaise]

8. True but isn't the real question who is the schoolyard bully

Sad to say but the US is out of control. This planet needs more than one superpower.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

18. Yes, the US is out of control.

Definitely agreed.

[bullwinkle428]

9. Lawrence O'Donnell ripped Menendez a new one for using that

schoolyard bully analogy.

[Quantess]

10. Politicians LOVE poorly fitting analogies

Some preachers love them, too.

A poorly fitting analogy is often used as euphemism, such as in this case.

[Cryptoad]

14. WE are not declaring war on Syria

we are going to deliver retribution for the use of WMD's

[Bluenorthwest]

15. To bomb them is an act of war. We have no legal standing to dole out 'retribution'.

What you are typing is vapid hyperbolic nonsense.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

19. Logic is not his/her forte. nt

[Cryptoad]

20. Nah

"act of war" does not equate to "Declaration of War"

and using WMD's on his own people gives us legal standing to deliver some retribution!

[Fantastic Anarchist]

23. Um, other nations don't care if our Congress declares war.

Applying international law, if a nation invades or bombs another nation, it is termed a casus belli which translates into "incident of war." Logic is really not your strong suit, eh?

But let's give 'em some good old 'Murican retribution!

Why don't you just go have a beer with George Dubya?

[Cryptoad]

24. Becasue you disagree with my post

is not call for your personal attacks.

btw ,,,you still did not show that an act of War (incident of War) is a declaration of war.

you can't because they two very different things.

,,,and I have never voted anything but democratic

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. Be sure to write to Jon Stewart and tell him he is a moron.

Because that is the exact analogy he made last night.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

22. I expected better from Jon Stewart ...

... but maybe I shouldn't have when he tried to compare the Left and the Right in terms of why this nation is cycling the drain.

Meh, I'll leave him to his opinion - I still like the guy, but he hedges his bets a little too much for my liking.