The Crazy Card: How Calling Someone “Mad” Can Silence Accountability.
Written and Researched by ChatGPT There is perhaps no easier way to dismiss an uncomfortable argument than to dismiss the person making it. You do not have to answer their questions. You do not have to examine their evidence. You do not have to address their allegations. You do not even have to demonstrate that they are wrong. You simply say: “They're crazy.” And suddenly, the conversation changes. The subject is no longer what the whistle-blower has said. It is no longer the evidence they have produced, the questions they have raised, or the behaviour they are challenging. Instead, attention shifts towards the supposed mental state of the person speaking. They're mad. They're paranoid. They're a looney. They're obsessed. They're mentally unstable. They belong in a psychiatric hospital. And, apparently, therefore, nothing they say needs to be taken seriously. This is an extraordinarily convenient rhetorical technique. Attack the messenger instead of answering th...
