The Chickenhawk Fallacy
Charles Johnson
Thu Nov 13, 2003 at 8:30 pm PST • Views: 235
By coincidence, I happened across two excellent posts on the subject of “chickenhawks”—the insulting ad hominem flung at pro-defense people by the loony left.
1) Armed Liberal at Winds of Change: Chickenhawks And Other Interest Group Politics.
I had an “aha” moment about the chickenhawk debate this morning.
It wasn’t about the fact that it’s used as a slur, with the intent of shaming people into silencing debate (which I obviously think of as a bad thing). It was a moment in which the argument also illuminated what I have trouble supporting at the core of progressive values (and I’m not talking about self-righteousness).
Think of it in terms of a ‘community of interest groups,’ rather than ‘a community’ and find the parallel arguments:
* No one who could be and isn’t serving should speak out on Iraq;
* No one except women of child-bearing age should speak out on abortion;
* No one who isn’t poor should speak out on welfare;
* No one who isn’t in school should speak out on education;
* No one who isn’t (I can’t decide on this one between ‘a criminal’ and ‘a victim of crime’) should speak out on criminal justice.
2) Tom McMahon’s Guide to Name Calling on Military Issues.
| Type of Chicken | Stance on War | Definition |
| Chicken Hawk | For | Someone who supports the war but has never served in the military |
| Chicken Baby | Against | Someone who opposes the war but has always lived in a democracy protected by the military |
Frank says: