Some Cancer Talk

Well, so yeah…  I have cancer. I suppose that means I’m dying.

But then again, who isn’t?  If I’m on a clock, then so are you.

In my case, I plan to live at least ten years more. Note the italics. That is, if I don’t get hit by a bus or a bolt of lightning or succumb to too many pizzas with double cheese. Any of which might happen tomorrow.

As far as the cancer goes, they caught it early. It’s manageable. With luck and a good surgeon, perhaps even beatable. At this point, it’s nothing more than a tricky, new dance step I need to master. I have a dear friend who has slugged it out in a battle far tougher than what I face and she’s still on her feet, swinging away. Her case is noble. Mine is run-of-the-mill.

Except for the timing.

I was diagnosed in the summer, ten days prior to my 71^st birthday. The news hit like an anvil dropped from the sky. Not due to my condition. I felt and feel fine. But rather for the shock to the spirit and the heavy fate the word “cancer” implies. And that it came at a moment when our very planet sits grim and benumbed.

Threats, shouting, turmoil, violence – it seemed that our entire world had been diagnosed along with me. With the circumstances implying that far more than my own life was on the line. I felt I was facing…

The death of ideas, the death of discourse, the death of truth, the death of decency...

I felt our whole world – this bountiful and beautiful world -- had cancer. Maybe not dying, but still white-knuckled and desperate.

I am beyond the pity parties I threw for myself in the summer. As parties go, they were doozies, almost nonstop and always BYOB – bring your own blues. What delivered me was some simple distance, and basic knowledge of what I was up against. Wrestle the bogeyman out into the sun and he no longer seems so scary. Sunshine can make even Old Man Cancer sweat.

It occurs to me that this is also what we need with our current cultural malady: some sunlight. Remember that American Cancer Society notice – The Seven Warning Signs of Cancer -- which is still posted at hospitals and clinics everywhere, almost 75 years since its initial publication?

Well, here are not seven, but eight sensible guidelines to keep you alert and on an even keel during these head-spinning days. They are framed within eight common fallacies of logic of which each of us should be aware. Some cancer talk for our times.

(And in heaven somewhere I hope there’s a rhetoric teacher with a grin. For I learned most of this in his class in high school.)

The Eight Warning Signs of Misinformation

(And how to handle them)

AD HOMINEM ATTACKS: An ad hominem attack is a swipe at a person’s character, intelligence, achievement, or background. The purpose is to divert attention from the issue at hand by disparaging one’s opponent. It’s schoolyard-type name-calling that promotes donkey brays and yanks truth, justice, and all other decency into the shadows.

So, how do you beat an ad hominem attack? First, recognize it for what it is and dismiss it as such. Second, never stoop so low as to do this yourself. Don’t call people names. It hurts and it solves nothing. At the very worst, it results in a volleyball match of abuse. Be better and don't do this.

THE EITHER-OR FALLACY: The Either-Or Fallacy claims there are only two sides to an issue, with telltale expressions like: “You're either with me or against me!” or “America: Love it or leave it!” But no issue can be sliced down the middle into two and only two approaches. There is always a space in between. The fallacy is belittling in that it tears people apart needlessly. The goal is a workable solution and Either-Or prevents that by slamming the door on dialog. Finding middle ground might be described as finding something of yourself in another person. It’s there. It’s always there. Look for it.

How to escape this fallacy? Recognize it. Shun it. View people and issues like prisms. They shine from different angles and you can’t understand or appreciate either unless you examine them well.

THE APPEAL-TO-AUTHORITY FALLACY: This fallacy bonds a speaker with some higher authority, which then bestows that speaker with power that he/she hasn’t earned and, in fact, may know nothing about. The fallacy is double-edged. First, no authority is beyond scrutiny. Julia Child once said, “Eggplant sucks!” Child was a renowned cook, but she is just one source. She is not the end-all. The other edge is that this fallacy steals that (debatable) authority and uses it to make the speaker seem knowledgeable or righteous. The Appeal-to-Authority Fallacy often appears as a call to God or country. It commonly nods to sources who cannot comment back (like the late Julia Child in the example above. How did she feel about eggplant, really? I have no idea; I made that part up.) An appeal-to-authority should never present a firehose to discussion. Truths are, in fact, relative and they require examination. Even learned authority is subject to peer review. Take that away and you are not pursuing truth at all; you are neglecting it.

How to defeat the Call-to-Authority Fallacy? Transparency. The pursuit of knowledge. Peer review. The onus is always on YOU, not some ascribed higher voice. Each individual needs to be involved. Never assume something is true just because someone says it is.

THE BANDWAGON FALLACY: This fallacy claims that something is good/effective/righteous and so on merely because it is popular. Part of this is the common “Everybody does it” or “Everybody says so" mentality. Like it is okay to cheat some on your income tax “because everyone does it,” which isn’t true. Honest people abound. The other part is to equate popularity with quality, which isn’t true either. If that were true, there’d be no need to play out the football season. Just give the trophy to the Cowboys. If popularity equaled quality, then we’d all be cramming ourselves with junk food every meal. But popularity does not equal quality. It does not. Quality equals quality.

So, what is quality? The answer to this is the first step in beating this fallacy. Quality must be understood, and this comes through measured comparison. You cannot find quality by sticking to a single source or listening to a single voice. Quality must be learned; it cannot be cherry-picked. You have to hone your senses by active involvement across the spectrum, whether your target is news, music, art, literature or whatever. In the NFL, for example, they play the games.

THE SLIPPERY SLOPE FALLACY: This fallacy says that one small step will lead to eventual destruction. Typically, the “step” and the “destruction” are far, far apart and may bear no relationship whatsoever. Allow your daughter to wear lipstick and the next thing you know she’ll be pole-dancing in Vegas. Welcome one person of color into your neighborhood and soon you’ll have no neighborhood at all; you’ll have a crime-infested war zone. This fallacy aims at control and is steeped in forms of prejudice. The person voicing this doesn’t want power; instead, they fear losing it. The key word is “fear.” This fallacy preys on the insecure.

How to avoid the slippery slope? Such errors aren’t hard to recognize. The leaps in logic are evident without need of a microscope. Yet, the slippery slope plays on emotions and emotions are very real. To defeat this, first be aware of those emotions. Next, don’t let fear choke your thinking. Rule yourself with reason, not foam and spittle. Be brave. The slippery slope never leads to a solution. It leads to the end of discussion.

THE STRAWMAN FALLACY: This fallacy attempts to turn an opponents words or ideas against them by stating something the opponent never expressed to begin with or by distorting his/her position beyond all reason. What’s the difference between a strawman fallacy and an outright lie? There isn’t one. The words may be presented in an amped-up manner to inflame the speaker’s supporters, but the opponent and his/her ideas are being misrepresented. And that’s not all. The supporters are being duped. If the situation continues, they are being super-duped.

I don’t like being duped. Do you? To avoid being duped and to set the strawman aflame, you have to view issues from both sides, not just yours. Here is a pair of pertinent phrases: “The truth will set you free” and “The truth is out there.” One is from the Bible; the other is from The X-Files. Both are spot on. Truth may be relative, but the hallways leading there have to be walked by each individual. If you cannot find the energy or empathy to see the various sides to an issue, you aren’t giving truth a chance. You are okay with being lied to.

THE RED HERRING FALLACY: In simple terms, this means a change of topic. The speaker responds to a question by bringing up something unrelated. “Sir,” says the reporter, “What about that recent revelation of your old gambling debts?” Response: “The important issue now is tax reform to which I am entirely dedicated. Besides, the man accusing me has a bowling ball for a brain, no one reads his column anyway, and if people listen to him, civilization as we know it will end” (This splash of red herring also hits three of the other fallacies above. Catch them?) Red herrings are some of the more common fish in the political sea. Rather than answer a tough question directly, one way to wiggle off the hook is to change the topic.

Avoid falling for red herrings by focusing on both question and answer. Does the answer fit what was asked? If you order steak and the server brings you lasagna, you would not dig in, even if the lasagna looks yummy. You would ask the server, “What’s up?” That is what you should be asking each time you find someone serving you a red herring.

HASTY GENERALIZATION FALLACY: This fallacy takes one example, often obscure, and uses it to hammer home an argument that, in fact, cannot withstand the hammer. “Grandma smoked four packs of cigarettes a day all her life and still lived to be 98!” Negating the copious studies showing that smoking kills. “How can there be global warming when last winter the snow was three feet deep!?” Again, one example cannot offset bookshelves of peer-checked research. “My neighbor got goosed by a Tralfamadorian! We’d better lock ‘em all up!” This despite that Tralfamadorians, as a whole, have no worse criminal record than any other group (Tralfamadorians, by the way, are Kurt Vonnegut’s wise and whimsical aliens from Tralfamadore, with heads like big hands, “handy,” I guess, for goosing.). Hasty generalizations are harmful and not only because they throw sand in the face of reason. They also encourage action (or the lack of action) that can get people hurt. For example, few smokers who follow grandma will enjoy her longevity.

Slow down here. An anecdote told by your co-worker does not offset the results of scholarly research or compiled statistics. Nor do similar stories launched by people in power. If you don’t like it, okay, then look into it. Don’t leap on the cart of those with views similar to yours. Study. If not, a hasty generalization might hurt someone. It could even hurt you.

There you go: The Eight Warning Signs of Misinformation. You might find some overlap. And I mean in ways other than presenting stumbling blocks to communication.

Each puts priority on truth. Truth is critical and does not belong to any one group. It may be relative but when pursued it tends to pull people together rather than push them apart. Look for truth. It’s out there. Consider that the other side is looking for truth as well.

Each puts priority on others. Dialog, discussion and engagement are critical. Step in front of a mirror. What do you see? (I hope not a giant hand!) Your reflection shows a person of many facets, some golden, some maybe not. You’re too complex for anyone to pigeonhole. That’s the next person too. Don’t stick them in a box. Cut them the same slack you hope for yourself. Attempt to understand; endeavor to care. You’ll find a happier conclusion with an open hand than with a balled fist.

One aspect of the above I have to emphasize. Read this as many times as you need:

You are not a victim. You are not in your position because others are pushing you down or taking advantage. That’s not the case. It’s false. Take that big hand and try pulling people up instead. While at it, toss the bogeyman of despair out into the sunlight. And watch him melt.

Another approach is to bring your own blues and throw yourself some pity parties. That will make the world a better place for sure.

We cancer patients offer you good luck with that. Just remember this:

The clock is ticking on us all.

© Thomas Noah Wood

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