Index of All Mistake Types
Here is a list of different types of mistakes people make when posting on social media. Click on a type name for a fuller description (as you can see, the Schoolmarm is still in the process of writing full descriptions for each of them.) The mistake types fit into different categories:
Antagonistic – stating something that is hurtful to a person or groupUnconstructive – posting something that provides no value to others, e.g. deceptive, or fallacious, or irrelevantOverwrought – exhibiting excessive fury, alarm, exaggeration, or other emotionsTribal – primarily aimed at vilifying the political opposition
Some types appear in more than one category.
Antagonistic
Ad Hominem Directly attacking a person to discredit what they say Belittling Suggesting that someone is ignorant, pathetic, or unqualified Inflammatory Words Unhelpful inclusion of offensive or “loaded” terms Insensitive Callous disregard for the circumstance of a person or group Mocking Sarcasm, insinuating that someone is stupid Smearing Defamation of a politician or public figure without evidence
Unconstructive
Ad Hominem Ignoring/distracting from the content of an argument by maligning the issuers Cherry-Picking Selecting an unrepresentative data point or quotation False Cause Portraying concurrence or correlation as causation False Dilemma Misleadingly asserting that only two choices or possibilities exist Faulty Analogy Alike in one respect wrongly extended to other samenesses Gish Gallop Rapid enumeration of obscure, technical research/data to cow audience Hearsay Unverified or non-objective statements presented as evidence or proof Hindsight Bias Assuming that the right answer for a complex situation was obvious Implacability Maintaining that anything less than perfection is worthless Insularity Assuming that truths within one’s group apply universally Narrative Broad assertions made up without reference to evidence or facts No Context Presenting confident judgments about distant affairs that audience knows very little about Not-Defined Term Employing abstract terms that are contentious and lack a clear, agreed-upon definition Opinion As Fact Projecting undue certainty about a complex situation without caveats Red Herring Responding to an argument with a seemingly related but irrelevant issue Slippery Slope Positing a direct line from a routine action to catastrophic outcome Sloganeering Announcing loyalty to an abstract ideal or value rather than engaging with a specific challenge Straw Man Intentionally misrepresenting the opposition’s position and attacking the distorted version Whataboutism Deflecting a criticism with a counteraccusation Worst-Case Filtering Suggesting that the most pessimistic interpretation or prediction is the most likely
Overwrought
Catastrophizing Portraying an event or threat as more ruinous than it is Conspiratorial Connecting random events to a shadowy, malicious cabal Grandiose Bombastic pronouncements about society or theory Hyperbole Exaggeration for effect Sanctimony Wearing a mantle of purity or cleanliness Vulgar Resorting to obscene or offensive language
Tribal
Accuse Heresy Characterize an in-group criticism as tone-policing or betrayal Cherry-Picking Focusing on statements by the most extreme members of the opposition Demonize Opposition Painting distorted view of opposition group as vile, immoral, or malicious Narrative Broad, self-serving assertions made up without reference to evidence or facts Out-Group Homogeneity Presuming that everyone on the other side has the same beliefs and opinions Smearing Defamation of an opposition politician or public figure without evidence Subordinating Rationality Justifying in-group’s excessive or dishonest rhetoric on ends-justify-means basis Whataboutism Defending a criticism with a counteraccusation Worst-Case Filtering Interpreting actions or statements of the opposition in the worst possible way
