Critical hit: rhetorical edition

“Crisis actor” is the most effective rhetoric to surface since “fake news”. The media is going completely berserk in their attempts to shut it down before it becomes an accepted part of the daily discourse.

“The Daily Show” on Thursday condemned Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren, calling her a “crisis actor,” in reference to conspiracy theories being pushed by conservatives about Florida school shooting survivors.

“Right now, a mainstream media organization is paying a young person to pose as a victim on TV,” a video shared by the show said. “In reality, this ‘victim’ is being coached to recite highly scripted talking points.” The video features a compilation of Lahren’s television appearances and calls on Twitter users to tweet at the Fox News account with the hashtag #TammyMustGo.

But they won’t be able to do so, because the term’s rhetorical effectiveness is intrinsically indicative of its general accuracy. From SJWs Always Lie:

It is not strictly true, in the dialectical sense, to assert that SJWs never tell the truth. To be dialectically sound, one should say, “SJWs frequently lie”, or better yet, “SJWs have often been observed to lie in situations when doing so will serve their immediate interests”. But as Aristotle tells us, the best rhetoric is rooted in truth, and the statement “SJWs always lie” rings emotionally true because SJWs lie so often, and so reliably, that it resonates with every individual who has been witness to their habitual dishonesty. That is why “SJWs always lie” is flawed dialectic, but accurate and effective rhetoric.

The reason “crisis actor” is such effective rhetoric, and the reason that it has the media in a tizzy, is because it is a concept that is rooted in truth, even though not every individual suspected of being a crisis actor is, in fact, a crisis actor.