Slippery Dope Arguments

Inevitably, in discussions about "culture war" issues, right wingers will raise the specter of a "slippery slope". In the case of same-sex marriage, for instance, Rick Santorum insisted that it would lead to polygamy, even though polygamous relationships almost invariably involve coercion- as an aside, Conservatives Cannot Comprehend Consent, so they naturally see that same-sex marriage proponents would be cool with polygamy. In the case of the regulation of firearms, pro-gun commentors always bring up the topic of gun confiscation, a subject which the Kenyan Usurper has never even broached.

When you point out to them that their slippery-slope arguments are bullshit: "Point out feminist leaders who are advocating for the legalization of infanticide" or "Name five prominent liberals who want to ban all firearms", these commentors never stick to the topic. They shift goalposts, they ask off-topic questions, and they trot out enough strawmen to keep the entire crow population of North America at bay. In their efforts to avoid being pinned down on a topic, they go through contortions worthy of a hagfish. It's impossible to have a good faith argument with these people because of their refusal to engage on a factual level. They manage to be polytropos, but without the sagacity of an Odysseus. This combination of twisting-and-turning and stupidity leads me to describe their "debating" style as "slippery dope" arguments.