The Faulty Analogy Fallacy

I was listening to an episode of a podcast called "Book Club From Hell" some months ago (yes, it's taken me months to make this blog post) about a book titled "The Sigma Male Bible". I gave up on listening to the episode despite my mild interest the topic at hand because there's a bit too much of the hosts laughing at their own jokes. Which seems to be a trend that will keep me from revisiting the podcast. Which, in turn, is a shame because the podcast concept is great.

Regardless, "The Sigma Male Bible" spends a lot of time comparing the various types of male archetypes that largely exist in the minds of self-proclaimed sigma males (e.g., alpha male, beta male, sigma male). The Greek alphabet male classification system is basically astrology signs for guys. I believe alpha and beta males have a bit more visibility, so I'll only give my very glib explanation of a sigma male here. It's a guy with no friends or girlfriend who convinces himself he's in such a situation not because he's off-putting and lacking personality, but  rather because he's just so focused on his own goals he doesn't have time for all of that.

But mocking the sigma male concept is not my purpose in this blog post (that's just a bit of a bonus). Instead, I want to focus on some discussion between the podcast hosts about the concept of an alpha male. They were discussing how the alpha male concept was supposedly reflective of the hierarchy of wolf packs. However, the alpha male wolf was a fiction, disavowed even by the scientist who originally coined the term. This isn't the first time I've heard this argument, and the implication seems to be that since no such concept really exists among wolf packs, there are similarly no alpha males among humans.

And that leads me to the title of this blog post: the faulty analogy fallacy. In short, a bad analogy for a concept invalidates the concept. In reality, the concept being discussed may be completely valid , i.e., humans can exhibit alpha male traits even if wolves do not. The problem is someone tried to explain the concept with a faulty analogy. I could be wrong, but I don't think that matches any formal fallacies that I'm familiar with, and maybe it's really an example of an inadvertent straw man. I'll have to give it more thought and see if I can come up with other examples.

As for the "Book Club From Hell" podcast, I wish those guys all the success in the world, but I likely won't be listening any more. However, if you enjoy their jokes even half as much as the hosts do, you're going to love it.

The Avett Brothers and the coffee shop show

I don't spend much time exploring music like I used to. I spend most of my time listening to podcasts and audiobooks when I drive around, and music gets short shrift. I've found some new* music in recent years, but I have a number of singers and bands whose music never seems to lose its shine. Built to Spill, Tom Waits, The Pixies, Stan Rogers, and Mississippi Fred McDowell, among others. But foremost among these bands is a group from North Carolina calling themselves The Avett Brothers after the surname of two of the three principal members, Scott and Seth Avett.

I just attended an Avett Brothers concert the other day at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. My wife and I attended along with my sister, her husband, her 5 kids, and her oldest daughter's boyfriend. The concert was my brother-in-law's birthday gift to my sister, and he kept it largely a surprise until we met for dinner before the concert. My wife and I showing up at dinner was a surprise for her, but it also gave it away that we were going to an Avett Brothers' concert. The Avett Brothers are her favorite band, too, and she suspected that might be where they were going, although she hadn't checked if they were even in town. 

The show was great, and I'll put the Avett Brothers as some of the best performers out there. What made me want to write about this, though, was when Scott Avett asked the crowd of some few thousand people if anyone had been at the coffee shop show. He didn't offer any additional context, but I knew exactly what he was talking about because I had been there. I shouted out, but I couldn't hear if anyone else also yelled out in the affirmative. If there was anyone else, it was just a small handful of us. The significance of the coffee shop show I assume is that was their first show in Utah. And I was there along with, maybe 70 other people.

It was sometime in 2006, if I'm not mistaken. I was in college at the time and studying Physics. I had signed up for a thermodynamics course that semester, and, candidly, I was out of my depth. The class had been nothing but struggle for me, and I was flailing about trying to understand the material. I had a test coming up the next day, and I was preparing to spend the night cramming, Then, I don't recall how exactly, I learned my new favorite band, The Avett Brothers, were playing in Salt Lake. I'd recently learned about the band thanks to a recommendation from my brother when one of their songs was featured on NPR's song of the day. The song was titled "Talk on Indolence", and I was hooked from the get go. I went out and bought the album "Talk on Indolence" was featured on, Four Thieves Gone. I don't know if I've ever listened to an album more. I'd been dreaming of seeing these guys in concert, and here was my opportunity. I would just have to blow off studying for a test, absolutely insuring I would fail the test. I uncharacteristically chose to blow off studying and go to the concert.

I enlisted my buddy Ryan to come along. I can't remember if I'd already introduced him to the band or not, but he was game to come along. We drove the 45 minutes to Salt Lake and went to the venue, a bar of some kind. We were greeted at the door by a hand written note posted on the bar's entrance door. The Avett Brothers wouldn't be playing there that night, but they were going to be playing at a coffee shop nearby. I'm very confident that the coffee shop was called Blue Cats, but it was demolished some years ago. Regardless, Ryan and I headed up to the coffee shop.

The show was already going, but, to our surprise, there was no cover charge. We made our way into the crowded coffee shop where there was standing room only. We made our way as close as we could get to the stage, probably some 15 feet away. We couldn't quite see much of the band except their heads bouncing above the crowd. The energy from their playing was palpable even without being able to see what was happening on stage. We were off to one side of the room, and there were two people standing on a riser just behind us. For whatever reason, those two people jumped down and walked off. After a momentary glance at each other, Ryan and I clambered onto the riser, elevating ourselves above the crowd and giving us a full view of the stage.

Three men were on the stage, one on upright bass, one on guitar, and one on banjo. While instruments were acoustic, the musicians were strumming them in way I'd have to describe as violent. I know, that sounds silly, but it's apt. Especially for the guitar player, who I'd eventually come to know as Seth Avett, the younger of the two brothers. We was breaking a string on every song. A roady was dedicated to swapping out the guitar on every song and replacing the broken string. So, here were these three guys, equipped to play bluegrass, no electric instruments, and they were putting on the most energetic show I've ever seen. They had all the energy of the craziest punk band I've ever seen and then some. I saw GWAR play once, and these guys were more entertaining. Ryan and I were blown away, and we watched the show transfixed. I've never seen anything like it since (though Th' Legendary Shack Shakers front man J.D. Wilkes came close the first time I saw them perform). 

I wasn't familiar with much of their material at the time except what was on Four Thieves Gone, but I fell in love with each new song they rolled out throughout the show. Eventually, the show came to an end, and I knew I was going to have to buy a CD for the drive home. Ryan and I hopped into the merch line. Ryan lent me $20 as I was a rather broke college student. What was really neat was that the band had lined up near the merch table to say hi to everyone passing through. Scott Avett, the banjo player, was doing most of the greeting while his brother Seth and bass player Bob Crawford hung back and chatted. Scott shook my hand, and I said something about how much I liked the show. He replied that he'd seen us up on the riser, and I overenthusiastically responded, "Yeah! That was us!" I was impressed he'd actually taken the time to pay attention to the crowd, especially considering how they'd spent the entire time bouncing around the stage. Scott also gave a heartfelt thanks for attending the show. I bought one of their CDs, A Carolina Jubilee, and Ryan and I headed home. We blasted the new album the entire ride home, excitedly talking back and forth about how amazing the show was. There wasn't a bad song on A Carolina Jubilee, and I quickly understood why some people on the crowd kept yelling for, "Traveling Song!"

That was pretty much it for me. The Avett Brothers were my new favorite band, but there was more than just their excellent songwriting and energetic playing. The Avett Brothers were sincere. They wore their hearts on their sleeves to such a degree that you can only applaud their courage to be so honest. On top of that, the appreciation for their fans that Scott had shown me at the coffee shop show came through in many of their songs. That appreciation, again, was sincere, and I think that was significant in cementing The Avett Brothers as my favorite band. I was a young man at the time, and I still thought there was something particularly clever about being snarky, sarcastic, and sardonic. Each of those have their time an place, but as I grew older I realized how often they are just grasping at low hanging fruit and avoiding allowing others to see any vulnerability. I don't often learn real life lessons from music, but the Avett Brothers taught me the importance of sincerity.

So, I failed the test, and ultimately had to retake Thermodynamics. I wouldn't do it any other way if I had the chance to go back and do it again.

*Well, new to me. I never much listened to The Beatles or Cat Stevens when I was younger, but that's clearly not new music.

Internet condescension wearing an altruism skin suit

 I came across the following video on YouTube: TikToker Helps Army Vet Become Best-Selling Author Overnight. In case the hyperlink ever goes dead, let me summarize the story. An Army vet who was laid off from his software engineering job tried his hand at self-publishing a book. With no real method of promoting the book, he decided to set up a table at a local Kroger and sell the books himself. So far, so good. I like this story, but it then takes a turn for the worse. 

The man's neighbor, a TikToker, spots him sitting at the supermarket sitting behind the table and selling very few books. The TikToker decides his neighbor looks dejected and makes a TikTok about him, as TikTokers are wont to do. The TikTok goes "Viral!" (enthusiasm the internet's) and people begin buying up the vet's book. So, what's my problem with this story? Not that this vet is making money off his book, but rather because of the reason people are buying the book. Is the book any good? Nobody knows. They just know he looked sad on TikTok. They're buying the book out of pity, and I can't see that as anything but extremely condescending. If our hero the vet is happy with the situation, good for him, I suppose. Imagining myself in his shoes, I can't help but think I'd be incredibly insulted in such a situation. 

I'd probably still like the money, though. 

I wonder if they register baby names in Kanji

 This caught my attention:

‘Absolutely ridiculous’: B.C. parents unable to register their baby’s Indigenous name

"Smith said she has received correspondence from the province that has spelled λugʷaləs’ name wrong, suggested a made-up anglicized version, and eventually, rejected the Kwak’wala spelling."

So, λugʷaləs is Kwak'wala spelling? Wow. It has a surprising similarity to Cyrillic and English characters. No wonder the parents are mad. 

Ukrainian Bayhem

 I think I'll start posting here again. Here's Michael Bay demonstrating some perspective while staying completely on brand:

'Bad Boys' director Michael Bay doesn't care about the Will Smith slap: 'There are babies getting blown up in Ukraine'

Going after those fan fiction monies

Several years ago, I thought of something I'd like to hear Darth Vader say to an employee of a record store.  I decided to write it down finally, but it doesn't really work as non-sequitur.  Therefore I decided to enter the wild world of fan fiction.  Apparently, Amazon is making plans to let fan fiction writers monetize their works. Let's see if I can get in on that with this story.  Enjoy!

Darth Vader's day off:

For routing the Rebel Alliance, capturing Han Solo, and cutting off Luke Skywalker's hand just before spilling the beans about Vader's paternity, the Emperor decided to give Darth Vader a much needed day off. 

Vader spends part of the day browsing at the Bespin record store for something new to add to his music library.  While in the section under the label "F", he begins to murmur to himself.  Soon Vader is flipping through the assortment of CD's more and more furiously.  Finally, he utters a surprised and irritated, "What?" (you know like he did that one time in the movie, can't remember where maybe Death Star trench run when Han Solo shows back up?).

Vader turns to look at the clerk and then back to the CD rack before striding menacingly over to the credits register.  He informs the clerk, "I find your lack of Faith Hill disturbing.  Your paltry selection of modern country hits has failed me for the last time…" Vader glances at the clerk's nametag, "Steve!" 

At this, Vader raises his hand threateningly ready to force choke the life out of poor Steve.  Which is kind of silly since he's really only a couple feet from Steve and could just robot choke him with his bionic arm like he did to the captain of the Tantive IV.  Then again, using the Force choke always gives Vader plausible deniability that a victim just choked to death on their own.  On the other hand, being the number two in the Empire usually comes with free reign to murder anyone you want so we're left assuming Vader can be kind of lazy.

Fearing for his life, Steve exclaims, "Were you looking under "H" for Hill or "F" for Faith?"  Vader pauses.  Steve sputters out, "We put artists using their real names alphabetically by last name!"

Vader glances thoughtfully at the CD rack.  He strides over to the H section.  Sandwiched between Jimi Hendrix and Lauryn Hill are 5 of Faith Hill's 7 albums.  Vader picks up a copy of Cry and returns to the counter where Steve waits with dread. 

"Sorry about that, Steve.  I should have figured or at least just asked.  You know, at my day job I always have to be a real hard case and sometimes I let that drift over into my personal life.  No hard feelings, I hope."

"No, no problem.  I get annoyed, too, when I can't find what I'm looking for.  That'll be 10 credits."

Vader pays and steps out of the record store.  Inside his custom TIE fighter, he puts his new copy of Cry into the CD player and turns the volume up on "Free."  By the time the last few bars of "When the Lights Go Down" have played Vader is thinking about his behavior at the record store.

He thinks to himself, "Yeesh, I was this close to suffocating poor Steve back there because I couldn't find a CD.  Definitely overreacted on that one.  And it's not like it's an isolated incident.  I cut my own son's hand off the other day and then tell him I'm his absentee father?  Who does that?  Is this really what I've come to?"

"I feel like this whole dark side of the Force thing may not be everything Palpatine told me it would be.  I mean, ever since I decided to embrace it I've really turned into a jerk.  There was that time I killed a whole group of younglings.  I could have let the clones do it, or just sold them all into slavery, but I had to go on and cut them all down.  And younglings don't just disintegrate when you hit them with a lightsaber like Ol' Obi Wan did.  That takes years of force training to do.  Poor things."

"I don't know, maybe I really need to take a good long look at my life and figure out if this is really where and who I want to be.  Oh, 'Unsaveable'!  I love this song!  And totally appropriate right now!  So crazy when stuff like that happens.  Well, that's the Force for you."

Roughly one year later, Vader stands silently watching the Emperor fire bolt after bolt of Force lightning into his son.  Just then, the chorus from "Unsaveable" pops into Vader's head.

"Cause baby I cried a little too hard, a little too long

What I though was right was way too wrong

It's too far gone

I can't bring back the love

They just ain't enough

Unavailable, impossible, unsaveable love."

"Ah, nuts to it!" thinks Vader.  Grabbing his Sith Lord Master, Vader hoists him over his head and hurls him to his doom in one of the many inexplicable bottomless pits scattered throughout the Death Star.

As Vader lies dying, Luke removes his father's mask.  Vader sees his son with his own eyes for the first and last time.  He tells Luke to go. 

In the moments before he becomes one with the Force, Vader thinks, "Did I do it?  Was it enough?"

The final lines of "Unsaveable" echo through his mind.

"There's someone out there for me boy

Who thinks I'm beautiful

I've got to go

But baby I've tried, I've tried

Baby I've tried."

Have you ever seen that Digiorno's Pizza commercial where the kid puts on a crappy pizza delivery boy costume to infiltrate some party?  If not, here it is on youtube:

This one really irks me.  When was the last time you invited the pizza delivery boy to your party?  You'd think they'd get suspicious that he didn't have to get back to work.