Turn Double Standards Into Double Binds

 Turn Double Standards Into Double Binds       

 

One particular mind-trick of the powerful is the double standard. But this can, I theorize, be turned against them, thus:

 

You: Mr. Candidate, I have some questions for you.

(Candidate looks around, sees several others pointing cameras): What questions?

 

You: Recently a terrible crime occurred. (Describe crime, mention details about the perpetrator, including initials but not his race or class.) My question is, should his punishment be harsh or lenient?

 

(Bifurcation point: if Candidate answer “harsh punishment”, then:)

You: Oh, I’m sorry! I was talking about... (give name of perpetrator, mention that he’s white and rich, and that his punishment was lenient.)

 

(... whereas if Candidate answer “lenient punishment”, then:)

You: Oh, I’m sorry! I was talking about... (give name of perpetrator, mention that he’s black and poor, and that his punishment was harsh.)

 

(Let Candidate react. Then:)

You: Actually, there was another man who committed the same crime. (Give name of other man, mention race and class and punishment.) They had the same initials, but I left out the details of race and class. I was waiting for your answer to flip the other way.

Candidate: So that was a trick question!

You: That’s right, and here’s another trick question. (Describe different terrible crime, mention details about the perpetrator including initials; but pointedly refuse to mention race or class.) My question is, should his punishment be harsh or lenient?

 

(Allow Candidate to physically flee, with cameras watching.)

 

*****

 

This attack requires preparation. You need to memorize two different crimes, each one committed by two men of identical initials, one a rich white man who got lenience and the other a poor black man who got harshness. You also need to set up an ambush scenario where Candidate cannot escape the second trick question without running away on camera.

I got the idea for this from an unethical psychology experiment. The behaviorist conditioned the dog, by rewards and punishments, to respond one way to a circular spot of light, and the other way to an elliptical spot. He gradually made the ellipse rounder; and when the dog could no longer tell the difference, the poor dog panicked. Nowadays no ethics committee would permit such an experiment. But the Candidate might deserve what man’s best friend doesn’t.

Would this work? The idea is to turn a double standard into a double-bind. Just leave out that one tiny detail.

Of course, if the Candidate knew that this was coming, or had actual integrity, then his response to your trick-revelation would not be to complain that your trick was rotten, but to commiserate that the system is rotten.