A tone argument (also called tone policing) is a type of
ad hominem aimed at the tone of an argument instead of its factual or logical content. Ignoring the truth or falsity of a statement, a tone argument instead focuses on the emotion with which it is expressed. This is a logical fallacy because a person can be angry while still being rational.
Nonetheless, a tone argument may be useful when responding to a statement that itself does not have rational content, such as an appeal to emotion.
The notion of tone policing became widespread in U.S. social activist circles by the mid-2010s. It was widely disseminated in a 2015 comic issued by the Everyday Feminism website. Many activists
argued that tone policing was regularly employed against
feminist and anti-racism advocates, criticizing the way that they presented their arguments rather than engaging with the arguments themselves.
See also
*
Fallacy
*
Righteous indignation Righteous indignation, also called righteous anger, in some Christian doctrines, is considered the only form of anger which is not sinful, e.g., when Jesus drove the money lenders out of the temple ( Matthew 21).
Elements
"Righteous" means actin ...
References
{{Fallacies
Diversionary tactics
Relevance fallacies
Metaphors