Let’s Judge the Cover

For the inaugural post, it seems appropriate to comment on the book’s packaging before I tear it open and discuss the contents. These are necessarily superficial issues, but that doesn’t make them any less relevant. Indeed, the cover is the one thing you see every time you pick it up to read a passage. There are several issues with the cover.

First, there’s the title: Arguing with Idiots. Humorous enough¹, but an obvious ad hominem attack. Beck’s audience–particularly after reading his book–is informed. The people against whom they are arguing are “idiots”. This attack is reinforced by the book’s subtitle: “How To Stop Small Minds and Big Government”. And the “idiot” epithet is repeated throughout the book-flap text as well. That’s the starting point for Beck: I’m right, and anyone who disagrees with me is an idiot. It’s difficult to have a discourse with someone starting from such a strident position, but I’ll try.

Second, there’s the whole graphical theme. You’ve got the yellow and red color scheme, reminiscent of the flags of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China.

The capital “R” in the title and in the header on the back cover is displayed in mirror image, Я, an overt reference to the Cyrillic letter “ya”. Finally, Beck himself is dressed in a military-style uniform in the cover photo. The specific style of uniform is indiscernible, but it certainly invokes the communist aesthetic and reinforces the communist theme. From the book text itself, we know explicitly that this character represents “our Idiot Friend”. (See, How To Use this Book) The inference is unmistakable: Not only are dissenters idiots, but they are associated, aligned, or affiliated with communists. This is no revelation, and indeed the association fallacy that starts on the cover is a running theme inside the book.

I’ll forgive the appeal to authority in the form of the front-cover sales blurbs: “#1 New York Times bestselling author” and “Host of the national television and radio shows”. These are typical book-selling techniques, but I can at least identify them. That Beck is a popular author and host does not imbue his arguments with any greater validity.

Finally, the cover is rife with straw men. These come in two forms. On the inside flap text, Beck sets up the imaginary arguments he’d like to have, e.g., “It happens to all of us: You’re minding your own business, when some idiot informs you that guns are evil, the Prius will save the planet, or the rich have to finally start paying their fair share of taxes.” Then, on the back cover, we have an atypical series of blurbs–not from supporters but from detractors, whose comments are short barbs with no substance, themselves simple personal attacks, e.g., “A lying sack of dog mess.” – Whoopi Goldberg.

Beck’s even crying! Look at the idiots he has to deal with.

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¹As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, the book is undeniably funny. This is the first and last time I’ll acknowledge it on the main page. Yes, the book is funny. In many cases, the humor derives precisely from Beck’s deployment of a particular fallacy. The purpose of this site is not to evaluate the humorous qualities of the book but the quality of its argument.

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