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Rhetorical Fallacies That YOU Should be Aware of: Part II

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By Luke Langlois

This is the second of my two-part post explaining rhetorical fallacies. For the first eight fallacies, check out my last post. For the uninitiated, rhetorical fallacies (as defined by the University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate Writing Center) are rhetorical strategies commonly used in arguments that “do not allow for the open, two-way exchange of ideas upon which meaningful conversations depend. . . . [T]hey distract the reader with various appeals instead of using sound reasoning.” Now, let us get right back into these fallacies.

9. Begging the Question: This is probably the toughest fallacy to understand, and explaining it in words does not really do it justice. It’s best to think of this fallacy as “improper circular reasoning.” For example, if you get in some trouble at school and have your friend vouch for you, your teacher is naturally going to ask, “How am I supposed to trust your friend?” It would be “begging the question” if you responded with “Well, I vouch for my friend, and my friend vouches for me!” It’s circular, and it doesn’t work. Begging the question assumes the truth of a conclusion, rather than supporting a conclusion.

10. Straw Man Argument: A straw man argument misdirects and oversimplifies the argument. For example, if I wanted to change the face of the person on the $2 bill, someone making a straw man argument might accuse me of hating the United States and its history because I want to change the person on the $2 bill.

11. Sentimental Appeal: A sentimental appeal argument attempts to appeal to the emotions, the sentiments of the reader, so that they are not actually using their logic to dissect the idea. “Please, give us donations, or these puppies will continue to freeze and suffer.” It does not matter if the organization asking for donations is shady, we must save the puppies!

12. Red Herring: A red herring is an attempt to shift attention away from the argued issue by throwing in a whole new issue that does not logically connect to the initial issue. If a world leader is making a speech about having to go to war and then starts talking about their nationalistic pride, they are attempting to distract listeners from the fact of the war with the fact of their nationalistic pride.

13. Scare Tactics: This is probably another one of the most commonly used fallacies. The speaker tries to frighten the audience into agreeing with the speaker. “If we do not invade and conquer Canada, they will steal our children, our land, and our lives!” Whoever the speaker is wants to convince the audience that Canada should be invaded by making the audience fear for their children, land, and lives.

14. Bandwagon Appeals: A speaker using a bandwagon appeal tries to “use the masses” to convince the listener of a certain point. Children often try to use this fallacy to convince their parents to buy them something.” All of my friends have it, so I should too!” Parents often counter this fallacy by asking their children if they would jump off of a cliff if their friends were doing it.

15. Dogmatism: This fallacy occurs when the speaker assumes that their logic is beyond any sort of refute or question. “I am the leader of the milk enthusiast group; milk is the only acceptable beverage on this planet, and there is no question about it!” The speaker basically presents their idea as perfection, and does not open themselves up to discuss their idea. Clearly, this speaker is not going to be listening to any nonsense about almond milk beverage.

16. Equivocation: Equivocation is when the speaker partly tells the truth, and deliberately hides the whole truth. For example, if the speaker said, “I will never drive into anyone with my car!” and then proceeded to hit someone with a stolen car, that would be equivocation. The speaker said that they wouldn’t drive into anyone with their car, but then went on to hit someone with a stolen car. The speaker partly told the truth.

17. Faulty Analogy: As the name might suggest, this fallacy occurs when the speaker tries to convey the idea using an analogy, but the analogy does not live up to the original idea. “Of course we should ditch school! If someone was holding you hostage, wouldn’t you want to escape?” While millions of children around the world would see no problem with this analogy, escaping a hostage situation is not comparable to ditching school. Analogies can be a great way to try to explain an idea, but the analogy should properly match up with the idea.

These have been the rhetorical fallacies as listed by The Princeton Review! Calling them “fallacies” is not to say that they are not effective persuasive strategies. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that you had a couple of mass-media examples in mind as you read those fallacies. However, if you are trying to legitimately convince someone of the merits and value of your idea, it’s probably best to steer clear of these fallacies. If you want to know more, check out my first post (if you haven’t already) to read about the first eight rhetorical fallacies.

Editor: Leo Milmet

My Musical Interests at the Moment

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By Music Critic and Blogger Holden Hartle

I’ve recently noticed that I listen to a lot of music that maybe other people haven’t heard of. When I find out that someone knows a band that I like, I become ecstatic, as if we are the only two people on Earth that know the artist. Of course, this isn’t the case. These bands and artists have millions of fans, but I still feel they deserve more recognition.

Grandson: When people ask about him, I always say that he is like a modern version of Rage Against the Machine. He combines hard rock moshiness with a trap drum beat, and his lyrics often revolve around political problems. He is releasing new music sometime in January and is going on his No Apologies tour shortly after.

Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers: The frontman’s story is very humbling. Frank Lopez was kicked out of his house as a teenager and was forced to live in his car, and so he named himself Hobo Johnson. His music is very spoken-word-esque and explores his emotions as life just keeps on throwing obstacles at him. He has a European tour coming this winter, and he has announced that new music is coming soon.

This is the cover for Highly Suspect’s The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

Highly Suspect: There are only three people in this band, but these three people make a lot of noise. They give a more hard rock feel to the alternative genre. They received a lot of success with their last album The Boy Who Cried Wolf (2016) but have since been quiet. I hope to see new music in the future.

SWMRS: They give off more of an old school punk feel. They gained a lot of traction with their debut album Drive North (2016), and have pre-released their album Berkeley’s On Fire. The album is set to release on February 15th, and they have a European/North American tour scheduled after its official release and will last until May. I highly suggest you take a listen.

The Blue Stones: The Blue Stones sound like if The Black Keys and Arctic Monkeys collaborated. They have only released one album entitled Black Hole (2015), and it’s a bop with a wide range of sounds, ranging from hard rock to a bluesy tone. They are opening for Grandson on his upcoming tour.

Dominic Fike: He is my newest musical obsession. He mixes R&B style vocals with a more alternative approach to the instrumentals. His guitar chops and drum patterns add a nice rhythm to each of his songs. He only has one EP out called Don’t Forget About Me, Demos (2018), and I really enjoy it. The entire EP only takes fifteen minutes to listen through, so if you need something to enjoy on your drive home, I highly suggest some Dominic Fike.

Editor: Makena Behnke

The Avengers–High School Conspiracy

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By Charles Schnell, Who Does Not Actively Follow or Care About the Marvel Movies

Before you scroll down or click away, hear me out. I know this may sound ridiculous, but I think the masterminds over at Marvel entertainment have outlined the four Avengers movies in a way that represents each grade in high school. At least, this is what my experience has led me to theorize.

Let’s go over the series and compare, shall we?

Avengers: Ah, the original. This is freshman year of high school. Think about it. There’s a new team of sheriffs in town. Some are smarter; some are stronger; some are more attractive.  These freshies are here to team up for the first time and save the world. Now, take the average freshman class. Some are smarter; some are stronger; some are more attractive. However, they have all assembled at school for the first time to save each other, and the school as a whole, from bullies. Who are these bullies? Well, that would be the upperclassmen, society, the government, etc. Coincidence? I think not. Avengers is freshman year!

Avengers: Age of Ultron: This is sophomore year, most definitely. No doubt about it. In this one, the overall plot line is not tied up. Thanos is out and about, but not the main focus. This is more of a subplot movie if anything. Now, think about sophomore year of high school. Why does one go to high school? Well, at least if we are talking college-prep schools such as Palm Valley, one goes to get into college. That is the overall, main plot: getting into college. However, sophomores usually are not thinking too heavily about college. And, if they are, imagine how much worrying they’ll be doing junior and senior years, when college—Thanos—has finally arrived. In junior and senior year, all our GPAs start plummeting, and it’s one hard battle after another, and college is sitting right in front of you, taunting, laughing, smiling into the sunset. In sophomore year, that’s not the case. You aren’t focused on getting into college, the main plot. You usually have something else to worry about, the subplot. You’ve got your first (and perhaps your last) AP, your last year where the PSAT does not matter, and your 16th birthday—a classic American milestone. Sophomore year is the Age of Ultron.

Avengers: Infinity War: Time to put on your big kid pants. “Thanos” has arrived, and he is taking no prisoners. All who oppose him will be crushed, and in this “movie,” no “Avenger” is safe. Now, look again at those sentences, but replace “Thanos” with “college,” “movie” with “year,” and “Avenger” with “junior,” and you have a perfect summary of junior year. In years prior, the academic workload usually starts off slow. Everything is okay in the beginning of freshman and sophomore years, and then it all goes down the drain usually once December hits. But, those challenges have been manageable, and you have not let them conquer you. Junior year is much different. Thanos is unlike any other enemy. The junior grind does not allow for any meager distractions. Once junior year starts, it’s “GO GO GO” from the very first day. No time for breaks, no time for opposition. “GO GO GO.” APs! SATs! ACTs! PSATs! Look at colleges! HARVARD! This pain train’s got no breaks; it just hopes its passengers can hold on. Junior year is a war that seems endless, but it eventually ends…. Unfortunately, it might end in a way that you may not want it to. Junior year is the Infinity War.

Avengers: Endgame: “We’re in the endgame now.” I’m not a senior, but if I had to guess, every senior has probably said something akin to this during senior year. It’s the end. Half or so of the senior class was mentally destroyed during junior year. It’s up to the remaining seniors to help motivate their friends back to life, save their GPAs, and finally finish the main plot, the story that has been developing for 18 years; it’s time for the seniors to get into college and enter the next phase of their life. Need I say more? Senior year, the final year of high school, childhood, and—dare I say—innocence, is the Endgame. And yet, at the same time, it is much more than an end. It’s a beginning, a beginning to the next phase of your life.

There you have it. High school is the Avengers. The Avengers is high school. This is my argument, and I have laid it out plainly for you. Now, all that’s left is your opinion. Do you agree with, disagree with, or—best of all—ignore my post, and move on to more important matters?

Editor: Luke Langlois

Should Sports Players be Paid Less?

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By Sports Enthusiast and Blogger Holden Hartle

In short, no. People like to say, “How can athletes get paid millions of dollars just to play a game? It’s unfair to the rest of the working class who actually has to work for their next paycheck.” I understand this hypothetical person’s argument. In its simplest, these athletes are getting paid ridiculous amounts of money to play a child’s game. But, I do have some problems with this hypothetical person’s argument.

Consider this. The NBA earns a total of $7.37 billion per year. How the NBA determines the salary cap (it’s actually very complicated so this is the “For Dummies” version) is they take the total NBA revenue, halve it, then divide it by thirty because there are thirty teams in the NBA. After the other math that goes into it, you get just over $100 million per team. The salary cap is how much money a team is allowed to spend on players’ contracts. So, as the NBA earns more revenue, the teams can spend more money on contracts. But imagine if teams were given less of a percentage of the NBA’s revenue. That means that players would get paid less but that money has to go somewhere. Instead, it would go to people like Adam Silver, who is currently commissioner of the NBA. It seems fairer that the players are getting 50% of the NBA’s revenue, rather than Adam Silver have all of it to himself.

Furthermore, consider the fact that each NBA player has some amount of influence. Sure someone like Antonio Blakeney will have less influence than LeBron James, but there are still people that will look to Blakeney as a role model. And though maybe this influence isn’t worth millions of dollars, it is at least worth something.

Personally, I don’t think that NBA players should be paid less. I think that they are paid a fair percentage of the NBA’s revenue and that it would be unfair if they were paid a lesser percentage. Though, yes, in its simplest, they are playing a child’s game, but consider the fact that they are playing it at the highest level in the entire world, and the fact that each NBA player has some influence over some group of people.

This has been Part 2 of Holden Rants About a Topic That Isn’t Really Relevant But is Still Kind of Interesting.

Editor: A.J. Patencio

Holden Rants About a Topic That Isn’t Really Relevant But is Still Kind of Interesting: Part 1

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How Much Symbolism is Too Much?

By Holden Hartle

I have the pleasure of taking a class with Mr. Griffin. He introduced the idea of symbolism to me when I was a freshman, and now I am reintroduced to it as a senior. He has opened my eyes to a whole new way of reading a story. Currently in class we are discussing short stories. Some ideas are far fetched–like a card game representing the Irish economy. The discussions we have in class explore the story beneath the story, as Mr. Griffin likes to put it.

For example, we read the story A&P by John Updike, in which a teenager quits his job as a cashier to go chase some girls in bikinis. At least, this is the story on the surface level. If you go one level deeper, the story is kind of a coming-of-age story, as the cashier quits his job because it proves that he can be autonomous. You can even go one step deeper and look at the lighting of the story. The “fake” lighting inside the store conveys the illusion that the teenager can actually go out and get these girls, but when he steps into the sunlight, or the “real” lighting, he is met with “reality” and the fact that he can’t get those girls.

But when does symbolism go too far? How deep can you look into a story before your symbolic interpretation just becomes wrong? Well, as with most cases, there are two sides to the story. One side can argue that whatever the reader can extrapolate from the story as symbolism should be taken as such, but the other side may argue that sometimes the author may just want to write something for the sake of writing it. Not all pieces of literature have to have symbolism. The common example is when an author writes, “The curtains were painted blue.” Mr. Griffin and I may look at this sentence and say that the curtains convey the protagonist’s sadness, and possibly his loneliness, when in fact the author may have just written that the curtains were blue, with no intended symbolism whatsoever.

There is another side of the story that raises an interesting question. Sometimes, symbolism reveals secrets about the author, regardless of whether or not they put it in consciously. If we use the curtain example again, what if we were to say that the curtains are blue because the author was feeling depressed at that point in time. Is that fair to say? In my opinion, no. It is unfair to extrapolate symbolism and relate it to the author, because you could stretch an idea to the point that you could say the author is a sexist for using a color primarily associated with boys.

So, yes, Mr. Griffin and the AP Literature class have a grand ol’ time “over analyzing” passages, but there is a point where symbolic analysis becomes too much. Personally, I believe that the author and the piece should remain separate entities. You, as the reader, can take whatever you want out of the story, but what you take from the story shouldn’t fall back onto the author. This has been Holden Rants About a Topic That Isn’t Really Relevant But is Still Kind of Interesting: Part 1.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Do YOU want to be a Pokemon trainer?

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By Jeremy Cheng, Pokemon Master

Before Thanksgiving, Nintendo published two new games for the Nintendo Switch called Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee! Check out the picture below.


They are both very similar games with a few small differences. Let’s talk about those differences.

Players will get either Pikachu or Eevee, depending on the version that you play.

When choosing Pikachu, we can yell, “Pikachu, I choose you!”

The Pikachu and Eevee that you get at the beginning are not going to “evolve” like most Pokemon do. But, the Pikachu and Eevee that you catch in the wild can evolve.

When using Pikachu and Eevee to enter a battle, the characters are not going to throw a Poke ball to release the Pokemon like in previous versions. Pikachu and Eevee will stand on the player character’s shoulders and jump into the battlefield.


Usually, Pikachu stands on the character’s shoulder, while Eevee sits on character’s head.

The Pikachu and Eevee you get at the beginning are called Partner Pokemon. They can learn special skills that other Pokemon are not able to learn.

In the older versions of the Pokemon games, when players want to catch Pokemon, players have to fight with the Pokemon that they want to catch and throw the Poke ball. In these two versions of the game, players only need to throw the ball. Like in Pokemon Go, there is no battle needed.


The first difference of these games is the outfits. In these games, players can buy different outfits for their partner Pokemon. The clothes that you can buy depend on the version you play.

Secondly, there are some Pokemon that only appear in one version of the game which means that players of both versions have to make Pokemon trades if they want to collect all the Pokemon. It provides a chance for players to be able to interact with other players and gives the game a community.


Players who have played Pokemon Go on the phone can transfer their Pokemon from Pokemon Go to Let’s go Pikachu or Let’s go Eevee.


There is an accessory called the Poke Ball Plus. Players can use Poke Ball Plus to walk their Pokemon in real life. Crazy!


As for me, I prefer Let’s Go Pikachu. When I was young, I imagined that I could have a Pikachu just like Ash, the famous character of the TV show who has the first generation Pikachu. This game lets me realize my childhood dream.


Editor: Luke Langlois

King of the Fighters XIII–A Review

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By Game-Reviewer James Zheng

A great graphic quality, a realistic sense of hitting, a diversity of abilities from game characters, all these are key elements to decide if a fighting game is truly extraordinary. All these qualities apply to one of the most classic and famous fighting games in the whole world, King of the Fighters. This series has continued updating for nine years. The very first work of KOF (King of the Fighters) was born in 1994; from there it gradually became an overwhelmingly popular fighting game. SNK Playmore released more versions each year until 2003.

SNK Playmore had a long and tortuous course in the development of King of the Fighters. While they were trying to release the seventh work of KOF they had to fight off a piracy version and fake simulators of their games. SNK Playmore rose again and then pushed out their thirteenth work–KOF XIII–as an announcement to the world that SNK Playmore is back.

There are three parts which make this particular work so fantastic. First, the animated artistic style mixes with 3D modeling. The characters are incredible even if the whole game is a 2D fighting game. If you play a special movement (a characteristic ability besides punch and kick), the animation may include fire, sparkles, and lightning. Secondly, because there are so many characters from which to choose, the game offers plenty of fighting combos. Some of them also have a characteristic background that creates a story. Thirdly, this game would not fail in the sense of playability, which refers to a factor that decides if this game gets boring. Since this game requires so much skill, it might take you a long time to master a certain character, but do not get me wrong. What I said does not mean every single character is extremely hard. They all have the basic and advanced fighting skills waiting for you to dig them out.

Depending on your preference of using keyboard or controller (I would suggest that controller is better) to play the game, you can play KOF on Xbox or PC system. The game is sold for $20 on Steam.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Ode to “Bohemian Rhapsody”

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By Holden Hartle

 

Queen has been in the media a lot recently, largely due to the movie Bohemian Rhapsody that came out last month. Since the release of the movie, Queen seems to be all that most music critics are talking about–a bit of a blast from the past. The song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is something where everyone goes, “Oh yeah, that’s a good song.” But, how did the song come to be?

The recent movie explains that after Queen released their first album, Freddie Mercury wanted to do something big and different, combining the vocal extremities of opera and the punchiness of rock n’ roll. And, after a long period of time composing in the country, the song was complete.

There was a lot of debate over whether or not “Bohemian Rhapsody” should be released as a single, as the song is almost six minutes in length. The record company was worried that the song was too long and that maybe it was a bit too avant garde. Needless to say, the song was released and was a huge hit. Its uniqueness is something that still strikes people today.

But what if the song was never released? Personally, I think the song is the work of a musical genius. This song fuses balladic lyrics with hard rock instruments, and operatic vocals. Yet, somehow, with all of these contrasting parts that dip into different genres, the song still remains coherent, and something that most people can immediately recognize from the piano introduction. But what if the song was never given the recognition? It is very possible that if Mercury wasn’t so adamant on the song being released as a single, it would have just been released as a part of the album and overlooked by a lot of people. Only the more hardcore fans would have listened to the song, because let’s be honest, even I only know Queen’s greatest hits.

It is kind of heartbreaking to think of a world without that song. Last year I went to a Green Day concert, and the introduction went like this. All the fans are talking to each other and suddenly, the lights go out. Then, in darkness, “Bohemian Rhapsody” plays before the band enters the stage. I was astonished as what seemed like every person in the stadium knew every word to the ballad. During the concert itself, Billie Joe Armstrong uses many of the crowd-hyping methods that Freddie Mercury did, i.e. the call and response method of singing a riff and having the crowd sing it back to you.

But now, back to the song at hand. Imagine creating a song with so much influence that a band from decades in the future will play your song in tribute, and that hundreds of thousands of people will be singing this ballad like it’s a hymn. But now imagine if that song was never released. Sure, life would go on, but only a select few would know of this fantastic song and its beauty.

The song deserves all of the media attention that it is currently receiving. The song has had several resurgences to the top of the charts, and, in my personal opinion, the song should remain on the charts for all time. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is so forward-thinking and is definitely unique from most other rock n’ roll ballads. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is truly beautiful.

Editor: Leo Milmet

2018 Palm Valley School Pride

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By AJ Patencio

On November 4th, Palm Springs held its 32nd annual Palm Springs Pride Parade, and the PVS Gender Sexuality Acceptance (GSA) Club was there to represent our loving community. We were put in spot 79 and given a banner with a colorful take on the Palm Valley Firebird logo. I was one of the GSA members who joined them, and it was an amazing experience to march through the streets while surrounded by my friends. I’m glad to have experienced it in my senior year before I go off to college. However, it’s not my first time participating in the Safe Schools march at the Palm Springs Pride Parade.

During my freshman year, before PVS had a GSA club, I was one of the only openly gay students in the Upper School. Our English teacher at the time, Mr. Griffin, had talked with the advisor for Palm Spring High School’s GSA club and received permission to send any of our students who wanted to participate in the Pride Parade with them. He handed out flyers, but I was the one student from our school who actually went. I was dropped off near the parade and had to walk alone to meet with the PSHS group, and I knew none of them. I was an alone 14 year old surrounded by people I didn’t know in a loud and crowded place. It was a memorable experience, but not in a good way.

This year was different. I’m 17 now. I was with friends and people I knew and trusted. I was never alone and  always easy to find, as I had a giant rainbow umbrella that unintentionally attacked anyone who got too close. We had school GSA shirts and many rainbow-colored tattoos. I learned of a certain teacher’s habit of putting empty gift cards in his wallet. I ate greasy pizza with my friends as we laughed at a cringy pamphlet. I met enthusiastic parents that were proud of what their kids were doing. I got to have an amazing experience that I won’t forget. I felt happy with who I am, and I’m glad that others will be able to experience this in the future.

Editor: Holden Hartle

Speed “Limits”?

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A Satirical Op-Ed By Luke Langlois

Hello to my fellow licensed drivers. Today, I am here to present an idea: the speed limits should be just a recommendation. We should all drive faster. There are so many reasons to leave the slow-driving hooligans in the dust.

Most cars literally encourage driving faster: Why is it so easy to drive faster? Well, it’s because you should drive faster! Driving slowly requires effort. It requires control. Honestly, who doesn’t want to just stretch out and floor it? To add onto this, why would a speedometer have speeds over 100 on them if you are not supposed to go over 100? When I’m cruising down Da Vall drive in my Lamborghini, I make it my goal to hit 160 before I get to school.

You use more fuel: Look, the world is running out of gas. By driving faster, you burn more fuel. By burning more fuel, you accelerate the rate at which we run out of fuel. If the Earth runs out of fuel, we would be forced to move to renewable energy! By moving to renewable energy, all of the world’s problems will be solved, no questions asked. Also, by burning more fuel, you have to spend more money. Spending money helps the American economy. Woo!

You save time: When I was a slow driver, I arrived slightly later to school. I was always in a rush. I found myself missing the five seconds that I could have had if I had just driven faster. I could open my locker with those 5 seconds! That time builds up, and we all know time is our most valuable resource. In a week, driving faster could save you a few minutes. Awesome!

You get more run-ins with the police: Who doesn’t love police officers? By driving faster, the police will happily spend more time with you due to your service to our community via economic contribution and a vastly efficient lifestyle.

You get to agitate the people in front of you: Under the shade of anonymity, annoying others is fun! By driving faster, you get the opportunity to ride the bumper of drivers in front of you. Who doesn’t love free rides?

So, that’s what I’ve got for today. Trust me, the list goes on. There are an endless amount of benefits to driving faster. I strongly encourage all of my readers to add at least an extra 50 mph to their average driving speed.

*Do note the element of satire and irony in the piece. The Blog advocates safe driving and good health.

Editor: AJ Patencio