Society's Story: Fallacies & Stigmas

"Specific  factors  in  the  context  of  social  enterprises  focusing  on  assisting  ex-convicts  further complicate public attitudes. One of the primary factors is stigmatization, where societal biases against  ex-prisoners  may  negatively  affect  such  enterprises. The  public  often  associates  ex-convicts  with  crime  and unreliability,  which  reduces  their  willingness  to  support initiatives directed at their rehabilitation" (Jasni et al., 2019; Winnick & Bodkin, 2008).

 

Stigmatization

Stigmatization plays a large part in the public perception of ex-convicts, and females in particular. This phenomenon introduces steorotypical attitudes and discrimination, which make it difficult for incarcerated women to reintergrate into society. By coming on TikTok and sharing stories, women ex-convicts can reach their audience in a way that is nearly impossible to do in real life, since many would not be willing to give these women a chance to reshape their identities. In the eyes of a larger society, these women are excluded from most social experiences due to their criminal records.

 

In the research journal "Engaging with Second Chances: How Familiarity, Stigma, and Media Exposure Shape Public Attitudes towards Ex-Prisoner-Focused Social Enterprises," Ismail says, "When social enterprises are related to ex-prisoners, people may sense cognitive dissonance between their in-group identity and the enterprise’s inclusive ideals, resulting in unfavorable sentiments. Thus, more stigmatizations may lead to more negative sentiments about ex-prisoner-focused social enterprises. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed: Stigmatization  negatively  predicts  public  attitudes  toward ex-prisoner-focused  social enterprise" (Ismail, I. R.).

Unpacking flawed rhetorical arguments

The following rhetorical fallacies are employed to counteract the ethos of female ex-convicts on Tiktok:

Ad hominem

Ad Hominem (meaning "to the man") is a rhetorical stance that attacks the person making the argument or content, rather than the argument itself. This fallacy is often used in rebuttal to the narratives of women who have been incarcerated.

 

Examples include statements such as, "Why should I believe anything she has to say? She went to prison," or, "Once a criminal, always a criminal."

 

The rhetorical fallacy is ineffective because it strays from the actual argument that is being made, and brings in irrelevant judgement to attack another person's character.

Guilt by association

Guilt by Association occurs when someone is judged based on their (current or past) connections or affiliations.

Some commenters angrily critizize creators on TikTok, simply for sharing their story of rehabilitation. Women ex-con creators are stigmatized due to their past associations and the actions of other criminals. This rhetorical fallacy questions the credibility of another person, even if there is minimal proof that they themselves still associate with anything crime related in their lives.

 

It is ineffective because it overlooks the growth and distinctiveness from one person to another.

Slippery Slope

Even slippery slope fallacies are common on Prisontok.

 

In one video of Jennifer Gomez's, "Protect Your Home From a Burglar," she describes what she would look out for before burglarizing a home, in hopes to prevent this occuring to her audience, and to spread awareness. One commentor critiques: "Wow!! What has this world come too!! You're basically teaching future kids/people how to burglar[...], Lord please help us from these people."

 

Slippery slopes are ineffective because they deter away from logic and use claims based on fear and exaggeration to deliver a point.

Source: Under @jenjengomez2.0 Video on TikTok

In Summary

Now that we have examined the rhetorical fallacies that attempt to discredit ex-convict creators on TikTok, we can understand why these approaches are ineffective and where they fall inconsistent in an argument.

 

The use of rhetorical fallacies in matters such as this where there is a group being looked at as distant and separate from the general society shows the significance of social/historical norms. Barta and Andalibi write, "On social media, both user behavior (e.g., likes, comments) as well as the materiality of the platform, such as policies, features and affordances, and modality of content, influence the social context from which norms arise." (Barta and Andalibi, “Constructing Authenticity on TikTok: Social Norms and Social Support on the ‘Fun’ Platform”)