Not unlike phrases – without which we can’t seem to speak – that catch on for a while and then fade away, argument strategies come in waves too. The latest is deciding – pretty much all on your own – that if someone says p, that’s code for some q which is thoroughly vile. So “New York values” is code for Jewish values, and hence an antisemitic trope. And the great thing about this ploy is that it can’t be falsified. If you say, “No it’s not!” you’re either lying or you’re displaying your ignorance of what everyone else knows, so why don’t you?

I recommend you turn this move on the player who’s just deployed it. Just remind him that saying that “‘New York values is code for Jewish values’ is code for homophobia. C’mon. You knew that!”

Categories: Everything You Wanted to Know About What's Going On in the World But Were Afraid to Ask