Argumentum ad hominem is a propaganda tool used by unethical politicians to distract

voters by attacking their opponent on a personal level. Within a few hours of winning the

Republican primary for governor, Ron Desantis attacks his opponent Andrew Gillum employing

an argumentum ad hominem disguised in a dog-whistle. When interviewed by Foxnews.com

shortly after his victory, Ron DeSantis said, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up

by trying to embrace a socialist agenda." (DeSantis). DeSantis' opponent Andrew Gillum, if he

wins this election, will be Florida's first black governor. It seems clear that DeSantis would

rather Florida's voters focus on Mr. Gillum's race rather than his policies, history, or voting

record. Mr. DeSantis' comments were quickly denounced by many, including Fox News.

Stephen Lawson, a spokesperson for DeSantis' campaign responded by saying, "Ron DeSantis

was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist

policies that Andrew Gillum espouses. To characterize it as anything else is absurd." (Lawson).

This denial is exactly the point of using a dog-whistle and it is an unethical propaganda tool. Commented [G1]: Inserted: n
Commented [G2]: Inserted: R
According to Jack Crosbie, a dog whistle is statement that appears innocuous or plausibly
Commented [G3]: Deleted:r

deniable to the general population, but is meant to be a signal to a different group of people.

(Crosbie). In this case, it is a clear signal to racists, alt-leftists, and Trumpers that if Mr. Gillum,

a black man, wins the governorship, that he will ‘monkey up' Florida with his blackness.

"Monkey this up" is used as a dog-whistle to focus the dialogue on Mr. Gillum's race rather than

who is more qualified to lead as Florida's governor. Instead of rationally choosing to elect a

qualified candidate, or to even reevaluate their prejudices, voters are encouraged to be afraid and

to vote according to their fears. Mr. DeSantis, who is a career politician, is obviously aware that

African American people are often subjected to racial slurs and dehumanizing comparisons to

apes. This is an argumentum ad hominem attack on Mr. Gillum. Commented [G4]: Inserted: .
Commented [G5]: Inserted: n
 Argumentum ad hominem propaganda is dangerous. It encourages voters to vote

according to their emotions and prejudices. Dog-whistles are worse. Moderate Republicans and

the public can shrug off these comments by suggesting that Mr. DeSantis misspoke, or that

others are misinterpreting him for political reasons. In the meantime, the far-left and the racist

hear that there is a politician who agrees with them. They hear that they are right to be afraid and

to hate people who are different from them. They must do something to prevent Florida from

getting monkeyed up! Commented [G6]: Inserted: from

Commented [G7]: Deleted:in general,
During his campaign for president, President Trump used dog-whistles often. The
Commented [G8]: Deleted:than

mantra, "Make America Great Again!" is a dog-whistle that suggests life was better in the good

old days. Those days were certainly not great for women, people of color, or homosexuals. When

he won, Trump proved propaganda that promotes anger and fear works. Unethical politicians,

like Mr. DeSantis, have learned from the Trump campaign that this strategy wins elections.

Unfortunately, this type of propaganda is not going away because it does work. Commented [G9]: Inserted: o
Commented [G10]: Deleted:e
Politics should be about debate and civil discourse. It should be about educated civilians

who vote rationally, carefully choosing a representative who is most qualified to lead. Politicians

who encourage racism and ignorance through the use of propaganda tools like argumentum ad

hominem are unethical and they should be ignored.