[th0ma5]

Right the I'm just joking defense. That's what everyone said about all of the horrible racist things that Trump said. That he was just joking. And then he looks straight into the camera and said that he never jokes.

It is clearly not a joke, in fact he is pleading the whole time how much it is not a joke.

Edit: I love also how you move the goal post from no way did he ever say it to yes of course he said it but it's a joke. Now that is disinformation.

[exporectomy]

I didn't say he didn't say it. You're making things up.

Are you seriously saying you believe he hasn't washed his hands for 10 years and doesn't believe in germs because he can't see them? What does he do when he spills sauce on his fingers? Wipe them on his shirt?

[th0ma5]

An appeal like this is a kind of concession, and I'm glad you agree that the video is accurate and that he did say that he didn't wash his hands.

Edit: specifically this fallacy... Even Snopes says he hasn't been clear even since wanting to both claim it was joke but also that he was serious. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_incredulity

[exporectomy]

A concession to what? Yes, we agree with each other about what he said. I'm sure we also agree that water is wet. So what?

I think you should re-read each of the comments you replied to. Every one of yours has shown a major misunderstanding. It looks like you've ascribed your own preconceived words to me instead of reading my actual words.

[th0ma5]

I think the thing that I'm really driving at is my last edit, and maybe I was disingenuous in not getting there sooner, but he desperately needs a certain amount of people to believe that he doesn't wash his hands, or else he wouldn't have said that. There's a certain amount of truth in every joke after all.

So I actually kind of believe that maybe he most recently had he maybe hadn't washing his hands much, maybe, but what he really wanted to communicate was this sort of posturing thing, and that's why he can't actually like have a segment on the show where he talks about how of course he washes his hands, and why you can't Google anywhere finding him saying such a thing like of course I would wash my hands. Mark my words he will never ever claim to actually wash his hands. Even if he does. It isn't a joke, it's a specifically crafted message.

So when I'm saying that I believe that he doesn't wash his hands, it is literally because that is what he is saying. So yes I agree to your incredulity that no I don't really believe that, because it probably shouldn't be true, but I do believe strongly that he really does want everyone to believe it to be true, and that it wasn't a joke.

But now it is sort of in this liminal space, where he can laugh at the liberals because they didn't get the joke, the hypermasculine people can believe that it's true and that this person really knows what they believe that washing your hands is something that only pussies do, and then the run of the mill conservatives can now also laugh at the liberals for not getting the apparently obvious joke.

This is a pattern that holds with many conservative things, and I see that you're in this last group.