- The dragon one is particularly grating, but I don't care for any "if that's the case, then what about x" arguments in this case. Any argument that comes down to "okay but you're not being accurate in xyz ways" gives up ground as far as the fundamental wrongness of the premise is concerned. There should be no okay but, even implicitly. The idea that minorities and active women didn't exist in the medieval world can't be accepted, at all.
- Also, I most often hear that argument with the assumption that everyone would have missing teeth if it were Being Accurate, or that everyone would be a plague survivor/victim—"Okay, but historically, X would have smallpox scars and be missing five teeth, so..." It usually seems like a pretty lazy appeal to the most stereotypical, generalized ideas of the medieval world.
- I'm not particularly thrilled about being placed on a par with disease and disfigurement, either.
no subject
- The dragon one is particularly grating, but I don't care for any "if that's the case, then what about x" arguments in this case. Any argument that comes down to "okay but you're not being accurate in xyz ways" gives up ground as far as the fundamental wrongness of the premise is concerned. There should be no okay but, even implicitly. The idea that minorities and active women didn't exist in the medieval world can't be accepted, at all.
- Also, I most often hear that argument with the assumption that everyone would have missing teeth if it were Being Accurate, or that everyone would be a plague survivor/victim—"Okay, but historically, X would have smallpox scars and be missing five teeth, so..." It usually seems like a pretty lazy appeal to the most stereotypical, generalized ideas of the medieval world.
- I'm not particularly thrilled about being placed on a par with disease and disfigurement, either.