Slippery Slope
Madison Hume
What is Slippery Slope?
• Slippery slope is when a person
asserts that some event must
inevitably follow from another
without any rational argument or
demonstrable mechanism for the
inevitability of the event in
question. A slippery slope
argument states that a relatively
small first step leads to a chain of
related events.
The man in the above picture asks for a refill but is told that if he gets
a refill, then everyone will have to get refills. This is an example of
slippery slope because one event will lead to other related events
"Slippery Slope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d.
Web. 12 Mar. 2015.
Universal Example
• A universal example of slippery slope is the commercial from Taco Bell
over their new Waffle Tacos. Through this commercial, they are using
slippery slope to say that since they have made something as cool as a
waffle taco, the next thing you know, they will make bizarre
combinations like a “pancake enchilada” The people eating them will
then start doing crazy things like growing ponytails. The making of the
waffle taco will lead to the making of other insane breakfast
combinations.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dGMsHy0c20
"Waffle Taco Slippery Slope 2014 Taco Bell® Breakfast
Commercial."YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Universal Example #2
• Another example of Slippery Slope is
the book If You Give A Mouse A
Cookie. The book starts out with
saying if you give a mouse a cookie,
he will then ask for a glass of milk
and so on. The fact that the mouse is
given a cookie leads to many other
events in the book.
"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Slippery Slope (from book) Example #1
• “Thomas, Thomas, I pray you, leap not to witchcraft. I know that you—
you least of all, Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid
upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem
for such corruption in my house.” - Parris (Act I page 172)
• Thomas thinks Parris may be accused of witchcraft but Parris is begging
for him not to jump straight to such conclusions. If Parris is charged with
witchcraft, then more severe consequences will later occur (Parris being
taken out of Salem).
Slippery Slope (from book) Example #2
• “That bloody mongrel Walcott charge her. Y’see, he buy a pig of my wife four or five
year ago, and the pig died soon after. So he come dancin’ in for his money back. So
my Martha, she says to him, “Walcott, if you haven’t the wit to feed a pig properly,
you’ll not live to own many,” she says. Now he goes to court and claims that from that
day to this he cannot keep a pig alive for more than four weeks because my Martha
bewitch them with her books!” –Giles (Act 2 page 201)
• All because Walcott’s pig died that he bought from Martha, a series of events follows
that causes Walcott to charge her with bewitching the pigs. If he charges her of
something this minute and she doesn’t confess, she will be hanged. This is Walcott’s
only explanation for why the pigs die.
Slippery Slope (from book) Example #3
• The Deputy Governor promise hangin’ if they’ll not confess, John. The
town’s gone wild, I think. She speak of Abigail, and I thought she were a
saint, to hear her. Abigail brings the other girls into the court, and where
she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. And folks are
brought before them, and if they scream and howl and fall to the floor—
the person’s clapped in the jail for bewitchin’ them.” –Elizabeth (Act 2
page 193)
• In that society, if you are accused for possible signs of witchcraft and you
are brought into court, you must confess or you will be hanged. Elizabeth
is explaining that such actions such as screaming and howling and falling
to the floor can lead to someone being put into jail for causing them to
act this way.
References
• "Slippery Slope." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Mar.
2015.
• "Waffle Taco Slippery Slope 2014 Taco Bell® Breakfast
Commercial."YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
• "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d.
Web. 16 Mar. 2015.