False Equivalents

Pretend that two items are equal types, put them in the same box, and slap on a label.  Once that is done, the heavy lifting of thinking can cease. The label will keep people from looking in the box and asking, "Are these really equal or the same?"

A recent example: One of the criticisms of the Trump campaign was that it couldn't match the sophisticated "ground game" of the Clinton campaign. 

That assumed it needed one. [It also assumed that the Trump campaign was too dense or arrogant to see the need for a ground campaign] The big problem, however, was that Trump, via social media, had an "air campaign." 

Once the items were in the box, however, such assumptions would not be tested. The conclusion that Clinton would beat Trump on the ground game blinded people to the fact that Trump had another approach that would neutralize and beat the ground game.

There's an old saying in journalism, "If your mother says she loves you, check it out."

Add another one: "If someone tells you that two items are equal in nature or even the same, check it out."

Many times they are not even close to that. There are other factors in play.