| − | '''Guilt by Association''' is a term used to describe the practice of accusing an individual of a misdeed, characterized by his connection to a certain group or organization. Guilt by Association is sometimes referred to as collective [[guilt]], the act of a member of an organization feeling guilty for the actions of the group or other group members. A historical example of this is [[Joseph McCarthy]], a [[United States]] Congressman who has been accused this tactic to identify individuals of [[communism]]. Hence, later liberals fabricated the misleading term [[McCarthyism]] to describe his tactics. However in more recent times, Guilt by Association has been used by [[liberal]] activist groups to cast disdain upon [[conservative]]s. An example of this is the smearing used by [[Wikipedia]], by associating individuals with the [[John Birch Society]]. | + | '''Guilt by Association''' is a term which describes the act of attempting to discredit person because of his connection to a certain group or organization. Guilt by association is sometimes referred to as collective [[guilt]], the act of a member of an organization being held responsible for the actions of the group or other group members. |
| | + | [[United States]] [[Congressman]] [[Joseph McCarthy]] was accused of using this tactic in his search to identify individuals of [[Communist Party]]. Later liberals fabricated the term [[McCarthyism]] to describe his tactics. Guilt by association is still used by groups today to discredit their opponents. For example, some individuals have been smeared by [[Wikipedia]]n editors, by associating those individuals with the [[John Birch Society]]. |