[...] but I have heard things that sound very much like a self-censored version of that.
What exactly do you count as a self-censored version of that? Pointing out that you’re an exceptional X, that you have characteristic Z, which correlates negatively with Y, or some such thing? If so, the answer is: well, of course, what do you expect?
If people make a generic generalization along the lines of “(all) X are Y”, then naturally, you have to be an exceptional X in order to be Y. One could say that it’s enough that you are Y, because then you are an exceptional X in virtue of that. But that’s not how generic generalizations work. People make such generalization usually not purely on the basis of statistical data, but because in their model, something about X causes Y (or they have a common cause). So if you’re X, but not Y, chances are you have additional characteristic Z, which is rare among Xs, and which counteracts X’s influence on Y.
It’s just like saying “dogs have four legs—well, not Fido, obviously, but he’s had an accident and one of his legs had to be amputated”. This kind of thing might sound a bit like a self-censored version of “but Fido isn’t a true dog”, but what it really says is “but Fido isn’t an ordinary dog”, which is entirely correct!
Maybe you’re aware of all this anyway, but I just thought it’d be worth pointing out.
In the context of human groups and human sub-groups, I’m not sure “ordinary” member of the group is used differently than “true” member of the group. Witness those who claim the community organizer is not “really” black because he did not live the ordinary life experiences of a black male child (i.e. he didn’t live in a poverty stricken inner city while growing up).
I’m inclined to argue, as some linguists would, that tabooing “ordinary” is impossible in this context, because people are intuitive essentialists, and that generic statements make reference to such postulated essences, which define what makes for an “ordinary” X. (Hence a lot of Aristotelian nonsense.)
This does, indeed, fit very well with your observation—with which I agree—that sometimes, the borderline between “ordinary” and “true/real” becomes blurred. However, I think one should still be wary of suspecting mentions of “extraordinary” of being censored no-true-Scotsman-arguments without further evidence.
What exactly do you count as a self-censored version of that? Pointing out that you’re an exceptional X, that you have characteristic Z, which correlates negatively with Y, or some such thing? If so, the answer is: well, of course, what do you expect?
If people make a generic generalization along the lines of “(all) X are Y”, then naturally, you have to be an exceptional X in order to be Y. One could say that it’s enough that you are Y, because then you are an exceptional X in virtue of that. But that’s not how generic generalizations work. People make such generalization usually not purely on the basis of statistical data, but because in their model, something about X causes Y (or they have a common cause). So if you’re X, but not Y, chances are you have additional characteristic Z, which is rare among Xs, and which counteracts X’s influence on Y.
It’s just like saying “dogs have four legs—well, not Fido, obviously, but he’s had an accident and one of his legs had to be amputated”. This kind of thing might sound a bit like a self-censored version of “but Fido isn’t a true dog”, but what it really says is “but Fido isn’t an ordinary dog”, which is entirely correct!
Maybe you’re aware of all this anyway, but I just thought it’d be worth pointing out.
Perhaps taboo “ordinary” and “true”?
In the context of human groups and human sub-groups, I’m not sure “ordinary” member of the group is used differently than “true” member of the group. Witness those who claim the community organizer is not “really” black because he did not live the ordinary life experiences of a black male child (i.e. he didn’t live in a poverty stricken inner city while growing up).
I’m inclined to argue, as some linguists would, that tabooing “ordinary” is impossible in this context, because people are intuitive essentialists, and that generic statements make reference to such postulated essences, which define what makes for an “ordinary” X. (Hence a lot of Aristotelian nonsense.)
This does, indeed, fit very well with your observation—with which I agree—that sometimes, the borderline between “ordinary” and “true/real” becomes blurred. However, I think one should still be wary of suspecting mentions of “extraordinary” of being censored no-true-Scotsman-arguments without further evidence.