So what/if/who are you to decide

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seedling article
This article is incomplete. It might be useful as a reference, but avoid offering it as a definitive presentation.
Irrelevant Comment: “Who are you to decide this?”

About

This dodge is usually used in the context of an argument where there is some value that would need to be decided. For example, you might be saying "people who have more than enough money should be required to give some of it back to society"; in that context, the speaker might say "who are you do decide how much money is 'enough' for someone else to have?"

The speaker is picking on a detail that would need to be decided later and trying to imply that nobody has the right to decide it, thus shifting the topic and derailing the discussion.

Replies

Many replies are possible; further study is necessary to determine which ones are the most effective.

serious

I'm not attempting to decide it; that would be a matter for later discussion.

snarky

  • I am the Czar of all the Russias! And who might you be?
  • I am Ozymandias, King of Kings! Who the hell are you?