Tu Quoque fallacy

This month is also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival for the Chinese. Most people will like to have ghost movies or talk about ghost stories during this period of time. Just two days ago, when i was having supper at a mamak stall with my friends, one of my friend started the topic about ghost story. We talk about a plenty of stories that we had heard before and the story that shock me the most is this.

It happened in an hostel of a university. When the university starts a new year, there will be a lot of new students staying in that hostel. There were three friends, they knew each other since primary school so they move in to that hostel together. A room in that hostel can fit in four person that means they will be staying with another roommate that they don't know. His name is Jesper.

When they are unpacking their stuff, Jesper told them to keep the top of their cupboard occupied. Don't leave it with nothing on top of it. They felt curious and they ask him why they have to do that. After that, Jesper told three of them to sit down n he started to tell them the story that he heard from the past resident of their room.

A few years ago there was a student that stay in this room. Due to stress of the exam, he commit suicide in the wash room just a few steps from the room. He slashed this wrist and bleed to death. What the past residents or the room experience before is, one day, one of them is staying late playing computer games. When he is about to lie on the bed, he noticed that there is someone sitting on top of the cupboard... Swinging its legs and knock on the wooden surface of the cupboard. He was so scared and he pretend to sleep and just don't look at it.

Suddenly he felt that it get down from the cupboard, and walk to his roommate one by one. It said: " Ini dah tidur..." Which means this one sleep already. Then he was the last, this time what it said is different. It said: " Ini pura pura tidur!!! " Then it just lied down beside him in his bed and vanished after awhile... That's why Jesper told them to keep the top of the cupboard occupied so that can prevent it from coming back.

After listening to this, i felt scare and i said i decide to switch on the light to sleep for today. Then one of my friend said that why i am so timid. He also said that I am a guy, should be more brave. But actually he is more timid than me... He doesn't even dare to take the lift back to his apartment alone and he wanted me to accompany him go back to his apartment.

This relates to Tu Quoque fallacy which means you accuse another person of the same trait or characteristic that person has attributed to you.

Written by: Kor Qin Sheng