The Goomba Fallacy

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From time to time, I enjoy incorporating memes into psychoeducational lessons on Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Recently, I learned of a memetic example called the Goomba fallacy which will serve as a worthy REBT exercise. According to one source:

The Goomba Fallacy refers to an exploitable meme created by X / Twitter users @supersylvie_ and @NopeSignal in January 2024. The meme describes the phenomenon in which a person outside a community gets contradicting opinions funneled to them through Twitter, causing them to imagine a sort of hivemind that holds conflicting opinions, instead of recognizing that two people within a community can have opposing opinions.

The meme typically features creatures known as Goombas from the Super Mario video game series, and is meant to be read right to left. The Goomba Fallacy came to be referenced repeatedly in 2024 and 2025, especially in the context of video game and Switch 2 discourse, with the Goombas sometimes being replaced by other characters or X being swapped for another platform.

Nintendo (the company that owns the rights to Goombas) has a reputation for being litigious, particularly when it comes to protecting its intellectual property, so I’ve altered the meme herein. After all, I don’t want the Japanese multinational video game company to sue me.

Besides, I doubt that the company wants United States (U.S.) politics associated with its brand. In any case, the Goomba fallacy is fairly straightforward when read right to left. For context, here’s the setup:

Regarding X (formerly Twitter), people engage in discourse.

Person 1: “I have opinion A that contradicts opinion B.”

Person 2: “I have opinion B that contradicts opinion A.”

Person 3: “Everyone on this website is stupid, except for me.” Meanwhile, this individual thinks: I believe in opinion A and B, I’m a stupid walking contradiction.

My version of the Goomba fallacy is represented thusly:

Regarding X, people engage in discourse.

Politician 1: “I believe in a Make America Great Again [MAGA] policy by backing our greatest ally, Israel.”

Politician 2: “I believe in an America First policy.”

Politician 3: “Everyone on this social media platform is useless, except me.” Meanwhile, this individual thinks: I believe in opinions A and B; therefore, I’m a useless walking contradiction.

Reportedly developed together with his wife Katharine S. White, writer E. B. White once stated, “Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the purely scientific mind.” How about we dissect this frog now?

First things first, I maintain that “America” constitutes North, Central, and South America. Therefore, it’s absurd to me that so many people refer only to the U.S. by this word. Minor quibble aside and deliberately misusing this term moving forward, one source states of MAGA:

“Make America Great Again” is an American political slogan most recently popularized by Donald Trump during his successful presidential campaigns in 2016 and in 2024. “MAGA” is also used to refer to Trump’s ideology, political base, or to an individual or group of individuals from within that base.

While a MAGA agenda can refer to the economy, our foreign policy, the healthcare industry, and other elements of U.S. failure, maintenance, or success, the inference of this slogan is fairly forthright. In simple terms, it can be represented by the following syllogism:

Form (modus ponens) –

If p, then q; p; therefore, q.

Example –

If one wants to Make America Great Again, then one will focus on American issues above all else. One wants to Make America Great Again. Therefore, one will focus on American issues above all else.

A MAGA schema wouldn’t center allies of America before lending attention to matters which directly or indirectly affect American citizens (e.g., funding military operations of other nations, thus raising taxes for Americans). This brings into mind what a separate source says:

America First is a policy in the United States that emphasizes the fundamental notion of “putting America first”, which generally involves disregarding global affairs and focusing solely on domestic policy in the United States. This generally denotes policies of non-interventionism, American nationalism, and protectionist trade policy.

Similar to MAGA ideology, an America First platform centers Americans above all other nations. However, this doesn’t mean that other countries (e.g., Israel) are completely neglected. Rather, America is tended to first. America First can be represented by the following syllogism:

Form (hypothetical) –

If p, then q; if q, then r; therefore, if p, then r.

Example –

If America First is national policy, then making America great again means that American interests and goals are considered prior to any other nation’s desires or objectives.

If making America great again means that American interests and goals are considered prior to any other nation’s desires or objectives, then America cannot move forward with tacitly opposing each and every nation or population targeted by Israel.

Therefore, if America First is national policy, then America cannot move forward with tacitly opposing each and every nation or population targeted by Israel.

Second things second, Republican politicians 1 and 2 in the Goomba fallacy meme I’ve created espouse contradicting ideologies. I argue that one can maintain a MAGA outlook while backing Israel. However, one cannot simultaneously endorse an America First agenda, as illustrated thus:

Form (constructive dilemma) –

If p, then q; and if r, then s; but either p, or r; therefore, either q, or s.

Example –

If one maintains a MAGA outlook, then backing Israel as this country picks fights with nations associated with multiple Arab, Persian, Levant, and other regions could be considered merely a form support to “our greatest ally.”

And if one endorses an America First agenda, then the American government would’ve stopped supporting Israel after its potential genocidal or ethnic cleansing actions regarding the people of Gaza, after Israel conducted an airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, after Israel sent thousands of exploding handheld pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies across Lebanon and Syria, and now after Israel began launching large-scale attacks against targets in several areas in Iran.

But either one maintains a MAGA outlook, or one endorses an America First agenda.

Therefore, backing Israel as this country picks fights with nations associated with multiple Arab, Persian, Levant, and other regions could be considered merely a form support to “our greatest ally,” or the American government would’ve stopped supporting Israel after its potential genocidal or ethnic cleansing actions regarding the people of Gaza, after Israel conducted an airstrike on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, after Israel sent thousands of exploding handheld pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies across Lebanon and Syria, and now after Israel began launching large-scale attacks against targets in several areas in Iran.

One who simultaneously represents MAGA and America First perspectives is using illogical and unreasonable (irrational) thinking. Noteworthy, in a post entitled Questioning, Challenging, and Contradicting Irrational Beliefs, I quoted an REBT author who stated (page 130):

I tell my patients almost ad nauseam, you can only get rid of a superstition or false belief […] by continually questioning, challenging, contradicting it, by doing what we do in scientific experiments: marshaling the factual evidence against this highly implausible hypothesis.

It’s a highly implausible hypothesis to maintain the dilemma of concurrent MAGA and America First outlooks. Thus, it isn’t a matter of a false dichotomy to rationally maintain that one either supports a MAGA ideology or supports an America First philosophy.

Third things third, Republican politician 3 in the Goomba fallacy meme I’ve created states, “Everyone on this social media platform is useless, except me.” Meanwhile, this individual thinks: I believe in opinions A and B; therefore, I’m a useless walking contradiction.

It isn’t uncommon to enter into the cognitive realm of a somewhat confusing, challenging or uncomfortable dialectic (the Hegelian process of change in which a concept or its realization passes over into and is preserved and fulfilled by its opposite). People maintain contradictions.

A contradiction is simply a proposition, statement, or phrase that asserts or implies both the truth and falsity of something. Unhelpfully, when maintaining this common perspective, Republican politician 3 additionally utilizes what is known in REBT as a global evaluation.

This occurs when rigidly, self-disturbingly, unhelpfully, falsely, and illogically generalizing or appraising in such a manner as to disregard evidence to the contrary of one’s own irrational belief (e.g., I believe in opinions A and B; therefore, I’m a useless walking contradiction).

Although Republican politician 3 maintains incompatible opinions, he is not his beliefs. Therefore, to declare himself a “useless” individual – when basing his appraisal on a mere mental description or prescription (i.e., thought or belief) – is a matter of irrationality.

Unfavorable evaluations of others (e.g., everyone on this social media platform is useless) and oneself (e.g., I’m a useless walking contradiction) are illustrated as causing self-disturbance, per the ABC model of REBT. Thus, Republican politician 3 may benefit from disputing his beliefs.

Additionally, he could use unconditional other- and unconditional self-acceptance in regard to this matter. After all, one who maintains a useless attitude isn’t a useless individual. Thus, addressing what is useless (i.e., the belief) could impact what one believes about oneself.

Last things last, I’m aware that some people may regard my criticism of Israel as supposedly antisemitic. Apparently, a number of individuals irrationally maintain that critique of a bully state (i.e., government) somehow represents disapproval of its citizens or an entire ethnicity.

Throughout my blog, I’ve addressed this matter ad nauseam. For context, go onto my professional website, locate the “search” feature, and type in “Israel” to better understand why consideration of my perspective as allegedly representing antisemitism is preposterous.

Alas, people will think or believe whatever they choose. Ergo, your boos mean nothing, I’ve seen what makes you cheer (i.e., your silly label of antisemitism means nothing to me when you emphatically support Israel’s potential genocidal behavior and ethnic cleansing).

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW

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