Debate skills
Posted by Moonage on 23 Jun 2005 | Tagged as: Opinions
I get bugged by some people. I really do. I saw a perfect example of what bugs me most today. Follow this for me, will ya?
On Jackson’s Junction, "Pamela" makes this observation:
But But But But……..there are no WMDs! So where did these come from?
And then goes into some detail of continuuing references to WMD’s that "the other side" has always argued never existed.
Now, some people tried to argue the merits of her statement. The ones that bug me were actually the first to respond. Check this out for logic:
You look like Katherine Harris, and looking at her latest poll numbers, and her face, that’s not a good thing.
Maybe you don’t need Maybelline?
You know where you won’t have to worry about drawing on your eyebrows and putting pancake batter all over your face, the MILITARY. You might want to join since they do face a recruitment problem.
I understand though, ranting/lying/blogging is much safer than enlisting.
OK, what that commentator did was:
- Insult
- Insult
- Insult
- Insult
The one thing they didn’t do, was make an argument for their case. So, the sum effect of their post was nothing but ill will. That’s it. Nothing was gained. Nada. Zero. Zilch.
This is an open invitation to Liz Blair to explain what the point of her post was. What was she hoping to gain? When she read that post and came to conclusion she didn’t agree with it, what was the line of thought that led "her" to believe attacking Pamela’s appearance had anything to do with WMD’s in Iraq? What made her think that if Pamela were to volunteer in Iraq that it would change the history of the Iraqi WMD issue? And finally, who taught you ( Liz ), manners? I’d like to query them as well on the expectations they had for their daughter and whether or not those expectations were realized in that post. I know it may seem I’m picking on Liz, but she’s only the poster child of a LOT of people out there. People are complaining of "Polarization in the US". It’s not a Bush thing. It’s not even a Clinton thing. It’s an individual thing and Liz is the perfect example of it.
Heads up to Instapundit.
1 Comment »
on 24 Jun 2005 at 11:38 am 1.StormWarning
said …
Of course, it is readily apparent that there is a difference between “debate” as practiced on the Internet and debate, as practiced in the presence of your co-debator.
I believe that that specific point is lost on all of these Internet warriors who shout down or wear out their opponents with rhetoric and non-sequitor and silly arguments that wouldn’t get them to square one in a rational debate of the issues in real life.
Every day, we witness that on the Fool (and what fools some of them are).
People with limited intelligence (or perhaps, intelligent, but less likely to be verbally articulate) pound away at their keyboards and make post after post after post as though they were slogging through a rice paddy taking every inch forward as a victory…never realizing that the next step they take could lead to that “click” and then, KABOOM!, they’ve lost their argument and their manhood forever.
So, I contend that there is no relativity or comparison between personal debate (and debating skills, including critical thinking) and what happens on Internet discussion boards or even blogs that encourage comments. That’s generally not debate…it typewritten mudslinging.
ACCEPT NO DEFEAT AS FINAL…LOL