Implications
Having participated in a couple of discussions in the past day or two, my experience has really driven home, once again, my belief that most people are really terrible at debating. So I decided to write an article about the biggest problem I saw. (I completely gave up on the discussion at Alas, a Blog. The commenters ginmar and Q Grrl especially were guilty of the faults I describe there. Also, I’m not resentful in particular about these discussions, they just happened to be the most recent ones I’ve had that have led me to think about these issues, and thus, to write this post. Also, I’d like to say that LizardBreath is already a quite good follower of the advice I give in the third section of the article, though of course there’s always room for improvement.)
You should really, really go read it now. It’s also right over there on the sidebar, so if you ever want to link to it, you know where to find it.
I remember reading somewhere (don’t feel like googling) that people who spend time in “enemy” forums, like liberals posting at Red State or whatnot, tend to solidify their prejudices about the other side, and rarely really gain a more naunced and sympathetic understanding of their opponents’ positions. I wonder if the dynamic I describe in the article is at least part of the mechanism behind this.
August 3rd, 2006 at 15:12
Hey, thanks. I think you spell out the problem rather well, and I’m flattered by the compliment. I don’t always manage, but I do try.