PredFan
Diamond Member
Yeasterday someone started a thread in which they lamented the absense of civil discourse. While I remember feeling the same way as that person does I no longer do.
I came here from Hannity.com, before that I argued politics on a forum that my local newspaper ran on their website. Prior to that it was on Yahoo.com. Even before that, back in the dark ages of the internet, I argued politics on what was called "Newsgroups".
Some of them were moderated, some weren't. Many attempted to promote serious discussion and civil discourse and some were able to do that.
The point of this is that it's been my experience that even whn you do have a civil discussion, nothing changes, and no one on either side is converted.
So then I ask, what is the point of searching for a civil discussion? If you are doing it for the mental exercise or the intellectual stimulation, well, even if you are wallowing around at the bottom of the civility barrel, calling people names etc., mostly you still want to beat your opponent. And to do that often times you need to use your head. You need to find ways to pwn the guy so that when you call him an idiot, it has some bite to it.
If your point is to convert your opponent to your way of thinking well, while that is a more noble cause than defeating him, it just isn't going to happen. Who knows why we are so rigidly divided? We can see that clearly, outside of this message board in real life. I see it in the news, on the radio, on FaceBook....it's everywhere. It's rare for anyone to change their opinion. Even when you show someone proof of what you say in black and whte in one thread, they will come back in another thread or at another time, and say the exact same thing that you proved wrong last time.
It's no secret that I have used words like "stupid", "retard", "moron", have made jokes, been sarcastic, and waxed hyperbolic many times. But I come here for the mental exercise, the cure for boredom, and the venting of frustrations at the current state of government and politics. I also have learned things from many of these people. I have no delusions that I will change any of the minds of my political opponents.
If you dislike the nastiness that often occurs, then you do have a problem because aside from this one forum topic where that is forbidden, you really have no place to go. But really, why not join in anyway? You'll have as much success in accomplishing something in any thread here as you would in another site that is more restrictive. That is to say....none at all.
I came here from Hannity.com, before that I argued politics on a forum that my local newspaper ran on their website. Prior to that it was on Yahoo.com. Even before that, back in the dark ages of the internet, I argued politics on what was called "Newsgroups".
Some of them were moderated, some weren't. Many attempted to promote serious discussion and civil discourse and some were able to do that.
The point of this is that it's been my experience that even whn you do have a civil discussion, nothing changes, and no one on either side is converted.
So then I ask, what is the point of searching for a civil discussion? If you are doing it for the mental exercise or the intellectual stimulation, well, even if you are wallowing around at the bottom of the civility barrel, calling people names etc., mostly you still want to beat your opponent. And to do that often times you need to use your head. You need to find ways to pwn the guy so that when you call him an idiot, it has some bite to it.
If your point is to convert your opponent to your way of thinking well, while that is a more noble cause than defeating him, it just isn't going to happen. Who knows why we are so rigidly divided? We can see that clearly, outside of this message board in real life. I see it in the news, on the radio, on FaceBook....it's everywhere. It's rare for anyone to change their opinion. Even when you show someone proof of what you say in black and whte in one thread, they will come back in another thread or at another time, and say the exact same thing that you proved wrong last time.
It's no secret that I have used words like "stupid", "retard", "moron", have made jokes, been sarcastic, and waxed hyperbolic many times. But I come here for the mental exercise, the cure for boredom, and the venting of frustrations at the current state of government and politics. I also have learned things from many of these people. I have no delusions that I will change any of the minds of my political opponents.
If you dislike the nastiness that often occurs, then you do have a problem because aside from this one forum topic where that is forbidden, you really have no place to go. But really, why not join in anyway? You'll have as much success in accomplishing something in any thread here as you would in another site that is more restrictive. That is to say....none at all.
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