Opinion - Debate
Can you articulate your opinion in a debate without personal attacks
Opinions . Why is your opinion better that someone else's.
No matter where the information comes from that form our opinion It is absolutely correct. Cannot be challenged our questioned. After all others have the same opinion and share the same view that one may have. That in and of itself supports and confirms an opinion to be absolute.
If you challenge someone's opinion you are a bigot, a racist, a baby killer to mention just a few things that suggest a correct opinion. Any questioning is a direct attack by those who do not hold the same opinion and must be dealt with harshly.
Debate is a four letter word that is taboo when addressing an opinion. After all one cannot allow any fact in your opinion to be brought out into the light. Challenging any of the building blocks that formed the opinion or your opinion might be wrong. God forbid.
I have always been open to hear other people's opinion. Whether I agree with them or not. My opinion over time has changed on different things due to being open to ideas, and why people have the opinion they have. It gives me a better perspective and an education on the topics of the day. That no longer seems to be the case.
I have never taken a disagreement personnel. On the other hand if you call me a racist because of my opinion I will ask you to state the fact / proof that you accused me of being so. Generally I avoid getting into a conversation with people who are so emotional involved in a subject that their brain no longer function and only emotional speech flows from their mouth. I just don't have time for stupid. There is no value in it. I do enjoy debating, the bantering back and forth with facts and ideas. There is so much to learn. When I was in college were were given subjects to defend. You might have personnely disagreed with the position you had to defend but you defended it anyway. I think the Professor had some kind of inside knowledge because noone ever got a topic to defend that they personnely agreed with. Or maybe it was a morbid sence of humor because he enjoyed it to much.
Learning is a process of gathering information. There is no learning if everyone is of the same opinion or idea. All of our experience are different. And so is our opinions. Understanding others opinion gives us the ability to learn without going through the experiences of others.
It is a shame that many of us feel that a challenge on our opinion is an attack. That the only way is to shut down debate. To crucify any who are not similar in our opinion. That the only way to defend your opinion when faced with facts is to call people racist or any other personnel attack.
Not to long ago I had such an encounter / debate with @mirrors. I enjoyed it and it gave me some insight on her opinion and why. There was no right or wrong just ideas. The discussion was refreshing and I learned something from it. Should that not be the way, standard that ideas are shared
wolfhart
Plankton I.
I remind myself that you can't have a rational discussion with an irrational person. They may not be irrational all the time, or with other topics, but if talking about a subject makes someone so emotional that it makes them deaf to another opinion -- well, it's not a discussion or a debate anymore.
I poke the bear
But cut it off before it turns into an argument or have some meaningless thing to do
Interesting hobby. Dangerous, but interesting!
Some people have a very hard time detaching from something enough to make a logical argument. Personally I love logic as it pissed people off to no end. When they have nothing left to use as an argument do your your logic and they can only get pissed...it's normally because they realize just maybe they were wrong and don't want to admit it.
@jaichai wrote something similar to this.
people get emotionally involved in their opinions and they can't recover. stick with it no mater what
Interesting point of view about the debate and the difference of opinions. It is common that people do not want to be opposed, certainly, and for me to respect the opinion of others and not consider it as a personal attack is a symptom of maturity that not everyone reaches. I congratulate you for your maturity in the subject.
I do not have nor have I any problem with anyone's opinion no matter how much I disagree with it. Where I draw the line is when you try and force your opinion on me or anyone else.
By calling someone a nazi or racist who has an opposing view is beyond wrong.
There are ramification to being labeled a racist or nazi. And you are imposing them on someone who doesn't share your views. and yet you say you are for diversity.
I have seen to many countries and people go down hill because of the intolerance that they are pushing.
It is true, and many people in power believing that they know everything and have the right to dominate according to their criteria.
There is no room in a debate for ad hominem attacks. Usually an ad homimen reflects the inability to articulate clearly. They are an expression of frustration. If I engage with someone who uses them, I disengage immediately.
If one is peddling lies, corruption and deception they cannot have a debate on the subject.
Frustration comes from not only not having knowledge on the subject but pushing an opinion that belongs to someone else
Debates are the power of love. Different opinions should always be welcome. Doesnt mean you need to create war with someone or a group.
If I am so sensitive that I can't look at someone's opinion objectively I have one heck of a problem
With all the fighting and negativity on the news...It's nice to get a reminder that there are many out there that can debate on subjects and still be civil afterward.
You got a 29.85% upvote from @ocdb courtesy of @wolfhart!
As much as I enjoy debating I learnt to chose my battles and not venture in conversations leading to nowhere good with some folks that can't see a bigger picture and won't accept anyone's opinion. It is a waste of time when one refuses facts or truths and holds on to a personnel idea.
When it gets to that point I either walk away or start agreeing with them make things up until they question what I'm saying can't be true.
90% of the time my wife stopes me. Even before I can get started. She can see like 2 min into the future and knows what I will do or say before I do it. So I am not allowed to have any fun :)
Please upvote: https://steemit.com/free/@bible.com/4qcr2i
Everyone has that urge to be important, by showing them that you're against their opinions it's like breaking their hearts, attacking their emotions. I agree with just because a person disagree with you, you don't have that right to call him or her those harassing names..
Thank you @wolfhart
If you are that emotionally involved in an opinion that you lose rational control to a dissenting opinion there is something wrong somewhere :)
I think there can be. Sometimes when you do come across that person that is too emotional it makes it hard. If I don't understand,I question. If someone offers something and I don't agree, I offer counter point. If they get pissed. I say thank you and drop it. I find most people when they can have a rational conversation about opposing they do. They are more interested in trying to understand then prove a point.
The extremism on the other hand can make a simple conversation a debacle. I don't think anyone should set out to 'change a person's mind' To bend someone to your way of thinking, is not how I think or believe.
Great post @wolfhart to me you did the best thing.....you're making people think and think for themselves. That's how change occurs.
The extremism, bigotry and belittling on the one side is out of control. Then use terms like ,nazi, when the tactics you are using are the same as they used. The ignorance is all around and the only recourse for that group is to protest in a violent manner as if you have some kind of right to do so in order to stop free speech by someone you disagree with.
In a way I find it all humorous.
Exactly. The single minded mentality is completely out of control. The beauty of being human is free will. The fact that we live in a country that allows up free speech, yet if you don't say the 'right' thing you're wrong. It has come to the point that if you do voice your opinion regardless they're first comeback is to label, name call, and demean. It's still a mentality of 'If I don't understand it, I hate it' or 'Or if you don't think they way I think...more hate.'
Yea and it has seep into the upper education system (dogma) and I am called a nazi because I don't follow any dogma
I figured something like that happened since you mentioned nazi...Why on earth would anyone even think that, because your a veteran? And you haven't been brainwashed to be like them?
I made the comment that countries have the right to control their borders and denied the entry to people
That that was not a policy but the law of the US
Ah a case where people can't handle the truth. What I don't understand it is ok for other countries to do it, but it's wrong for the US. Even though it is the law.
Just like the protesting, it has gotten to be violent and the marching and blocking traffic both violate the Constitution. I had found the write up from the Library of Congress and I had people tell me that I was racist. Racist because I quoted the Constitution LOL Yeah my 'racism' is against stupid people with a closed mind. I think people need to learn definitions.
I attached a link to the law and now they stopped talking to me
which is ok because I was getting board with it
There is an election coming up and that is what they are using to generate vote. The media got caught using pictures of obama era photos and blamed Trump, but the damage was done and all they care about.