OK, I'm coming in at the tail end of all this and just wanted to offer some comments on how this debate was managed. I won't comment on the actual topic as it's gone on for 5 pages and I can't really add any more value to the discussion.
Overall I believe that people feel strongly about this topic. I can appreciate that people are passionate and entitled to their opinion, and that will be on both points of view. There is never going to be a "right or wrong" in these debates, there's no "prize" to be won at the end of it, so you might all want to keep that in mind when you start to feel your control on your temper slipping.
Flaming is when the debate starts to get personal, with insults thrown at people rather than views, because someone will personalize someone else's opposing point of view. This is NOT acceptable.
Just like in business, try not to take the other person's point of view personally, and you will have a very interesting debate, and will be able to leverage knowledge from each other without necessarily having to agree. Easier said than done, and takes practice, I know.
When it starts to get heated, just take a deep breath, cool down, remember that YOU as a person are not being attacked, resist the urge to attack the other person, then post your viewpoint.
Rikard, one last thing - you could've phrased your opener to this topic a bit more tactfully. Calling Bush Jr a moron and a murderer is hardly the way to open a sensible debate and is going to be the one thing in your post that people will focus on and respond to, not the real issues behind what is happening in China today.
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[This message has been edited by Memnoch (edited 04-08-2001).]