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To SKUNK:
When and if you return, please accept my apology for discussing you in your absence. I don't like to do that.
To MEMSIE:
You mentioned that we should consider how we would debate with others face-to-face. Let me explain part of my point-of-view on this forum and online debating generally.
First, I often debate with my secretary, a hard-line conservative, but it doesn't last long at all -- because the office walls are thin and despite the fact she's 65, she's still not real good at using her "inside voice." Second, a heated debate face-to-face gets outta hand too quickly, what with snap arguments back and forth -- non-sequiters are always brought in.
In a written debate you can consider a post, maybe research, and come back at it with a reply. Because we are typing and not screaming, we can get really heated about something without looking like stark raving loonies to those sitting next to us in the real world.
I LIKE these aspects of online debate, particularly where there are some general groundrules to keep at least a modicum of civility -- as with IWF.
So, for me, the direct comparrison to RL in-face debating doesn't ring so true.
In the end I think we can all agree we come here to see OTHER viewpoints and arguments. If you were all like me, I wouldn't like you very much. [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]
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