Is RIDICULE acceptable in online debating?

by nicolaou 80 Replies latest jw experiences

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  LisaRose

  People dont learn when they are made to feel "less"

  Millie, I wish I could give more than one "like" sometimes, I love your entire post, but especially this. Just because you have superior knowledge of a subject it doesn't make it OK to be condescending, rude and belittling, and then give a second helping to anyone that complains. If your goal is to help those in the JW and ex JW community to gain critical thinking skills, you failed, because many people will just stop reading those threads, or they will not post their own questions for fear of bing ridiculed.
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  millie210

  LisaRose
  If your goal is to help those in the JW and ex JW community to gain critical thinking skills, you failed, because many people will just stop reading those threads, or they will not post their own questions for fear of bing ridiculed.

  And the same to you LisaRose.
  

  You described me.

  Ilve left the Org %100 mentally (check)

  Ive left approx %80 physically ( being careful for the sake of family members still in) (check)

  I am looking towards my future and I would love to explore new ideas(check)

  Cant do it on this forum though!

  If someone starts a thread that could be one to learn on, it isnt long before the attention seekers show up and the thread topic goes straight to the trash can.

  I have tried scrolling past the few (its never the many - its always just a few) that are so hard to learn from and just reading everyone else but eventually the whole thread becomes a response to the few and I just give up.
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  Marvin Shilmer

  False conclusions deserve ridicule.

  Unethical behavior deserves ridicule.

  Whether an individual deserves ridicule as a human being is a moral question. In contemporary society a person's behavior can be so contemptuous that most would think the individual deserving of ridicule. Regardless, an assertion that a particular conclusion is false because of the character of the person offering the conclusion is fallacious reasoning.
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  Doltologist

  Marvin

  Whether an individual deserves ridicule as a human being is a moral question. In contemporary society a person's behavior can be so contemptuous that most would think the individual deserving of ridicule. Regardless, an assertion that a particular conclusion is false because of the character of the person offering the conclusion is fallacious reasoning.

  The issue is though that humans are very emotional creatures. As a result, to some, a person's character and their views are indistinguishable.
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  millie210

  Martin Shilmer, I have observed and participated on threads with you and you seem to always keep it between the lines.

  Ive watched you adapt to your commentors rather than just blast away.

  What though about people who dont have your discretion?

  What if they are so intent on looking cool or knowledgeable or whatever it is they are trying to "look" that other posters watch them just tear in to posters over and over to the point that on one can concentrate on the actual topic?

  What then?
  
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  nicolaou

  millie, you say that some individuals (we know who you mean),

  just tear in to posters over and over to the point that [no] one can concentrate on the actual topic?

  Please take a step back, re-read some of the topics that upset you and try to dispassionately answer the question; Is that really what happened? Were posters or their arguments torn into?

  It matters, but civility and manners matter too. Overall I think we're doing okay.
• 

  millie210

  nicolaoua minute agomillie, you say that some individuals (we know who you mean),
  It matters, but civility and manners matter too. Overall I think we're doing okay

  Please take a step back, re-read some of the topics that upset you and try to dispassionately answer the question; Is that really what happened? Were posters or their arguments torn into?
  

  I can tell you nocolaou that you were never in my mind as far as this topic.

  Maybe you feel you have been rude but honestly I do so much scrolling past to avoid the obvious that I am sure I miss posters comments that would be valuable to me or posters comments that are just being witty or even ascerbic.

  That all falls within the realm of personalities.

  But lets say for the sake of arguement that we "all" know who I mean.
  

  The fact that everyone knows just highlights that it is a problem.

  How else would "everyone" know?
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  Oubliette

  On the other hand, how many times has a person posted an incorrect idea or a false teaching or maybe they were just mean and someone called them on THAT only to be personally attacked for pointing out their error.

  There are many people that post here that can dish it out but can't take it.

  These kinds of posters can't differentiate between having their IDEAS refuted, maybe even attacked, and their PERSON attacked.

  Hey, you can lead a horse to water .... but you can't make them see that they're an ass.
  
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  Marvin Shilmer

  The issue is though that humans are very emotional creatures. As a result, to some, a person's character and their views are indistinguishable.

  When speaking of debate I'm speaking to discussion of argumentation, conclusions of that argumentation, and whether the form of argument is valid and/or the resulting conclusions are viable based on premises offered in the argument.

  To argue that a person's character means a particular argument they offer is unsound or false is argumentum ad hominem when the argument and/or conclusion is of something other than the individual's personal character.
  
• 

  Marvin Shilmer

  What if they are so intent on looking cool or knowledgeable or whatever it is they are trying to "look" that other posters watch them just tear in to posters over and over to the point that on one can concentrate on the actual topic?

  You're asking about how a community should respond to abusive and/or needlessly disruptive behavior. In the case of JWN that falls squarely to the sights ownership to do with as it pleases. Those of us who are not owners can, if it is allowed, share our opinion with the sights ownership. But basically each person has to decide if they want to subject themselves to whatever is allowed in the given community, which in this case is JWN.

  Frankly, I'm perfectly happy with a wide open forum because I'm perfectly happy to let educated readers decide as they will based on what is put before them. This was how the original H2O functioned, and I found it useful that way. What fools make of things, do or say is not something I tend to worry about, unless their actions present an imminent threat to my person or family.

  But I can function in this comparatively tame environment.