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Insults to back up a statement


nintega137

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Ya know how when you're in a debate with someone and soon enough someone will hurl insults or just generally speaks in an aggressive and confrontational manner? For most people someone acting like a dick will automatically ruin there argument in their eyes, or at least make it much harder to see the argument. The thing is though, while I don't exactly condone that behavior, is it really fair to scrutinize them for it in it's entirety? I mean just because they're assholes doesn't mean that they're necessarily wrong. But most would say that that it severely weakens their arguments. Some don't like the ego that get's portrayed, the I'm so much smarter than you or I view you as a lesser kinda thing sometimes. 

Is this being said from a logical perspective or just an emotional one? Or is there something I'm missing here. 

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If a person does that, I take it to mean that they don't have another good argument. It's just immature.

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I agree that it doesn't automatically mean they're wrong, but it does automatically mean they've lost the right to a debate with you by being disrespectful.  The tricky part is getting it across to them that you're not debating further because they ruined the discussion - since chances are they'll interpret it as they won the argument if they are that much of a knob.

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Pros of using insults to back up a statement: If the other side is put off enough by your offending comeback; they back out and allow you to relish the sweet, tasty glory of winning an internet argument.

Cons of using insults to back up a statement:

Tom_dafd00_2683122.jpg

This happens (you're what used to be the dog in this picture).

Edited by Señor Gabe
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There is such a thing as being too nice in an argument. I used to so afraid of being interpreted as a jerk that I would bend over backwards to seem as non-confrontational as possible, even if it meant severely weakening my point. When someone says something really stupid and wrong, there's nothing wrong with calling them out on it -in fact, it's usually a good thing. Even then, though, I believe your strategy should almost never include personally insulting that person, but rather pointing out in no uncertain terms why their argument is so flawed and not letting them get away with it.

That being said, I'm a huge proponent of civility and always assuming the best about your opponent. It's very easy to assume that those who disagree with you must be evil, stupid, or both, but there's actually a bigger-than-you-might-expect probability that they're no different from you in terms of malice or knowledge and have simply been exposed to difference influences.

It's impossible in any debate for there to simply be no attempt to affect people's emotions, but in my opinion, it isn't really okay to be too manipulative. Emotions, as obviously indispensable as they are to human existence, can be deceptive, dangerous, and unreliable. An argument that relies only or primarily on emotions is a weak argument. Engaging people's emotions is practically necessary and unavoidable in a debate considering it's in the very nature of human beings, but there should be a solid rock of reasoning motivating those emotions. It's possible this is too "perfect-world" type thinking, but what can I say? Ideals are worth having, and often helpful.

But at the end of the day, no one's perfect. Probably everyone's going to use a few ad hominem attacks, insults, and attempts to manipulate during a debate at least sometimes. You definitely can't dismiss everything a person says just because they make one poor decision, just like noticing a person made one error doesn't mean you have the right to assume everything they say must be false.

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I actually saw it happen once. More than once, in several forums.

I was even the insulter in some areas, or at least that's what I remember. Now I try not to get involved, at least not too much. In this instance, all I can do is report the offender and hope it's enough. If it isn't...well, I already pushed it by typing this.

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