Hippiekinkster
Posts: 5512
Joined: 11/20/2007 From: Liechtenstein Status: offline
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Yo, Pogo... there's a reason some of us have certain posters on "fuck off and die" (ignore). It is absolutely pointless to try and engage them in rational debate. A true debate involves two parties (individuals, teams, what have you) that use rhetoric and logic to show that the opposing position is erroneous. A debate can only happen when both sides are amenable to changing their positions when the data and evidence overwhelmingly show that one position or the other is false. When one side (in my opinion, the Conservatives) relies on dogma, precedent, and folk wisdom ("the way it's always been done. All hail the Ancestors!"), amd cannot overcome cognitive dissonance by adopting new ways of seeing things, than there is no debate. There is only a rational argument on the one side, and a monologue on the other. This happens on the Progressive side as well. I often see the argument that Fundie Xtians are as bad as Fundie Moslems because there have been incidents involving deaths and injuries to person and property as a result of Fundie Xtian terrorist activities. There is the attempt to draw an equivalency between the murders of 8 people in Knoxville at the hands of a psychopathic right-wing Fundie and the deaths of over 3000 inniocents in NYC. There is no equivalency. The above is an example of the "Spotlight" Fallacy, as well as "Hasty Generalization", "Misleading Vividness", and "Biased Sample" (at the very least). Hang around, and you will see certain posters repeatedly commit any number of rhetorical fallacies. The "Red Herring" seems to be the most popular (frequently mistakenly called "strawman" by those who don't know what a strawman argument is). Begging the Question is another; i.e., "I know there is a God." "How do you know?" "The Bible says so." "How do you know the Bible is true?" "Because God wrote the Bible." Note that "Begging the Question" is a rhetorical fallacy entirely different from what most think it is. (just like "strawman") At any rate, it is entertaining to try and identify the bullshit arguments many posters use. There are a couple "progressives" who are an embarrassment to the Cause. You'll be able to ID them quite easily.
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"We are convinced that freedom w/o Socialism is privilege and injustice, and that Socialism w/o freedom is slavery and brutality." Bakunin “Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love.” Reinhold Ne
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