How to not look like a loon when debating politics @ JoeUser
Welcome to JoeUser Mr./Ms. Liberal. You are about to embark on a wild and crazy journey through the little community on the web we’ve worked so hard to build. As a fellow Liberal-minded person, I feel it is my duty to both welcome you and warn you of what you’re about to get involved in.
At first glance, it will look like this is a right-wing run site. It will look like the liberals here have been run off with torches and pitchforks. If you’re way way far out on the left, it will look like the handful of poor liberals here have been persecuted and then banned by the authoritarian evil that is Draginol… vile owner of this site and CEO of Stardock Inc.
If that’s your impression, you’d be pretty wrong.
Well, except on the first part… The conservatives definitely outnumber the liberals here, but that’s mostly because some of our Leftist friends have failed to learn a few important lessons on how to discuss and debate issues with people who disagree with your viewpoint.
So this article is for you, the unsuspecting Liberal that has stumbled upon this site through some mix of accident and fate. Hopefully, if you follow these simple guidelines, you’ll be able to hold your own as a liberal on JoeUser. The saner, rational Liberals we have here, the better chance we have to actually have real, interesting, worthwhile debates on politics here. If this list seems too taxing/difficult for you to follow, then perhaps sites like DemocraticUnderground are more your speed, because you won’t last very long here.
And now, without further delay, I present my list of “Guidelines to Debating For Liberals”
1. Present your view, NOT how you perceive the opposition
This is a very important point that most just misses completely, especially at the start of a discussion. It is important to establish your opinion on a subject firmly and clearly before you launch into disagreeing with others. Failure to do this makes it look like you don’t have any idea of what the “right” view is, but that you simply know what’s “wrong” when you see it. Don’t attack a position without presenting an alternative first.
2. Remember, you are NOT your political position
Your views and opinions are a piece of who you are, just as they’re a piece of who someone else is. There is a LOT more to a person than their views on any given subject. This means that if someone disagrees with you, do not take it personally. At the same time, if you disagree with someone, do not make it out like you disagree with them as a person. Attacking someone and saying they’re a bad person because they disagree with you shows you have a fairly tenuous grasp on reality and are probably taking the debate too seriously.
3. Do NOT involve polls/surveys
Don’t even try to trot out the latest survey or poll regarding any topic. No one accepts any poll results that don’t match their beliefs. If you present a Liberal poll, the conservatives will attack it for being left biased. We do the same thing when they pull out polls to. Fact is, no matter who conducted the poll, who compiled it, how biased or unbiased it is, whichever side it disagrees with will discard it as being trash. Polls reinforce your own beliefs but do nothing to challenge those of others. I’ve seen it countless times where someone will present a poll, the other side will come back and say it’s a biased poll and then present their own poll as proof that the other poll is biased. Everyone thinks their resource is the bias-free one, no one is willing to compromise on it. Don’t even try this tactic, and just ignore anyone who tries to make a point using a poll.
4. Choose your words carefully
Here’s a quick list of words to avoid when debating with conservatives:
• Neocon
• Sheeple
• Bushie
• Zealot
• Nazi
• Racist
• Religious Nut
• Homophobe
Those, and other terms like them, bring nothing to the discussion, and as soon as you resort to them, you’ve admitted that you either have no valid point or are incapable of expressing it.
This also goes for swearing and general insults. Failure to keep a civil tone is a clear indicator that you have lost. Even if others resort to this first, or start attacking YOU, keep the moral high ground by remaining civil. It will make you look good and whoever is attacking you look like a pathetic moron who can’t hold their ground against you.
5. Learn the definition of "Tolerance"
Main Entry: tol·er·ance
Pronunciation: 'tä-l&-r&n(t)s, 'täl-r&n(t)s
Function: noun
1 : capacity to endure pain or hardship : ENDURANCE, FORTITUDE, STAMINA
2 a : sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own b : the act of allowing something : TOLERATION
3 : the allowable deviation from a standard; especially : the range of variation permitted in maintaining a specified dimension in machining a piece
Note at no point does it say you have to AGREE or ACCEPT a differing viewpoint or opinion, simply that you must endure it, or allow it to be. Example: I tolerate extremely Evangelical Christians, but I do not agree or accept their message or their practices, but I tolerate them, I leave them alone and do not try to stop them from doing their thing so long as it doesn't get in my face.
Learn the difference between tolerance and acceptance. This will make many things a great deal clearer
Follow these five, simple, rules and you’ll do far better than many past liberals on this site have. You’ll be able to better hold your own against our resident conservatives, and maybe just maybe you’ll help turn around the popular notion here that liberals are driven entirely by emotion and lack the ability to think rationally and objectively about a topic.
But just remember, disagreement with a position is not an insult to you as a person, they just have a different opinion than you!
Come back next time when I reveal the secret behind winning elections, passing gay marriage laws (i.e. ones that allow them) and regaining the respect we once had 