Best Kind of Forum Debate (1 Viewer)

[Shannon Reuss]

Came across this excellent definition of a 'good' debate in our local newspaper this week. I think it describes in a nutshell the best kind of forum discussion we can have when there are firm opinions on both sides of an issue.

"In a good debate, there are no fireworks. No flying saliva, no angry finger pointing, no podium pounding. Just a good old fashioned back-and-forth among two or three informed and intellectually well-armed individuals who disagree about a lot of stuff."

Regards,

 

[Wraith]

"In a good debate, there are no fireworks. No flying saliva, no angry finger pointing, no podium pounding. Just a good old fashioned back-and-forth among two or three informed and intellectually well-armed individuals who disagree about a lot of stuff."

Regards,

Hmmmm, Houston, we have a problem...........

 

[Fubar]

leaves me out

 

[Mitch]

Thing is some on forums ''believe'' they are armed more than others
Mitch

 

[PolarBear]

Came across this excellent definition of a 'good' debate in our local newspaper this week. I think it describes in a nutshell the best kind of forum discussion we can have when there are firm opinions on both sides of an issue.

"In a good debate, there are no fireworks. No flying saliva, no angry finger pointing, no podium pounding. Just a good old fashioned back-and-forth among two or three informed and intellectually well-armed individuals who disagree about a lot of stuff."

Regards,

I'm afraid such a climate no longer exists in the world today. Just watch the nightly news. Rational public discourse has been replaced by invective, falsehoods, name-calling and bullying at all levels of society. The media feeds off this and only makes the situation worse.

 

[churchmouse1]

I'm afraid such a climate no longer exists in the world today. Just watch the nightly news. Rational public discourse has been replaced by invective, falsehoods, name-calling and bullying at all levels of society. The media feeds off this and only makes the situation worse.

It ain't so bad. Read about politics in Ancient Greece, Rome, early America, et cetera. This stuff isn't new.

Dave

 

[Spitfrnd]

That is a fine standard for debate. The issue frequently is that some constantly attempt to substitute repitition, lore and innuendo for information and the use of intellectual faculty and are then less than pleasant when the reality of those substitutions are revealed by the exchange.

 

[theBaron]

It ain't so bad. Read about politics in Ancient Greece, Rome, early America, et cetera. This stuff isn't new.

Dave

Very true! It's as old as civilization.

BTW, John Ferling's "A Leap in the Dark" is an excellent book on the first 20 years of our Republic, including descriptions of the behavior that supports your point. I think of that, every time I hear someone in the media talk about the loss of civility. If anything, it's gotten much better. Though Fulton Finkbeiner's ad against Harold Wockenfuss (I'm not making these names up, this is Pennsylvania) in the recent campaign represents a step backwards. "Worried about crowding in our classrooms? Don't worry-Harold Wockenfuss has a solution. He'll eat your children". I'm not making that up, that was a real ad.

No one can say that politics aren't entertaining, at the very least.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Spitfrnd]

Very true! It's as old as civilization.

BTW, John Ferling's "A Leap in the Dark" is an excellent book on the first 20 years of our Republic, including descriptions of the behavior that supports your point. I think of that, every time I hear someone in the media talk about the loss of civility. If anything, it's gotten much better. Though Fulton Finkbeiner's ad against Harold Wockenfuss (I'm not making these names up, this is Pennsylvania) in the recent campaign represents a step backwards. "Worried about crowding in our classrooms? Don't worry-Harold Wockenfuss has a solution. He'll eat your children". I'm not making that up, that was a real ad.

No one can say that politics aren't entertaining, at the very least.

Prost!
Brad

Sigh, entertaining and, as that example shows, more than a little nauseating. I humbly think the exceptions for slander in political campaigns are a bit overdue for an overhaul. What was the race and who won buy the way?

 

[theBaron]

Boy, is my face red, I've been had!

I heard that story on Medved's show last week, and it spun out that the ad aired on Halloween, and Medved discussed it as an example of the tastelessness of some campaign ads (eg Alan Grayson in Florida). On Monday, they aired a response by Wockenfuss, in which he noted that the cannibalism joke at the expense of his weight, didn't bother him, and instead, he gracefully pointed out the issues in the campaign. Turns out that this was a satire written by Medved and his staff. The Congressional district and the candidates are fictional. I apologize for citing that as an example.

It explains why I couldn't find anything about this on the web back on Monday, but in Googling the story now, I found references explaining that it was satire. Well, good satire does sound like the real thing, doesn't it.

Prost!
Brad