Thread: MOD ANNOUNCEMENT: Member Debates (Input needed)

Originally Posted by Viv

Oh yes it is. I've been keeping out of here because I have the forum's best interests at heart.

What is it? Do people think we don't see what's in front of our faces? Bad enough the constant organised misuse of the rep board. Now there's a gang deciding who can be engaged in debate and who is to be ignored, who is to be treated as a troll and the Cons here, even the ones with a brain, are going right along with it? What kind of community is that?

Great fun to be part of a bully gang, attacking genuine posters, but it's not fun for those subjected to pack pile ons and it absolutely inhibits any chance of free and genuine debate. If Flounder is concerned about freedom of speech on the forum, why is he not concerned about this?

So yes, it's me. I haven't stood up for a while, but I'm standing up now.

That's spunk, I admit.
Not sure why we can't discuss this without the insinuations though.
As far as I understand, everything here is voluntary, rep board, discussion boards, posts, everything, even the proposed discussion format.
Who are we to judge who has fun doing what? Isn't it supposed to be fun, not a second job, not a world changing experience of sorts?
If people want to have a serious discussion, let them. (that goes for those opposed to the idea)
If people want to just read, let them.
If people want to rep all day, let them.
If people want to play games, let them.
Doesn't cost us any extra.
Do we win nailing those we disagree with to the wall, and if so, what is it that we win?
Or is it rather that we lose a piece of ourselves doing so?

Originally Posted by yguy

Get real. If any lefty here could increase his IQ by tenfold, and team up with ten just like him, I could mop up the floor with the lot of them AFTER my lobotomy.

Delusions really are amusing sometimes!!

Originally Posted by yguy

Sheesh. One minute yer a fire-breathing feminazi, the next yer a beacon of enlightened reason. Make up yer mind, already.

I will if I want, but I may not bother.

Feminazi is in your head, btw.

Originally Posted by Shangrila

That's spunk, I admit.
Not sure why we can't discuss this without the insinuations though.

Hold on until I call all my friends into the thread to cover my back because I can't debate you on this important issue by myself in case I lose. Feck, there's a poster posting his own opinion...Must rush...[/sarcasm]

As far as I understand, everything here is voluntary, rep board, discussion boards, posts, everything, even the proposed discussion format.
Who are we to judge who has fun doing what? Isn't it supposed to be fun, not a second job, not a world changing experience of sorts?

There are people who are treating it like a military operation, never mind a job. It occurs to me their aim is not to debate, but to dominate and the real preference is to eliminate opposing philosophies from the forum altogether.

If people want to have a serious discussion, let them. (that goes for those opposed to the idea)
If people want to just read, let them.
If people want to rep all day, let them.
If people want to play games, let them.
Doesn't cost us any extra.
Do we win nailing those we disagree with to the wall, and if so, what is it that we win?
Or is it rather that we lose a piece of ourselves doing so?

Every time we see a bully or a cheat and let it pass, we lose a piece of the forum.

Originally Posted by Viv

...
There are people who are treating it like a military operation, never mind a job. It occurs to me their aim is not to debate, but to dominate and the real preference is to eliminate opposing philosophies from the forum altogether.
...

Have you ever read Saul Alinsky's Rules For Radicals? It's a manifesto of successful leftist political tactics. The tome has been embraced by many conservatives because the tactics enumerated therein work.

Originally Posted by flounder

Should not even be a thread, it should be in Group. This site allows all members to participate, that's why we have group,,for those that want to be ...errr ''Special''

This idea is against what the very site stands for and the majority realizes that, group participation or dont you see that? Would you like to show me all the debates here that are ruined by this? Are these people handicapped or something?, short attention span perhaps? If separate is what they want then let them have it in group, have you looked at the polls? They do not have conservative debaters, they hardly have any conservative judges as well...

Oh,,,the tomato was not for you,,,LOL,,,it was for the idea...

Yes there is a handicap, the majority here has a conservative lean most would agree.

This would make it so that one liberal is not going against many conservatives.

Originally Posted by yguy

Get real. If any lefty here could increase his IQ by tenfold, and team up with ten just like him, I could mop up the floor with the lot of them AFTER my lobotomy.

So sorry to hear about your lobotomy. Get Well card is in the mail.

I see plenty of faulty syllogism in here.

I’m a very intelligent man and I believe A.
This other person believes B.
Therefore this other person is a complete moron.

Originally Posted by Herkdriver

I see plenty of faulty syllogism in here.

I’m a very intelligent man and I believe A.
This other person believes B.
Therefore this other person is a complete moron.

I see you failed to consider the viewpoints of the independents (C or is it 3, or even III), who considers both A & B as moronic.

I'm helpful like this. No thanks necessary ::

I believe that many don't understand "debate" in the context of how it's formally used. It isn't about the topic but instead about the presentation of the arguments. How is the topic addressed, are valid arguments and rebuttals provided, and is supportive documentation for the arguments offered.

We could take an example of the Earth revolving around the sun for example. While we all know that the Earth revolves around the sun if the proponent of that fails to establish evidence that the Earth is revolving around the sun while the opponent demonstates that the sun rises in the East and sets in the West then the opponent would win the debate.

The moderators are working on judging criteria based upon formal debate and we will share that once we hammer out some of the details. In the end the topic itself shouldn't really matter and certainly the debate itself cannot be judges based upon the topic but instead on how the members address the topic in the debate. The best debates often require the participants to switch sides in the middle but that might be too challenging for most.

Originally Posted by Shiva_TD

The moderators are working on judging criteria

I have every confidence that these criteria will manifest no higher priority than to ensure that form is held in higher esteem than substance, and that emotionalized ninnies are not driven to tears.