Please debate with dignity and respect
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2013 10:24 am
I love the debates we have here, but am alarmed by how much anger and incivility is starting to creep in to some of them. Regardless or how bass-ackwards we may believe out debate partner's views are, it behooves us to debate with civility. Insults, passive-aggression, snark; these have no place in a civilized discussion.
They don't convince your debate partner, and perhaps more importantly, they don't convince fence-sitters who are silently reading the thread and not only judging the quality of your arguments, but also judging YOU as a person to see if they can envision themselves being like you if they adopt your ideas. When you come off as a hot-headed jerk, even if your arguments are sound, people who might otherwise agree with them will say to themselves, "well, now I'm having second thoughts if it means I turn into that guy!"
You know who you are. Let's try harder to be civilized.
They don't convince your debate partner, and perhaps more importantly, they don't convince fence-sitters who are silently reading the thread and not only judging the quality of your arguments, but also judging YOU as a person to see if they can envision themselves being like you if they adopt your ideas. When you come off as a hot-headed jerk, even if your arguments are sound, people who might otherwise agree with them will say to themselves, "well, now I'm having second thoughts if it means I turn into that guy!"
You know who you are. Let's try harder to be civilized.
