What Detracts From Arguments

Submitted by Red (United States), Oct 30, 2010 at 22:39

To Dhimmi and others:

I read and respect your posts (usually) but I do take issue with one thing.

A condescending tone like "our dear xxxx" and other remarks like that tend to detract from your points. OK, I get it that you do know Arabic or the Quran or the culture or whatever, but even if the one being addressed IS a lying dolt or worse, you shouldn't insult them. Isn't it enough to simply prove your point dispassionately and leave it at that?

OK, sometimes you may feel the need to hammer your point home because the 'opposition' takes an insulting view of things. Since you do appear better informed, you would make your point even more elegantly if you left the insulting tone out.

Elevate the argument, even in the face of sandbox tactics. You will feel better (and demonstrate moral superiority) by NOT coming down to their level.

Remember, never argue with an idiot, they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

And this goes for ALL who would make ad hominem attacks part of their argumentive arsenal. You'll sound more intelligent, and possibly make others listen to your opinion more carefully, if you resist the urge to slam-dunk a moron, however badly they seem to deserve it.

I do appreciate the posters who have an in-depth knowledge of some particular area and share it with us. We can't all take the time and energy to research each and every claim that comes up. In addition, quoting long passages from the Quran (Koran? sp?) gets tedious. This isn't the place to do recitals, just make your point by BRIEFLY referring to a relevant passage.

One last point, typing in all caps makes a post difficult to read and is petty. We can use caps now and then to emphasize a word or two (like in this post).

And breaking up a long rant into paragraphs also aids in reading and appreciating a given post.

Thanks to those who post intelligently, and even some of those who don't. But have mercy on our eyeballs!

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