Having attended the academic institutions I have, and because of the people I surround myself with, I have been exposed to debate after debate. Participating in some of these encounters has been much more enjoyable than others. And the reason that this has been the case is that some individuals are prepared for the debates, they are knowledgeable about the situation which they are discussing. For some reason a great many people I have been in debates with merely want to argue. They are genuinely passionate about the issues, but in general they are not as educated as they should be on issues that they care so much about. There is no reason for somebody to get into an argument without being able to support their side with substantial evidence.
I must admit that I have been guilty of not having educated responses to issues about which I am passionate. It is because of this that I am aware of the disparity between having a solid argument, grounded in fact, and one that is based solely upon an individual passion and ability to argue. to be honest, it is really easy to feel good about oneself when in a debate with another person who knows nothing about the issue, and is truly arguing for the sake of arguing. However, I have never truly enjoyed finding myself in such situations. Whenever finding myself in these encounters, I find that I do not feel good about myself and being able to make my argument. Rather, I get frustrated and angry that I am in a debate with somebody who does not feel that our discussion warrants them putting time and effort into something about which they claim to be passionate.
If people truly care about the topics that they debate, then they should have no issue researching the issues. In doing this they are able to not come off as ridiculous, uninformed, unintelligible individuals. It is not hard to place oneself in a position of being informed and able to carry on intelligible debates. Read online, read books and the newspaper, do your research. That is all that must be done; people merely need to prepare themselves on issues about which they are passionate.
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In theory you are correct. People should know the details behind any issue they wish to argue or debate about.
ReplyDeleteBut that's not to say that those who do not necessarily know everything about a particular issue do not have the right to an opinion. I have been in both positions (knowing more about an issue than my opponent, or vice versa), and although people might not be informed about everything they are talking about, they know at least enough about an issue to be able to take a side on it.
Case in point: the 2008 Presidential Election. Just because Joe Schmo (or dare I say, Joe the Plumber) doesn't know the details about every candidate's opinion on every issue in the Presidential election doesn't mean that he shouldn't be able to put an Obama or McCain sticker on his car, not to mention vote.
I agree completely. It's painful (yet enjoyable) to me to watch one YouTube video after another of people at Palin book signings or Tea Party Rallies trying to explain why they are there. If you are passionate enough to attend a rally, you should be able to take the time to do some research and be able to articulate why you are there.
ReplyDeleteI think a major problem and one that I have written about is selective exposure, when people pick and choose their sources by which ones they agree most with. Additionally, with the amount of information disseminated on the internet, the research done may not always be from factual sources. In effect, peoples' "educated responses" may be based on misinformation. This too is a problem in passionate debate.
Sometimes it is productive (and in many cases, fun and entertaining) to play devil's advocate, contradicting what is being said and invite more debate. Even if I do agree with what people generally are deciding to go with on an issue, I will still stimulate debate and arguments to stir the pot. Generally, this is productive and results in better outcomes in the end. In many cases, I will be uneducated and not well-informed on the topic at end, but just by asking questions, I can contribute. I often ask more questions than I provide answers, but in so doing, I generate further discussion that leads to a more desirable outcome.
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