Don’t Debate a Liberal —- It’s a Waste of Time and Oxygen

Don’t Debate a Liberal —- It’s a Waste of Time and Oxygen

Posted by 12th_Man (#3) 153 days ago (http://charlestonteaparty.org)

I’ve learned the hard way that it’s a rare event, almost as rare as a February 29th, when a conservative can say anything that will “turn” a liberal to common sense and clear thinking. Does anyone really think that people like Michael Moore or Jon Stewart or Harry Reid or Cindy Sheehan will wake up some sunny morning and declare “The other side is right; I’ve been completely wrong all these years”? There are exceptions out there of people that are truly “recovering liberals”, but they’re hard to find. Continued...

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Written by USMC_VET (#12)
153 days ago

...Only if no one else is listening.

If they are, and you debate competently, debating a liberal can help demonstrate both the reasonableness of conservative principles and the bankrupt nature of liberal objections to them.

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Written by drmangrum (#42)
152 days ago

I have a couple problems with this piece.

1) The opposite holds true as well. Conservatives are not always right, just as liberals are not always wrong. A liberal trying to argue with a conservative is a "waste of time and oxygen" too.

2) It assumes conservatism is the only "truth." Conservatism has a lot of good answers, but there are a lot of bad answers too.

3) It assumes independents and moderates are confused, or as the article explicitly says, "haven’t yet made up their minds" on the issues. That's complete garbage. Some people are wishy-washy on issues, but the reality is that most people know where they stand. The reason people are independent or moderate is because they don't follow party lines on all issues.

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Written by 12th_Man (#3)
152 days ago

I just thought it was interesting since I have gotten sick of dealing with idiot liberals who have gotten so obnoxious lately that it gets my blood boiling. I do agree with what you're saying though, just not gonna waste my time debating libs.

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Written by drmangrum (#42)
152 days ago

Discussing politics with people that diametrically opposed to your viewpoint will usually be a lose-lose situation. The biggest factors in convincing people to alter their thinking (that isn't rooted in religious) is to:

1) Know all the facts, pro and con. Know how the counter argument will be formed, so you properly dismantle it.

2) Set milestones. Don't try to do it all at once. Stratify the argument into a series of small steps. If you can get them to agree on the step, then accept a small victory, walk away, and continue the conversation again later.

3) Listen to what they have to say WITHOUT interrupting them. If you aggressively try to counter an argument while they're making it, they'll never listen to you. The trick is figuring out the crux of the issue. Usually, it's rooted in falsehoods or fallacious thought.

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Written by 12th_Man (#3)
152 days ago

The problem with liberals (not independents) is that they come from a basically different view of the Constitution, of God and Natural Law. On top of that, they inherently think that they're the smartest people in the room because they were able to memorize all the liberal dogma they were exposed to in college as opposed to a person like myself who rejected it. From my observations, I've never been willing to reject my Christian upbringing etc, as opposed to them. I'd much rather hang out with conservatives or independents than waste my time with the obnoxious, so much more tolerant and intelligent folks that refer to themselves as liberals. Just saying. =^)

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Written by Mortis (#2)
152 days ago

"drmangrum":

~ "I have a couple problems with this piece.

1) The opposite holds true as well. Conservatives are not always right, just as liberals are not always wrong. A liberal trying to argue with a conservative is a "waste of time and oxygen" too." ~

2) It assumes conservatism is the only "truth." Conservatism has a lot of good answers, but there are a lot of bad answers too" ~

***************************************************************************

*I would Rather discuss matters with a Conservative than Than deal with foaming at the mouth Raving Liberals who are Proven deceitful manipulative liars IMHO.

*Drmangrum...help me out please...what are some of the documented "Bad" "Answers" from `Conservatives`in the public Political Theater? just askin...so you can help me out.

Thanks.

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Written by drmangrum (#42)
152 days ago

Mortis, I'd rather not get into what I think are "bad" answers offered conservatism, it just wouldn't go over too well on this site and I would prefer to not open that can of worms.

I'll be general though. I think some of the bad answers are bad for the same reason why liberal bad answers are bad: they attempt to legislate morality.

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Written by 12th_Man (#3)
152 days ago

Nobody's perfect and since I lean Libertarian there are some things like Blue Laws that I don't like from the Conservative side BUT liberals are the biggest control freaks in my humble opinion.

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Written by USMC_VET (#12)
143 days ago

Drmangrum:

Regarding your comment a few posts down, I've never liked the cliche about not legislating morality - because it seems a bit too simplistic to me.

Laws against murder, theft, assault, etc. all legislate moral behavior. I think the problem starts when you go *too far* in attempting to legislate morality; people aren't perfect, they're never going to be, and the law is far too blunt an instrument to make the attempt with.

Of course, this view also illuminates the heart of the problem from the standpoint of political philosophy: we often disagree about what, exactly, constitutes 'going too far.'

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Written by danielT (#6)
152 days ago

“Never wrestle with a pig – you’ll both get dirty, and the pig will love it”

- English Proverb

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Written by Fender Stratocaster (#10)
152 days ago

"...I'd rather not get into what I think are "bad" answers offered conservatism, it just wouldn't go over too well on this site..."

Rest assured that we have a lot of respect for rational discourse. You have been a part of this site since the beginning. That said, there's not a whole lot you could say that would earn you a whole lot of trouble from the rest of us.

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Written by Mortis (#2)
152 days ago

~ "Mortis, I'd rather not get into what I think are "bad" answers offered conservatism, it just wouldn't go over too well on this site and I would prefer to not open that can of worms." ~

*Thanks Drmangrum ....I was looking for an opinion/Answer from you...No one is going to bite you...Promise... no-worries `If done intelligently...Thanks for your reply anyway. *You Brought it up...I thought an answer from you would be fair. Know what I mean :)

All is well bro!

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