Discussions about the November election are becoming more heated. Even with members of my own family, it is hard to have calm conversations about the positions of each candidate.
Personally, I have difficulty maintaining a discussion when rumors and allegations are put forward as the basis of an opinion.
I do not believe that Obama is a Muslim, or a terrorist, and I do not believe that John McCain is going to continue all the bad policies of the Bush years.
While it can be fun to participate in knock-down, drag-out brawls about politics, I don't think that many people change their minds by having chairs broken over their heads.
The same is true in an allegorical sense.
It doesn't seem to me that any one is persuaded to adopt another point of view by being ridiculed or demeaned.
For a brief time in Catholic School, I took a course on logic. The things I remember are the different kinds of logical fallacies. Reading articles on Gather, one can see each of them used in political arguments.
I don't like to hear people say "all Democrats" or "all Republicans".
I cringe when people believe that something must be true because they found it on a website.
Our debate teacher emphasized that debate was not only an intellectual exercise, but a moral one. One was responsible for choosing the best arguments in support of an objective truth.
I don't think that many people are impressed by an argument if the presenter suggests that they are ignorant or stupid, or that they do not matter.
Is there any place to hear reasonable comparisons of the candidate's positions on the issues?
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Comments: 20
He responded using the example of two people standing at opposite sides of a room representing their differing positions, he said you don't hollar across the room 'your wrong' 'you should come over here because i'm right' instead you walk across the room (to an understanding of his position) and take him by the hand and guide him back across the room to your position.
I think what he was trying to say was that if you take the time to understand anothers position and concerns that they will be more willing to listen to yours.
I don't know if that helped.
I don't really think that there is actually anywhere to go and hear the whole truth.
I have those in my family that do not like my beliefs. We have shared our differences, but they will not convince me and I cannot convince them. We just agree to disagree.
Forcing your views on others only make them fight back. Gather is a good example of that. I will not agree with others, but listen to what they say, until they start BASHING me, then I turn them off and file them as morons. There is a large difference between Debate and being a BASHER!
I've always used t word, persuade, instead of "convince", when talking about debate. I didn't think about it until you commented. Thanks.
I don't think that Obama's middle name is relevant, but some people think it has huge significance.
I would like to see more civil conversation about real issues like health care, and jobs.
All I hear from the Republicans is rumors about the Democratic candidate.
Now that the election is over, it doesn't look like the tactics of fear and insults have been successful.