WilliamC
Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
- Messages
- 6,682
WilliamC,
I am genuinely curious about this question. In debating people, do you ever get anyone who, after you make a valid point about a candidate or political position, actually agree with you?
I read tons of posts from tons of forums and I never see people say, "hey, you know what, I never thought of it like that, maybe you are correct. Maybe there is more research I could do on this subject".....or "that is a valid point, I will incorporate that into my argument the next time I debate someone"...or "well, that certainly is another way to look at it. I guess a solution would be somewhere in the middle of where we both stand"....
I do particularly like the Ron Paul Forums as opposed to other candidates websites becasue the people here really seem to take the time to research, and lay out well thought out arguments for debate. I see people post huge replies that obviously take a while to write and then usually what I see after that is some sort of candidate bashing (usually with quotes taken directly from the MSM) or outright denial of any point the person may have made without providing an alternative solution or research.
It seems to me that most people are simply concerned with being right, and not necessarily presenting a valid argument.
Anyones thoughts?
Just to let you know I was a Democrat before I found Ron Paul. My thinking and ideology have completely shifted because of my ability to say "hey, maybe your right about that". I have learned a LOT in the past year and I attribute that to keeping an open mind and saying that I am wrong sometimes. Now tell me..? Who comes out ahead? Someone who is right ALL of the time....or someone who greatly expands their mind because they know they are not right all of the time????
What you have to always keep in mind is that you are not just speaking to the person you are replying to.
Most people who actually post already have pretty firm ideas and seek to defend them.
However, there is a much larger audience who reads what you say but never responds.
That's why I try to stay focused on the honest truth of the message I am promoting, which is I support Ron Paul because Ron Paul has never once voted against the Constitution.
I have absolutely no doubts that I've made some impressions on the reading audience, but only rarely has one of them posted that this is so. I remember one time in a usenet debate where someone created a new account, posted one message saying how I had rocked their world with a particular argument, and that was the only post ever made from that account.
Here in this forum it is much common to see someone posting a "me to" post, commonly like "+1" or something.
So I don't mean to imply that I am right all the time, and I certainly have much more to learn about how to sell people on my ideas.
Just recently I over-reacted in a thread here where I thought someone was trying to get personal information about Ron Paul's family posted.
I was wrong and I apologized within the same thread.
So it is about expanding my mind, or learning more about myself.
"Winning" debates is just a side benefit
