Only kind remarks please BUT I WONDER WHY - Page 6

CrazyDaisy · ‎03-20-2010

@libbyannE wrote:
It seems there are a lot of nasty people who don't know how to properly discuss politics. I was in debate in high school, so it depresses me that so often political discussions these days devolve almost immediately into arguing versus intelligently discussing some topic--presenting a sound thesis statement with appropriate facts to back it up and then having an interesting discussion based on those facts. Along the way in a good discussion, someone with another opinion can present a different thesis and back that one up with other facts. A good discussion focuses on the real facts and not on feelings. These days, in contrast, there seems to be a lot of anger and the citing of long-since-debunked "facts" as inaccurate "proof" of some immovable belief. This happens on all sides. Best to keep it off of QVC's site-- and avoid such arguments on other sites!

Here is the problem...a debate is not the same as a discussion.

A discussion is the exchange of ideas usually based upon a persons, background, faith, economic position, family dynamics etc. A discussion is often beneficial in understanding others positions on issues and perhaps finding common ground or compromises.

Then you have those who come in with "facts" to prove they are right and you are wrong. My "facts" are better than your "facts". It then degrades into the win at all costs mentality. Nothing is accomplished, no ones mind is changed and the mods have spent a lot of time deleting the whole thing.

Perhaps if there were more discussions rather than debates.......

Someday, when scientists discover the center of the Universe....some people will be disappointed it is not them.

nun ya · ‎03-09-2010

It's been done here and it becomes a fiasco. They probably got tired of babyitting us, can't blame them

Bri36 · ‎02-20-2017

People need to feel superior with their "facts"

I'm glad they don't allow it.

QueenDanceALot · ‎04-18-2013

Surely no one wants to actually get their news from this site, but it's understandable that some would want to discuss world events/political topics with people they post online with on a frequent basis.

I understand that these "discussions" have gotten really ugly here and that's why they are not permitted here, but things aren't better on other sites (as far as I can tell). There don't seem to be "discussions", just people yelling at each other. I think it's the medium, the impersonal nature of the internet, your inability to actually see the people you are talking to (or talking AT, which seems more accurate). My take is that people aren't really going online to "discuss", they're going online to vent. All you have to do is read some of the political forums on other sites or read Twitter. I hardly ever go to Facebook, but friends of mine who do say they don't even want to check in there as people get so nasty because of political issues. People just seem to want to fling mud and hit each other over the head.

Our country is so polarized and there is so much anger that it's impossible for even good friends to talk about politics amongst one another IN PERSON without hard feelings surfacing and coloring their relationships. Friendships become strained, family members stop speaking to one another.

I find it to be a really RARE thing anymore to have a civil, adult conversation about politics and world affiars ANYWHERE these days. I was dismayed to find that true at a dinner I went to recently with people who used to be able to talk politics in a civilized and intelligent way and was informed by the host of the dinner that we couldn't bring up a certain topic because it would start a feud among some of the guests.

That's the way of things now, unfortunately.

Quse · ‎09-05-2014

Personally, I love discussing all the "3rd rail" topics: politics, religion, money, etc...

I love it all, the good, the bad, the ugly and unfiltered in every way. I would love to see Q allow topics that are currently not allowed, as I've seen some posts that I wanted to expand on and dig deeper into with the poster...then *poof*.

But the answer to your question is basically: the Q sets the tone, rules and policies of this forum, bcz it's their forum. We can disagree, but the bottom line is: because they said so. Sometimes you just have to laugh at what gets poofed though...

YorkieonmyPillow · ‎01-13-2013

@QueenDanceALot I understand your post, but politics is the last thing I'd want to discuss at a pleasant dinner! Surely there are other, more uplifting things to talk about at a meal between friends. JMO..........

Moonchilde · ‎05-23-2010

@CrazyDaisy wrote:
@libbyannE wrote:
It seems there are a lot of nasty people who don't know how to properly discuss politics. I was in debate in high school, so it depresses me that so often political discussions these days devolve almost immediately into arguing versus intelligently discussing some topic--presenting a sound thesis statement with appropriate facts to back it up and then having an interesting discussion based on those facts. Along the way in a good discussion, someone with another opinion can present a different thesis and back that one up with other facts. A good discussion focuses on the real facts and not on feelings. These days, in contrast, there seems to be a lot of anger and the citing of long-since-debunked "facts" as inaccurate "proof" of some immovable belief. This happens on all sides. Best to keep it off of QVC's site-- and avoid such arguments on other sites!
Here is the problem...a debate is not the same as a discussion.

A discussion is the exchange of ideas usually based upon a persons, background, faith, economic position, family dynamics etc. A discussion is often beneficial in understanding others positions on issues and perhaps finding common ground or compromises.

Then you have those who come in with "facts" to prove they are right and you are wrong. My "facts" are better than your "facts". It then degrades into the win at all costs mentality. Nothing is accomplished, no ones mind is changed and the mods have spent a lot of time deleting the whole thing.

Perhaps if there were more discussions rather than debates.......

@CrazyDaisy, 100 hearts to you for this. You expressed the problem perfectly.

Not everyone wants to, nor should they be expected to, engage in a formal debate over any subject just because some were captain of the debating team in HS and college. We're long out of school.

The real problem is posters declaring, and/or assuming, that we're all obliged to play by academic debate rules on a discussion board, and the debaters who "go after" other posters who have no interest in debate, but do have an interest in discussion, to force-shame them into a faux "debate" so they can declare points scored and debate won, and they can be so proud and righteous.

If we had a Debater's Forum, it would quickly degenerate into "I'm debating with flawless logic, but you have no logic, your facts aren't true (but mine are of course) so I win." No different than the way things are now.

Life without Mexican food is no life at all

missy1 · ‎03-10-2010

The mods don't have the time to monitor a forum like that.

silentgirl · ‎08-19-2016

@CrazyDaisy wrote:
@libbyannE wrote:
It seems there are a lot of nasty people who don't know how to properly discuss politics. I was in debate in high school, so it depresses me that so often political discussions these days devolve almost immediately into arguing versus intelligently discussing some topic--presenting a sound thesis statement with appropriate facts to back it up and then having an interesting discussion based on those facts. Along the way in a good discussion, someone with another opinion can present a different thesis and back that one up with other facts. A good discussion focuses on the real facts and not on feelings. These days, in contrast, there seems to be a lot of anger and the citing of long-since-debunked "facts" as inaccurate "proof" of some immovable belief. This happens on all sides. Best to keep it off of QVC's site-- and avoid such arguments on other sites!
Here is the problem...a debate is not the same as a discussion.

A discussion is the exchange of ideas usually based upon a persons, background, faith, economic position, family dynamics etc. A discussion is often beneficial in understanding others positions on issues and perhaps finding common ground or compromises.

Then you have those who come in with "facts" to prove they are right and you are wrong. My "facts" are better than your "facts". It then degrades into the win at all costs mentality. Nothing is accomplished, no ones mind is changed and the mods have spent a lot of time deleting the whole thing.

Perhaps if there were more discussions rather than debates.......

I'd agree and to that end, debating, while it can, with long time experience, education, maturity and usually a controlled environment, teach critical thinking, it is often lost on the weakness of a debate where the outcome is only focused on winning or in the example of a forum, changing the mind of another. Which does not serve the "debater" well at all, and often fails to allow for the strength of a dialogue built on reason and logic.