Povert

I came across this the other day. It’s a good list of bad things people do in discussions & arguments.

I know I’m guilty of some of them. Specifically:

• “We need to define just exactly what you mean by _________.”
• “So you think we ought to just throw out the whole system, then?”
• “How is that different from classic fascism?”
• “Why, that’s Calvinism!”

What I really hate is what the page calls “Question As Opportunity”. Politicians do this all the time and it drives me nuts. The 2004 presidential and vice-presidential debates were full of them. It certainly undermines the ostensible purpose of the debates.

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