PF Debates: Will You Participate?

Maybe I'm just not understanding the OP , but it seems to me that every time any of us make a post , we're debating an issue with others that may agree or disagree with our own opinions / views ...

I would never be drawn into a 1 on 1 debate on an issue that I am inadequate to discuss , but one of the advantages of living to be 55 ( next month ) is that I have a lifetime of experiences to draw upon , so I feel myself more than adequate to discuss / debate most issues , however , if I don't know or am ignorant on an issue , I will be the first one to admit that ...

 

Nice to see ya, HB! Your common sense has been missed around here.

 

In a thread where everyone else is doing the same, yes... similar to an exchange among friends, associates or even a panel of differing opinions. Where this idea differs is with it's exclusivity for the volunteering members. There's nothing stopping people from initiating their own 1 on 1 debates in the appropriate area... and we're sure there are others who would like to participate if given a topic.

Which could be the beauty of this idea. If you're unfamiliar with a particular political area, you don't have to participate. You can read the exchange taking place while it transpires... and there exists a possibility to learn something. I'm sure with your experience, you can teach me some things.

 

Good comment, it is an opportunity for those so inclined to show off....and have their own thread,,excluding others...This is not in customary PF spirit or the correct type of place for this. This is a full participation site,, or at least it was...
Perhaps other threads should be segregated...Oh wait,,we wanted to have a religious thread like that,,to keep the trolls out,, just like they want to do with this...but,,they told you,,,,SCREW YOU,,,Remember Hill?

 

Which is why it is riddled with closed off social groups, right?

So you want a exclusive section for religion not open to people but you do not want a debate section?

 

I could be wrong, but isn't it kind of the point of a forum to debate the issues within the topics created in each section?

Why would we need a totally separate section for debate? Have y'all seen the topics that are "suppose" to be debated? They are filled with off topic trolling, flaming, and taunting. Who would want to torture themselves in a 1 on 1 with a known forum troll and flame baiter, who already ducks direct questioning in current thread topics? Why waste the time? Does the winner get a PF t-shirt or something? I mean what is the point?

 

To be fair, we already have a separate section for debates, and in all actuality... this idea can/will bring more traffic to interested members. I also believe it quite the pessimistic position to assume interested parties will resort to the behavior they're attempting to avoid by engaging in 1 on 1 debates, especially given the fact that they're opting for judges to observe said behavior. There are no prizes, just as there aren't any celebratory actions for "winning" a debate on the open forum, but simple satisfaction of getting what you came for is enough. Apologies to those that have asked about the status of the idea... bare with me.

 

I like debating 1 on 1 if I know nothing about the topic and the other person believes he knows everything. I know I don't know everything and learn much more from a debate like that than I do from just spouting opinion.

I'm quite lazy now as regards research and evidencing, some of this site is purely people voicing opinion. Less is based on evidence. Opinion is great fun and you sometimes still get to the truth, but 1 to 1 you may be more likely to think before posting and even check facts.

I've had good debates with people who are hugely more informed on the topic but when I believed I was right. It's a good contest...them trying to out evidence you and you knowing they're wrong and determined to prove it while having to learn and assimilate all the new information along the way.

Anyway, that's how it is for Euros in every US politics thread. We always come in uninformed by comparison. It doesn't create any real disadvantage in debate, it just annoys the US people that we can be so lacking in understanding of what is "accepted wisdom" to them.

 

PF Debates: Will You Participate?

Absolutely not.

 

Entirely correct. Private sections that exclude all but one view do not mirror the structure for 1 on 1 debates, which allow for a variety of views that (as many have pointed out) are no different that the typical engagements people may practice while sifting through threads... only this time no searching is necessary. That's not to say the protests have been ignored... recently a request went up to add features to private sections.

 

Sure why not?

 

I'll go easy. I swear.

That's the spirit.

 

That's what Ike Turner used to tell Tina.

 

That was my strategy.


I should also add that there's no reason we can't have a little fun with this. Every so often, I'll throw out lighthearted topics to debate... like:

Star Wars vs. Star Trek
Mac vs. PC (more specifically "iPhone vs. Droid")
Call of Duty vs. Battlefield
Yankees vs. Red Sox
Michigan vs. Ohio St.

there's a lot more, but you get what my gist.

 

Oh, on things like that, I'll take a personal stand and give my opinion.

 

Right, and the idea wouldn't be to full-on judge these topics. They're fun on their own.

 

On a more serious note, it has finally occurred to me why PF cannot have one on one debates. PF can't keep its server up and running. I've lost posts that I've spent thought and time on preparing only to be unable to post them.

This is a practical problem of the first order. Telling people to have patience is one thing when we are all involved in a run and gun format. There can be no patience when technical problems cause the loss of posts. The dog ate my homework excuse simply is not acceptable.

 

You could do what I do. Type up your post in notepad or Word, then just cp it in. It's also a good way to set the 10,000 character limit.

 

I've left other forums for less. Let us have no more talk of one on one debates as long as the patient is in critical condition.

 

...

You enter a thread on topic A.
You level criticism B.
Criticism B is addressed.
You re-enter topic A, to suggest discontinuing topic A.

Do you see the disconnect?

 

Why bother discussing me? What do you possibly gain from doing so? Haha.

 

I assume you to be a reasonable person with a reasonable perspective.

I would like to better understand this perspective.

 

It would depend on the topic and who was judging the content of the debate. I to have lost a few posts and that is understandable when the system fails.
But I would consider debating if the judging was a fair even handed process.

 

Definitely interested. Loved competitive debate in high school.