PF Debates: Will You Participate?

Discussion in 'Debates & Contests' started by E_Pluribus_Venom, Jul 9, 2011.

?

Are you willing to participate in 1 on 1 debates here at PoliticalForum?

  1. Yes

    52.6%
  2. No

    25.3%
  3. Maybe... Some clarification is needed

    24.2%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    I am opposed to Obamacare and the mandate. The rest of the issues you raise exist on both sides of the aisle. Basically both sides want you to be free to do what they want you to do. I had this quote as my signature for a very long time, and it sums up my position on this issue exactly.

    There is no true opposition between liberty as such and control as such, for every liberty rests on a corresponding act of control. The true opposition is between the control that cramps the personal life and the spiritual order, and the control that is aimed at securing the external and material conditions of their free and unimpeded development. Leonard Trelawny Hobhouse
     
  2. Shangrila

    Shangrila staff Past Donor

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    One plus one equals two?:-D
     
  3. Shangrila

    Shangrila staff Past Donor

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    C'mon people, lighten up. This isn't war and peace. None of us are perfect. How's that for starters?
     
  4. Catch

    Catch Banned

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    Can we hurry up with this idea? I'm a little hungry for blood.
     
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  5. Catch

    Catch Banned

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    Well duh, but why is political debate being opposed on a political forum?
     
  6. Shangrila

    Shangrila staff Past Donor

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    Here you are. Medium rare should do it.
    [​IMG]
     
  7. FactChecker

    FactChecker New Member

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    The sticking point I have is that it is required for me to state my stance, in order to participate. I'd be happy to participate if I can just choose any stance on an issue to debate. That sounds like more fun anyways.

    For example, I'll take you to debate on this not being war and peace. Or I'll take you to debate on none of us being perfect. Assign me a position, and I'll argue for it.
     
  8. Shangrila

    Shangrila staff Past Donor

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    That's a puzzle we yet have to solve. Might take a while.
    Choice people, choice.
    Debate, or don't.
     
  9. Shangrila

    Shangrila staff Past Donor

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    I'll assign you to cooking them steaks. Can I do that?
    What's better, rare or medium rare.

    Ok ok, just trying to lighten the mood a bit....sneaking away now.
     
  10. creation

    creation New Member

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    Flounder

    Please help me understand something about your position here.

    1/ By raging against what you refer to as 'exclusivity' are you actually arguing for the right to BUT in on a formal debate between two people at any point of your choosing?

    2/ If so, surely there are numerous threads were you can do just that?

    3/ Are you willing to concede that while people do indeed debate with sources and polite communication every day it is also true that at any time that can be interrupted by those with lower standards?

    4/ Are you hoping that those enthusiastic about this project will either be stopped or will take your advice and refrain from this formal debate activity?

    5/ Would you stop us if you could?
     
  11. injest

    injest New Member

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    so you envision a debate about mathmatics?

    ok, I take it back, I DON"T think that sounds the least bit interesting...I was thinking debate like "Was Washington or Adams a better President" or "Is there intelligent life on other planets"..
     
  12. Catch

    Catch Banned

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    There are some science/math/engineering majors here, that's a topic I'd easily concede. Math.. ew.
     
  13. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    Where in that post did I boast about how brilliant I am? I made a simple observation about people who lack self-awareness and therefore fail to realize their own failings. You should read it again, it may do you some good. I assure you, I am well aware of my failings, and have grown as a debater exponentially during my time at this forum because of that. Other people however may lack any skill at debating whatsoever, and yet they are convinced they have never lost a debate in their lives. That is a problem, and it drags the quality of debate at this forum down.

    You and many others at this forum still fail to understand the difference between being right and being a good debater. Even if you think liberals are wrong about everything, and conservatives are right about everything, there is still a major difference between good and bad arguments in support of those conclusions. Even if a conservative conclusion is correct, I would say about half the right wing posters at this forum simply present that conclusion as fact with no argument to support it whatsoever. About 30% consistently use fallacious reasoning of the simple sort, like ad hominem, straw men, appeals to tradition, etc. About 10% present real arguments with evidence, but there arguments are very often non-sequitur. The last 10% post well thought out, reasoned, and insightful arguments in support of their conclusions. Those people's conclusions tend to be exactly the same as the conclusions made by the other 90%, but their ability to defend their conclusions is just exponentially better. If that difference is not clear to you, I can't help you.
     
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  14. 762nato

    762nato New Member

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    No......I am not on this site to debate.....I am here to polemicize.......That is to state my own point of view and let the pinkos try to counter it......The left wing ideology cannot stand the light of day......So let the chips fall where they may.

    Keeping score by debate team rules is just a liberal scam to obscure the lack of logic in their point of view.
     
  15. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    Please please please allow me to!! I just took the GRE and scored in the 96th percentile. Which means I did better than 96% of people who have graduate college, and are planning on going to graduate school. I also graduated from a better school than you attend, and I graduated Summa Cum Laude. Now I would never post that information under normal circumstances, because being intelligent does not make you correct about any specific issue, but if you want to delude yourself into believing you are anywhere near either of us, I really do need to burst your bubble.
     
  16. Shangrila

    Shangrila staff Past Donor

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    That's not what I said. Its just that everything else is subject to interpretation is all.
    How about discussion if your cooking is better than mine?
    Strike that, we might have to offer samples.
     
  17. jthorp24

    jthorp24 New Member

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    And how do you know where I go/went to college?

    Typical response though, even if you did. You are just the typical leftist elites. You think you are way smarter than everyone else and you think you are just flat out better than people. You want everyone to bow to you and it aint gonna happen.
     
  18. injest

    injest New Member

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    you did!??

    well I made perfect scores on my SAT, won the Nobel prize for Literature (twice); graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard AND Yale, won an Oscar for my directorial debut AND invented air...

    :mrgreen::fart:

    LOL!

    anyone can be anyone on the internet...all you can go by are the words you post, unless you are willing to provide real world identifying information. (and even that can be faked...did I mention that I am Brad Pitt? Here's a pic of me and my sweetie:

    [​IMG]
     
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  19. flounder

    flounder In Memoriam Past Donor

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    I really thought I made my position clear,,I really did. I came to a open posting site, all posters equal nobody shut out of a thread, now I am told they want to change that. I do not want that changed, our History is one of posters being equal and nobody being special.
    So,,,lets say you have a shy poster, or a poster with some mental impairment that may not be as sharp as the next,,,you are willing to say,,SCREW YOU!! YOU ARE NOT AS GOOD AS ME? and shut him/her out from a thread,,,why? Why would you want to do that to anybody? Why do you get to decide who is good enough, simply because they decide not to go one on one with somebody?
    I'm disappointed in you Shang, it does not sound like you..Perhaps you had not given it enough thought, there is a reason posting is open to everybody.

    Now there are some posters here that just for whatever reason use one liners, perhaps they have not developed good posting skills yet, perhaps they are shy. I reach out to those posters, no matter what their political opinions are. I want to do what I can to encourage them,,,not Lock them out, how selfish, how arrogant. That is not what this site is about, at least I did not think so...:sad: I swear I feel like something special, I can actually debate with somebody while others are here...I guess it's a gift..:neutral:
    Tell me, if these posters are so good what's the problem with other posters on that thread? do they get confused?, headaches?, what is it that seems so devastating for them?

    Here is the deal, you want something ''special''?, you want to exclude others so you can have the whole shebang to yourself ? Do what so many other courteous posters have done, open a group, we wont bother you...promise.
     
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  20. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    No, intelligence does not equate to personal value. I don't think I am better, than anyone, I just know I am more intelligent than many people. As I said, the alternative is being clueless or a liar. I prefer informed and honest, over clueless or dishonest, and if it makes me look arrogant, so be it!!
     
  21. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    I never took the SAT(I took the ACT), was never even nominated for a Nobel prize(though I believe I was robbed!!), didn't go to either Harvard or Yale let alone both, my directorial debut never left my spank bank, but I did in fact invent air. That was, to be fair, one of my lesser achievements!

    PS. My claims were hardly fantastic, and honestly I couldn't care less if you believe me or not.
     
  22. jthorp24

    jthorp24 New Member

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    Apparently you do or else you would be debating the topic rather than boasting about your accolades. (which we will never know if they are true or not)

    How many posts in this thread have you bragged about your intelligence or demeaned a bunch of others peoples? I would say at least 5 now.

    But continue on if it makes you feel any better.
     
  23. frodly

    frodly Well-Known Member

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    Um, one. The one I just made. But please feel free to prove me wrong.


    PS. It has to be where I actually brag about my own intelligence. Not where I honestly explain that Teamo is more intelligent, nor anything else of the sort. A post where I talked about how smart I was, and how dumb everyone else was. You made that false claim, I denied it. You then claimed to be smarter than both myself and Teamo, a clearly false statement, so I then bragged about how smart I am. Until that time, I had done no such thing.
     
  24. jthorp24

    jthorp24 New Member

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    Ok I will do that later tonight if I get ambitious. Im at work(that thing liberals despise so much) and it's hard to multi quote with my I-phone.
     
  25. flounder

    flounder In Memoriam Past Donor

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    And this is what our Mods are encouraging,,,pathetic man,,,,wow! I really do not think they thought it out, at least I hope not. The real funny thing thorp? it does not have to be like this, they can still have their Elite little fun games and exclude people, just make it a group like they should. I was given the excuse ''Well the group does not carry certain options, it would be difficult.'' What difficult,,,what?

    In a real debate they do not go tit for tat, they state their positions clearly and then take turns. Also it's not impossible to alter a group site, not at all. For all the time we have spent arguing about it they could have done it already. Let them have a debate group, and they can invite anybody they wish. You would think by the numbers above they have come to the conclusion this is not a popular idea, NOPE!, not by what we are being told, I don't know why but there is a reason for that. What site pushes something unpopular? Usually it's the other way around, things are done by popular request....no?
     

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