A challenge for the right-wingers.

questionnaire · Joined: 29 May 2003 Posts: 640

OK, my challenge for the right-wingers here.

The problem is that they constantly transgress the protocols of political discussion on what is, after all, a political board in 4 elementary ways:

Reductio ad absurdum: constantly picking out small mistakes or weak points in someone else's argument and reducing the whole argument to them, rather than trying to abstract out the main points and respond accordingly. No real conversation can be made when this is done constantly.

Pathologising the 'other': this is the annoying and childish habit of suggesting that the opponent's argument or mode of expression is invalid because there is something wrong with his or her character. Media assassins do this all the time to politicians, but it is not the way to conduct a conversation.

Setting up 'straw men': they summarise the opponent's argument incorrectly in their own words, and then attack the incorrect version. This is as crude as it gets, and it always means automatic rejection in the real world of publishing.

Degraded agenda-setting: constantly raising minor peripheral issues and details and getting bogged down in them rather than sticking to the heart of the matter. This is a very banal way of evading real issues and dictating the focus of the conversation.

So, to bypass all this tedious crap, I want to get straight to the heart of things, and my question goes like this: I've admitted that there are inherent and difficult - perhaps immutable - flaws in liberal and socialist politics and the European way of life. So, what are the inherent and difficult flaws in right wing politics and the American Christian way of life? Perhaps with a few examples of how these flaws are manifested?

If our resident right-wingers can't answer this, are we to assume that they are incapable of independent, critical thought and that they are indoctrinated dupes who have swallowed their own ideology whole?

DreamTone7 · Joined: 20 Sep 2002 Posts: 2571

You left at least one I can think of out of your list. The tendency to resort to childish comments, foul language and disparaging remarks when loss of emotional control due to being confronted by any opposing viewpoint, valid or not, manifests itself (with a little help from false, pre-conditioned notions of what constitutes valid reasoning for losing ones temper in the first place). This can often result in a juvinile trading of thinly veiled insulting remarks and inuendos...leaving little remaining relevant communication pertaining to the original topic of discussion.

A very convenient thing to do if you are losing an arguement. But one that, if it is remembered that this is supposed to be a discussion among adults with the ability to control their emotional outbursts...not a contest to see who knows more nasty words, can be easily avoided.

...one would hope so, anyway.

questionnaire · Joined: 29 May 2003 Posts: 640

Answer the question, otherwise the viewers of this board will start to realize what you really are.

We're all waiting.

questionnaire · Joined: 29 May 2003 Posts: 640

You're all looking very foolish now.

It looks like the people from the 'land of the free' are incapable of having a single free thought about this.

DreamTone7 · Joined: 20 Sep 2002 Posts: 2571

The reason people don't answer this thread is because nobody is the least bit interested in watching you go off on another one of your emotional diatribes. So in case you couldn't actually figure it out for yourself, now you know.

Seismic Anamoly · Joined: 22 Aug 2002 Posts: 3039

Quote:

The reason people don't answer this thread is because nobody is the least bit interested in watching you go off on another one of your emotional diatribes. So in case you couldn't actually figure it out for yourself, now you know.

Dead on, DT....nobody in the "land of the free", anyway.

Only those in the "land of the holier-than-thou". :ft

They'll Love it when the Arrogant A$$ talks down to them in Music City. :laugh

Rev9Volts · Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 1327

the difficult flaws are usa is constantly beseiged by liberal politicians who want to socialize usa into a europe. if we had a fascist government like italy had where my wife is from life would be much simpler...

oh and ditto seismic above