Civility impossible?

[Listening]

As the principal proved me wrong:

# Simplify the following expression:

[ 1/(x - 1) + x + 3 ] / [ x - 3 + 1/(x + 4) ]

Go ahead. Solve it in your head

I leave shit like that for teachers and idiots, I use a computer.

And therein, ladies and gentlemen, lies the difference between Liberals and Conservatives:

Liberals labor hard to find a workable answer.

Conservatives simply cheat.

Liberals generally find a "workable" answer in the form of government. They pass the bill to later generations (and that isn't cheating....).

Happy Holidays.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Someone thinking of going on a killing spree?

Not that I know of. But if bickering stops em from doing it? I'm all for it.

I think you have to ask yourself what your goal is in posting.

If you're trying to make a difference, that is changing some ones opinion, you're not going to do it by being being rude and disrespectful.

If you're posting to vent your frustrations, then you'll probably find some one just as frustrated on the other side of the issue and you can trade insults. If that's what floats your boat, then so be it. It's all about freedom of expression.

Why so serious?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

As the principal proved me wrong:

# Simplify the following expression:

[ 1/(x - 1) + x + 3 ] / [ x - 3 + 1/(x + 4) ]

Go ahead. Solve it in your head

I leave shit like that for teachers and idiots, I use a computer.

And therein, ladies and gentlemen, lies the difference between Liberals and Conservatives:

Liberals labor hard to find a workable answer.

Conservatives simply cheat.

Did Newton cheat when he invented calculus instead of working out all the answers the old way?

 

[Jughead]

As the principal proved me wrong:

# Simplify the following expression:

[ 1/(x - 1) + x + 3 ] / [ x - 3 + 1/(x + 4) ]

Go ahead. Solve it in your head

 

[jwoodie]

As the principal proved me wrong:

# Simplify the following expression:

[ 1/(x - 1) + x + 3 ] / [ x - 3 + 1/(x + 4) ]

Go ahead. Solve it in your head

I leave shit like that for teachers and idiots, I use a computer.

And therein, ladies and gentlemen, lies the difference between Liberals and Conservatives:

Liberals labor hard to find a workable answer.

Conservatives simply cheat.

Interesting that you equate using a computer with cheating. Liberals work hard to find the most labor intensive answer. Conservatives simply solve the problem.

 

[PredFan]

I've read this thread with interest. Many of you probably know that I'm one who has not held back the insults. You all make good points about the reasons for incivility but my question remains: "to what end would civil discussions reach?"

You could leave out all of the insults but there would remain some iron clad truths:

1. People argue from extreme idiologies and will not budge ever.

2. Many many people only read a post to look for ways to counter it, rather than see the sense of it, or the poster's point. Many can find a point to oppose on the very first sentence and won't read the rest.

3. Even if you effectively counter an argument or a point in a thread, you will find the same poster making the same argument or point in another similar thread. People will not budge.

4. People make extremely ridiculous points on purpose. They attempt to veil their contempt for the poster, the political position, or the thread. They can do this without uttering a single curse word and allow themselves plausible deniability.

These truths all add up to stalemate. No amount of civility will overcome in the end. I quit trying to change the minds of the left. I post here to network with conservatives, to aid conservatives in their arguments against the left, and to learn.

There are many of you who because of their upbringing, and because of their standards and morals will not engage in shouting matches or name-calling. My hat's off to you people and please don't change.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Translated: Progressives will continue to rule and reign and maybe some day call out the troops like Lincoln did.

So what if it costs millions of American lives. The only goal is to preserve the collectivist state.

No, that's not the translation. This is what I'm talking about...

...I think the days of progressives ruling are coming to a screeching halt. With the advent of obamacare being shoved down the vast majority of people's throats by 'progressives' that didn't even read the bill, the amount of distrust and ire that's building against this authoritarian, dictator type ruling over people by the left is back firing on them, as witnessed recently by the Phil Robertson escapade. Something is going to spark a set of events and it will quickly spiral out of control, like the government not being able to pay the interest on the debt and our economy crashing, or the stock market crashing, more than likely something to do with the economy, and that will cause riots, then truck drivers will be afraid to drive into cities, the cities will run out of food, and the country will be in full blown anarchy inside of a couple days. It'll happens so fast there won't be any way to stop it, but whether you call it anarchy, rioting out of control, or whatever, it will be civil war, because Washington won't be able to come out of it unscathed, because all in all, they will be the sole reason it all happened in the first place.

Profanity and name calling generally destroys a thread. Once that starts, any intelligent discussion seems to stop. I do think that some people have a need to express their aggression and that's why they're here. I try not to ever launch a personal attack on poster. It's pointless.

well said..

 

[Mac1958]

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." - Gandhi

Maintain the moral high-ground and refuse to jump down in the muck with rude people. The one who cusses first, looses. (Delta's Rules of Debate)

I can't make others civil. I can only choose civility for myself and advocate for others to do so as well.

So no, civility isn't impossible. But like all virtues, it cannot be coerced.

My theory is that most of our problems can be traced to a culture in decay, and this is an example.

We've become a terribly narcissistic society, clearly egged on and motivated by the various partisan pundits who deal in intellectually dishonest absolutes. I don't know if people are trying to literally emulate them or if they're simply inspired by them, but it's not difficult at all to see the similarities between their behavior and that of their heroes.

I don't know how this gets turned around. The obvious answer would be that well-known "leaders" -- political, cultural, religious, business, media, whatever, all of the above -- have to appear and lead the way out of this darkness. They would have to promote some sort of ground rules and (more importantly) cultural expectations for honesty, maturity and civility, and then create some kind of momentum from which the change can begin.

Problem is, I don't see any of these "leaders" doing anything of the sort, and I have to admit I'm not terribly hopeful. The intolerant, absolutist screamers have the energy and the influence, and they're dragging us down pretty quickly.

.

........culture in decay -----CHECK.
..........narcissistic ------CHECK
........... intellectually dishonest pundits ..... CHECK
........ everything screaming absolutes bad ...... Not So Much..

MANY absolutes worth defending. The leadership issue is that right and wrong depend on who got caught this time. Two partisian camps commit the same offenses and argue about who is MORE honest or MORE mature or MORE civil.. Whats missing is holding folks accountable TO ABSOLUTES.. Most of us are tired of choosing between MORE or LESS honest.. SOME of us believe ther is only honest and not honest... Reason tells you that "more or less" INCREASES the rate of slipping society into incivility..

Should start with opening up both the political ballot access and party parity. Second to that is having "term limits" for the spinning heads that appear in the media. 300million folks in this country and the SAME DAMN 30 heads dominate political discussion...

When I mentioned absolutes I was referring to an unwillingness to bend even one inch on any given political issue. I agree completely that, if we were going to deal with an absolute on something, my choice would be intellectual honesty and civility. But at this point I'd settle for some fundamental movement in that direction, for starters.

And as for your idea that we have term limits for pundits, you damn near made be spit out my coffee, I love it. I'm a big fan of term limits for politicians, your idea may be just as good!



.

 

[flacaltenn]

No, that's not the translation. This is what I'm talking about...

...I think the days of progressives ruling are coming to a screeching halt. With the advent of obamacare being shoved down the vast majority of people's throats by 'progressives' that didn't even read the bill, the amount of distrust and ire that's building against this authoritarian, dictator type ruling over people by the left is back firing on them, as witnessed recently by the Phil Robertson escapade. Something is going to spark a set of events and it will quickly spiral out of control, like the government not being able to pay the interest on the debt and our economy crashing, or the stock market crashing, more than likely something to do with the economy, and that will cause riots, then truck drivers will be afraid to drive into cities, the cities will run out of food, and the country will be in full blown anarchy inside of a couple days. It'll happens so fast there won't be any way to stop it, but whether you call it anarchy, rioting out of control, or whatever, it will be civil war, because Washington won't be able to come out of it unscathed, because all in all, they will be the sole reason it all happened in the first place.

Profanity and name calling generally destroys a thread. Once that starts, any intelligent discussion seems to stop. I do think that some people have a need to express their aggression and that's why they're here. I try not to ever launch a personal attack on poster. It's pointless.

well said..

Second that. You can't GUARANTEE civility in an armed conflict. But when FACED with a frontal attack on your person or your credibility -- it's time to pull out a LINK, something with powerful FACTS and ANALYSIS -- rather than reciprocate.. Works every time to EXTEND the civility of the moment..

Guaranteed to stretch the civility further. If it doesn't work -- FlaCalTenn will refund all your money for the tip..

 

[Kosh]

It is impossible for a far left cultist and/or AGW cultist to be civil.

 

[Statistikhengst]

Profanity and name calling generally destroys a thread. Once that starts, any intelligent discussion seems to stop. I do think that some people have a need to express their aggression and that's why they're here. I try not to ever launch a personal attack on poster. It's pointless.

well said..

Second that. You can't GUARANTEE civility in an armed conflict. But when FACED with a frontal attack on your person or your credibility -- it's time to pull out a LINK, something with powerful FACTS and ANALYSIS -- rather than reciprocate.. Works every time to EXTEND the civility of the moment..

Guaranteed to stretch the civility further. If it doesn't work -- FlaCalTenn will refund all your money for the tip..

Gets the 2013-2014 Statistikhengst Seal of Approval!

 

[Shrimpbox]

Predfan sort of hit the nail on the head. Too much of this sound and fury ends up in unproductive stalemates and a casual user of this site might say why am I wasting my time on same old bs. But hope springs eternal and it is not for lack of brainpower that most threads are lacking. I have to say that last couple of nights the entertainment value has been off the charts. There are so few places anymore that generate a chuckle much less a belly laugh, especially for free, that I can put off saving the world for a little while longer.

 

[ShawnChris13]

I'm currently finding myself trolling an idiot so my hand is raised in that civility gets hindered. But seriously how can people post ridiculous statements that require no proof simply because of how outlandishly stupid their posts are? Ask a stupid question get a stupid answer my family always said.

 

[Listening]

I'm currently finding myself trolling an idiot so my hand is raised in that civility gets hindered. But seriously how can people post ridiculous statements that require no proof simply because of how outlandishly stupid their posts are? Ask a stupid question get a stupid answer my family always said.

There are several people who do nothing but that.

There is Franco, RDean, PMZ to name a few.

Nothing that has an assertion that can be considered (that isn't already pre-poisoned and prejudiced to the point of stupidity).

 

[editec]

710 Threads in this forum vs over 100,000 in just the other 2. Should we infer civility is impossible when it comes to politics? Or that most participants are incapable of making their points without insults?

Lots of folks come here with no other point than to insult others.

I confess there are times when I read something so blindingly stupid that I find I can't let it go and I insult people, too.


Much of this would go away if we signed out real names to these posts.

Trolls are ALWAYS cowards, let's face it.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

I leave shit like that for teachers and idiots, I use a computer.

And therein, ladies and gentlemen, lies the difference between Liberals and Conservatives:

Liberals labor hard to find a workable answer.

Conservatives simply cheat.

Liberals generally find a "workable" answer in the form of government. They pass the bill to later generations (and that isn't cheating....).

Happy Holidays.

Ya, and when Republicans want a multi-billion dollar weapons system they're offering to pay with cash. Not deficit spending like those crazy Democrats.

 

[Flopper]

710 Threads in this forum vs over 100,000 in just the other 2. Should we infer civility is impossible when it comes to politics? Or that most participants are incapable of making their points without insults?

Lots of folks come here with no other point than to insult others.

I confess there are times when I read something so blindingly stupid that I find I can't let it go and I insult people, too.


Much of this would go away if we signed out real names to these posts.

Trolls are ALWAYS cowards, let's face it.

True, some members just go from thread to thread, throwing their bait on the waters hoping for a bite. They have little interest in any intelligent discourse, they just want to express their anger. Maybe it's of some benefit to them to release their frustration but for the rest of us, it destroys threads by becoming a chain insults. It's best to ignore them.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Or, having been online since they turned the lights on, say you're gonna put em on ignore but don't just to watch em sputter and fume.

 

[Statistikhengst]

I leave shit like that for teachers and idiots, I use a computer.

And therein, ladies and gentlemen, lies the difference between Liberals and Conservatives:

Liberals labor hard to find a workable answer.

Conservatives simply cheat.

Liberals generally find a "workable" answer in the form of government. They pass the bill to later generations (and that isn't cheating....).

Happy Holidays.

Hey, Dude, just saw that one.

Not bad for a Republican, really!

Hey, hope your holidays were good!!

 

[Foxfyre]

710 Threads in this forum vs over 100,000 in just the other 2. Should we infer civility is impossible when it comes to politics? Or that most participants are incapable of making their points without insults?

Lots of folks come here with no other point than to insult others.

I confess there are times when I read something so blindingly stupid that I find I can't let it go and I insult people, too.


Much of this would go away if we signed out real names to these posts.

Trolls are ALWAYS cowards, let's face it.

True, some members just go from thread to thread, throwing their bait on the waters hoping for a bite. They have little interest in any intelligent discourse, they just want to express their anger. Maybe it's of some benefit to them to release their frustration but for the rest of us, it destroys threads by becoming a chain insults. It's best to ignore them.

This is true. But the problem is when the trolls throw out the bait--and I do think they intentionally, deliberately, and with forethought throw out bait and call in all their buddies to do likewise--there are too many otherwise smart people who just can't resist taking that bait. They think somehow if they don't respond, the troll wins. They just haven't figured out that when they DO respond, the troll wins. The troll gets exactly what they were fishing for, a food fight. They could care less what anybody's opinion of them is. Their goal is to generate insults or negative response. And once the food fight starts, it is sometimes impossible to get the thread back on track.

The only remedy is for enough smart people to choose to not accommodate the trolls when they come in as a group to derail a thread.