You're A Freakin Idiot !!!!!

[Frank D. White]

Why do we feel this way about other people when they express their opinions?? Funny, each one of us has certain things we believe in. When someone else thinks differently, it's annoying as heck!! Some things we believe in are so wrong, and yet we can't see it! If my parents taught me something, I heard their friends say the same; all my friends said it too!! WELL, IT MUST BE TRUE; that's what you brain tells you! What if my favorite SMART teacher told me a fact, IT JUST HAS TO BE TRUE!!
I read it in several books, or, I saw it on the TV; IT MUST BE TRUE!! Here are all these things in my head I JUST KNOW ARE ABSOLUTE FACTS, what if some total jerk disagrees with me?? Well, I'll set him stright!! HEY YOU ASSHO*E , YOU'RE A JERK!! I SAID IT'S THIS WAY, DON'T TELL ME IT ISN'T!!!
Well, I hate to tell you, but you just MIGHT be wrong!! Now I'll agree that some things are hard to argue against, like death, gravity and a very few other things;
BUT most other things are open to all kinds of ideas!!
This Forum is a great chance to open our minds to people
from other countries, of different ages, different colors, different sexs, a GREAT many differences! Let's try not to jump on someone who thinks different from us, lets ask them to explain why they think a certain way. If you disagree, maybe think about they have been bought up a certain way and their beliefs are BRAINWASHED into them (for a better word); nothing you say or show them will be able to change their mind; well, that's OK. Maybe what you said will sink in a little later and they will have learned something!
I guess to get to the bottom line of the post; PLEASE try to be tolerant of other people's beliefs & ideas. There is always that SLIGHT posibility that you could be the JERK THAT'S WRONG !!

Frank

PS I LOVE YA ALL!!

[playaa]

Frank that has always been something of a mystery to me... You might think along with plenty of others that what you believe in is the truth when in all actuality you could be the jerk that is completely wrong. But people are raised this way, and also its just instincts I guess... One may never know

[Winter]

After your years of experience Frank, you should know better.

We all wish for a society in where open ideas, and opinions would be tolerated, and attempts at understanding would be the instinct, rather than slander.

But this is reality. It doesnt work like that.

[Frank D. White]

hopeing for a safety zone here on the Forum. I feel bad when I see other people argue and get up-set. I guess all I can hope for is people to TRY to be polite to others!
I think back to my younger days about some things I truely believed; now I see how wrong I was about so many things! I guess, due to my youth, it never occured to me I MIGHT be wrong. I wish I could go back and appologise to those I insulted. Human nature I guess, the
old wanting to keep the young from making the mistakes they made.

Frank

[den4]

Well, Frank, I know I'm Right when I say I know nothing! I dare you to prove me wrong! hee hee hee There is no way you can say I know more than you because I've been told many many times by so many people that I am wrong and I know nothing about what I'm talking about, so there! And I take what you say with a ton of salt, sea salt that is...
Never regret what you do, for the very act of regretting is a waste of time! If you must regret it, then don't do it
But what do I know!
You definitely know more than I do, Frank....so there!

[Winter]

There isnt much use apologising to people for having blinded opinions. If they arent sound enough of a person to get over it, then let them rot and dwell on it.

[playaa]

I often look a good bit at the sides of arguments I am in and will not be scared to admit wrong, and jump out of my argument. I debate, I hate to argue.

[Winter]

A debate is an arguement. I think you are confusing healthy arguements with mindless 'yelling' and fighting. There is a difference.

[Hachiko]

All this drama is typical of people. We can reduce it, but we can't remove it, because our adherence to our opinions are so strong, it can get pretty fiery/hardballish.

[playaa]

A debate is an arguement. I think you are confusing healthy arguements with mindless 'yelling' and fighting. There is a difference.

Well that is what I mean by debate and argument... I put them as a difference, argument being mindless yelling and fighting.. I guess they are the same, was just using 2 different terms to show I see a difference.

[den4]

it's all good...and evil at the same time...only a matter of perspective...
and sometimes, if you're lucky, it's neither

[Glenn]

A debate is an arguement. I think you are confusing healthy arguements with mindless 'yelling' and fighting. There is a difference.

I don't know that I would totally agree with that statement. To me, a debate is the presentation of opposing arguments. And "to debate" would involve more than one person, but one person could argue something with no one else there. But there is definitely a difference between mindless yelling and fighting, and aruguing or debating.

[den4]

mindless yelling and fighting....sounds like something that happens at weekend parties....

of course, there is still the mindless debates that go on within corporate society, most of which eludes me, since they tend to be suicidal to careers

then there are the debates that go on within college campus society, where debaters go at each other on topics that will never be truly resolved, like Evolution vs Creationism, etc...partly because both sides are really not debating the topics but have their own agendas and egos to support

[Glenn]

mindless yelling and fighting....sounds like something that happens at weekend parties....

of course, there is still the mindless debates that go on within corporate society, most of which eludes me, since they tend to be suicidal to careers

then there are the debates that go on within college campus society, where debaters go at each other on topics that will never be truly resolved, like Evolution vs Creationism, etc...partly because both sides are really not debating the topics but have their own agendas and egos to support

Yeah, and that's what politicians seem to always do, too. :)

[ashuri2]

hmmm...actually, going to forums has helped me to realize that i'm never right, cause there's always something i don't know, and somebody's who is usually ready and willing to correct me . i like this forum, cause here i'd say people 'debate', usually without getting too personal. i left this one forum cause it was too dog eat dog. people claimed to respect your opinion, but would then proceed to tear you down mentally, personally, and emotionally in such a way that i realized although they respected my opinion, they were actually attacking the person in a ron-around manner: a lot of covert 'you're a freakin' idiot' goin on. now that was mindless yelling...i'm glad i left, they never reached a compromise or even seemed to listen to one another. one time, a thread stretched on for over 50 pages, with neither side giving in but simply saying the same shiz over and over again!

[nekosasori]

I tend to think that a debate is only productive if communication is involved (e.g. a rebuttal is formed after actually and carefully considering your opponent's remarks). That's why I try to stay out of arguments where neither side listens to each other.

Generally also, the more educated a person becomes, the more s/he becomes aware of topics and knowledge that s/he hasn't acquired yet - and it's that realization, combined with a willingness to learn and explore different perspectives, that I think enriches (justifies?) human interactions, virtual or actual.

That said, I really enjoy being "right".

[den4]

You must definitely know more than I do, then, Nekosasori, if you enjoy being right
And since Frank knows more than I do, and you enjoy being right, I guess that makes me the converse of right, which is not left, but somewhere out that away, on the wrong turn to Albuquerque....
Even Elizabeth and Kirei Na Me know more than I do.....and Golgo knows more than I do without saying
the only thing I do know is that I won't be eating any of the garbage gyouzas and noodles for the time being, until I know they have no more garbage in them bleah!

[Duo]

What if you actually are a genius and everyone else is wrong. Imagine the horryfing reality and experience for that person :)

[Buddha Smoker]

What if you actually are a genius and everyone else is wrong. Imagine the horryfing reality and experience for that person :)

That's what it is....I'm shocked...I now know what it is but the exprience and reality of it is overwhelming...I must be a genius...

Just kidding...I'm just your average Buddha Smoker in Japan

[den4]

so tell me...
how do you smoke a Buddha? Roast it over a slow cooking pit? Keep it in a smoke room? put a cigar in its mouth?

[Mycernius]

I felt this needed to come out again. In response to the question. If someones opinion doesn't agree with mine I try not to get into a shouting match with them. I find debate opens up new knowledge between people and can educate myself and them to new persectives on the subject. If someone just keeps on saying the same thing again and again and appears to be inflexible to the point of me losing my temper I will not continue that discussion. As it has been said, with a forum this size you must be tolerant of other people point of view. this is why I do not join other forums, as I have found most of them turn into slanging matches and personal attacks. I like it here because that very rarely happens, and if it does the admins and moderators do a very good job of keeping it down and putting things back on course.

[Limonette]

I enjoy a good debate/discussion type of argument, but it takes more time than I'm usually willing to put in. And people are generally very nice at this forum, or I wouldn't be here. Although I've seen some things here, but not often. I'm tempted when someone says something really bad to say something sarcastic, but I don't - well I didn't until today - my bad! I just wanted prove that I'm not perfect, as if you didn't know already!

But I'm very wary of arguing on the internet, I've had a couple bad experiences, things can escalate and get nasty, especially when there are personality clashes. I can argue intelligently and am extremely patient, but if I ever lose my patience and get angry I can suddenly get very dumb & say some pretty silly things. So if I feel any hostility or baiting, I generally just ignore it. Those people don't want to listen anyway. If I feel strongly about something, I usually post something so people know what I think, but I dislike getting into heated arguments. So I post hit and run. But I'd like to have an arguement using just smilies - that could be fun.

[Limonette]

I also learn alot from other peoples debates here, and I enjoy 'listening in', sometimes putting my 2 cents in too.

[Sensuikan San]

hopeing for a safety zone here on the Forum. I feel bad when I see other people argue and get up-set. I guess all I can hope for is people to TRY to be polite to others!
I think back to my younger days about some things I truely believed; now I see how wrong I was about so many things! I guess, due to my youth, it never occured to me I MIGHT be wrong. I wish I could go back and appologise to those I insulted. Human nature I guess, the
old wanting to keep the young from making the mistakes they made.

Frank

There you go Frank ... I know where you're coming from, guy!

But ... I've been guilty more than once here, myself ... as we all know!

(.... keeps 'em on their toes though, ... doesn't it ! )

Warm regards,

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