"Fallacy!"-free Fridays on Enworld RPG threads?

[Janx]

That sounds suspiciously like a proposal.

that's a fallacy. He was clearly making a suggestion. What are only accepted on Suggestion Saturdays.

He will need to re-post then. And the forum can decide on its adoption on Motion Mondays.

 

[Yesway Jose]

Just saying, post #3 sounds quite serious to me IMO YMMV etc, the OP is tongue-in-cheek, it's more like a bumper sticker

 

[Yesway Jose]

Well, the basic problem with your idea is that there are thousands and thousands of posters who won't have bothered to read this thread.

The basic problem is actually time zones.

Ahem... subjectively speaking.

 

[wrecan]

Page 3 to 4 of Legends and Lore: Modular Madness.

Thanks!

 

[TheAuldGrump]

If you don't want people to say that something is a fallacy then don't say something that is a fallacy.

If you make a mistake, or tell a fib, people will call you on it, either to correct you or to reveal your enormous whopper.

Or even if they just think that it was a mistake or a lie.

The thing to do is not get annoyed but either engage in rational debate (if possible), admit your blunder, or ignore the reply if it is a troll or just overly emotional.

Human nature won't change just because it's Friday.

The Auld Grump

 

[TwoSix]

Considering the current state of Internet memes, adding anything to Friday may be a mistake.

 

[Yesway Jose]

Wow, gauging the general mood, I'm honestly surprised that "the fallacies must stop" seems to be the first priority, and not being non-anal-retentive.

I guess that's just the inherent atmosphere of this forum, then. You walk into a rough-and-tumble bar and you know that starting a discussion on D&D is probably not the best social strategy. You walk into a New York Yankees bar and claim that "Red Sox are the best", you know you're going to take a ton of heat but you also know that you probably don't have to prepare for an argument like "Hey, you didn't say 'subjectively' -- you stated an opinion as if it was objective FACT!!!" So you log on on to Enworld and you know you have to correctly articulate the semantics and rigorously structure the logic behind every post and IMO disclaimers do not function, because, behind the computer screen of anonymity, others will get you for it. That's just how it is, OK, I get that.

Mind you, based on the sample size of this thread and self-selection bias, one cannot actually draw any logical conclusions.

 

[Vyvyan Basterd]

A lot of people have their posts-per-page set up differently, making page numbers poor reference points. I run at forty posts per page. Posts numbers stay the same though.

I propose that those needing their pages to be longer than the standard are compensating for something...

Don't worry Mark, I think he's referring to our hairlines.

 

[Celebrim]

You might not be if you'd been here longer. In reverse order of frustrating (to me at least), is getting the following responses:

5) Some anal-retentive guy has a bee in his bonnet and takes your post as a jumping off point for a lengthy rant.
4) Some sensitive person takes offense and hurls a bunch of invective your way.
3) Some jerk decides to get the thread killed by going snippy, snarky and belligerent.
2) As #5, but the guy dismisses your post by producing a pleasing sounding argument that when you dig into it rests entirely on false logic or a false premise.
1) Some guy responds by totally misrepresenting your position with a straw man, implies thee must be something mentally wrong with you for asserting the straw man position he created, and throws out a ton of logical fallacies to 'prove' you must be some sort of sick freak.

In short, it's more frustrating to have to deal with stupidity than it is to have to deal with anger. People eventually calm down, but they rarely get less stupid. If someone just misunderstood you, or if someone is just missing a few key facts, reason usually wins out. If there is a disagreement of opinion, usually, if the thread is allowed to go long enough, communication, empathy, and even understanding occurs. "But against stupidity, even the gods themselves contend in vain." I'd rather be insulted, than have to deal with an idiot.

I guess I'm going to have to wait until suggestion Saturday, but personally I find that using EnWorld as a place to argue is usually a waste of time. While it would be wonderful to have a fallacy free Friday, the basic problem is that people prone to lots of logical fallacies aren't likely to be able to stop using them nor will they be able to see the problem when you point them out. If logic isn't their strong point, it's just not their strong point. I personally feel a better suggestion would be a, "Only-start-posts-with-useful-game-content Mondays." I'd much rather see EnWorld as a clearing house for homemade crunch than as place where bored nerds go to get their rants out.

Ok, rant over.

 

[Yesway Jose]

In short, it's more frustrating to have to deal with stupidity than it is to have to deal with anger. People eventually calm down, but they rarely get less stupid.

Well, labelling somebody as "stupid" is not what I had in mind for a reasonable discussion

And no, I'm not trying to fallaciously misrepresent a distorted version of your position