[OT] Verbal Kung Fu

[Oni]

We all know that message boards are frequently the sites of debate, often heated at that. Most of usually get involved in a few of these at some point in time, either as easy going armchair debators or as fire hardened flame warriors. Everyone has their own style of persuasion and trying to get their point across. What sorts of techniques do you use in your quest to be persuasive. Do you engage in verbal trickery, try to bury your opponent in a deluge of hard data, or try to discredit them? I know this is kind of an odd topic but I thought it might be an interesting diversion especially if you've never really analyzed how you go about this sort of thing before. So let's be truthful (and civil), think of it as generals gathered to discuss tactics and stratages. Let's have it!

 

[Oni]

Lead balloon?

 

[Darkness]

*points at sig*

Also: Flame Warriors.

Heh. I really like this site... I'm glad that Morrus showed me the link way back when!

 

[Chun-tzu]

I think many of us aren't really seeking any formal kind of debate. I know there are some people who get off on debating, and really enjoy them, but they're relatively few and far between.

Using techniques like personally attacking the other debator or throwing in misleading or excessive amounts of data are considered extremely cheap by any civilized debator, and unworthy of any who would call themselves a debator. People here are more impressed by posters who are civilized than posters who are "right."

I don't come here for debate. Sometimes, people misunderstand what I'm trying to say, so I may explain it another way, or elaborate on my argument, but other than that, I'll assume that my point has been made, and let it drop at that. Then I call anyone who disagrees with me a vile Tarrasque-toucher.

 

[Simplicity]

My verbal kung fu is usually more like this:

(bad dubbing...)
ME: "Hey, lets you and me fight."
THEM: "Them's fightin' words!"