Posted on 10/08/2022 5:06:37 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Over the last several years, my liberal friends have become less and less comfortable with utilizing classical debating styles — you know, where one person proposes a theory, explains it thoroughly with facts and figures and then responds to any questions about the theory in a logical, rational way. This article develops a theory on why the vast majority of all liberals are currently atrocious debaters.
My wife and I have been lucky. We have developed many close friendships with lots of people over our lives. Some of these relationships are more recent, but many have lasted 20, 30, or even 40 years. We have over a dozen friends whom we try to stay in close contact with on a regular basis. About half of them are liberal; about half of them are conservative. Virtually no one seems to be dead in the middle anymore.
Recently, a new trend started to become obvious. For my conservative friends, roughly half of all their friends share conservative values, and half are liberal. But our liberal friends tend to have just one or two conservative friends, and they are no longer able to discuss political issues with their conservative friends, since the liberals tend to get too emotional when talking politics.
It is my belief that this inability to discuss political issues is because my liberal friends look only at online sites that share their worldview; they watch only TV news that reinforces their worldview; they discuss politics only with people who share their worldview; and they often look at social media that make them think the liberal view on a topic is the only rational one to have.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
From the article: “It is my belief that this inability to discuss political issues is because my liberal friends look only at online sites that share their worldview; they watch only TV news that reinforces their worldview; they discuss politics only with people who share their worldview; and they often look at social media that make them think the liberal view on a topic is the only rational one to have.”
That isn’t just a liberal thing. Conservatives do it too.
It’s called “confirmation bias, the tendency to process information by looking for, or interpreting, information that is consistent with one’s existing beliefs. This biased approach to decision making is largely unintentional and often results in ignoring inconsistent information. Existing beliefs can include one’s expectations in a given situation and predictions about a particular outcome. People are especially likely to process information to support their own beliefs when the issue is highly important or self-relevant.”
Well, there are benefits to that. .... Ducking...
‘Liberal’, on the other, connotes a notion of openness. There is no openness with leftists. They don’t even listen or watch what they attack. They are blind to the results of their ideas and policies. It’s simple a matter of repeating talking points from MSNBC.
I’m open to debate, but it takes some guts for me since I try to keep the peace with friends and acquaintances. However, this past Wednesday was a bit different. I was out and about with the one leftist in my family. We ran into one of my friends, who just happens to be black and very conservative. My friend exclaims, “did you see Steve Bannon this morning?” We had a brief conversation and went our own ways. My relative then asks me, “I can’t believe that guy watches Steve Bannon.” It was said in a tone that implied black people aren’t supposed to do that. I quipped semi-sarcastically, “yeah, you would think he would be watching Sharpton on MSNBC.” He was in total agreement. I went on say that it was completely racist, assuming a black man should only listen to Sharpton and it was equivalent to keeping blacks on the Democratic plantation and blacks should only think one way. No one expects whites to think one way just because of the color of their skin, so why should there be that expectation for blacks. I also said something to the effect that my relative probably never watched Bannon and all he knows of him are from out of context video clips on CNN and MSNBC.
He was found wanting. He had no idea what Bannon stood for and that’s typical of ‘racist closed-minded leftists’.
I thought I blew the peace in my family. I had strayed from safe conversations about sports, health and food. I knew I really ripped into him, if he listened to what I said. I uneasily thought about that multiple times Wednesday and Thursday knowing I would see my relative on Friday. On Friday, the first thing he asks me, “what do you think of Wikipedia?” He had researched Bannon on Wikipedia.
My next step is to get him to watch Bannon.
Moral of the story, I need to find the guts to have more potentially peace breaking conversations.
they watch only TV news that reinforces their worldview; they discuss politics only with people who share their worldview; and they often look at social media that make them think the liberal view on a topic is the only rational one to have...
Fox, Tucker, Gutfeld, RSBN, Free Republic, Truth Social...
We also have our favorites.
The BEST thing about Free Republic is when people post articles written by liberals from liberal sources, because we not only get to see what they are saying, but tear it up here with some very smart minds who can debate well.
There are some who's first and only argument is to complain about the source. Don't be that guy.
I’ve had to pretty much keep away from my friend of 40 years because of his wife. I like her, but she’s a moron
Years ago, she got talking about Hillary so I asked her what made her think Hillary was qualified to be president.
“I read her book” was all she could come up with
Watches only the Today Show, The View, the evening network news, 60 minutes, etc. So the only news my buddy sees is Fake News.
Impossible to talk politics with them because they look at me like I have horns growing out of my head when I cite to them something happening in the country that they’ve never once heard because of the one-sided news they watch
Then, she has a couple of beers and goes of on “Trump, the f’n Jews, and Trump again
Did I mention she’s a moron?
Agree. Might as well debate a macaque. They cannot be reached.
I used to think that too. Since I’ve been listening to James Lindsay’s New Discourses podcast, he has a very strong case for socialism (which is what liberals believe) is actually a religion or theology, not an economic or political theory. When you challenge a belief, it is a very personal issue. I don’t mind if they believe it, but they are trying to enforce it on everyone, exactly of which they accuse conservatives and Christians. But, we can distinguish between beliefs and ideas and have the discernment to not try to impose our beliefs on others, even while we can make our political decisions based upon our beliefs. And we can also respect their right to do so.
worship of big giverment theology + totalitarian metaphysics + anti-reason and groupthink epistemology + ethics of altruism, collectivism, duty, and obedience + politics of force & statism + economics of socialism de facto
I have the impression leftists will no longer come on conservative opinion shows for the reason most of their positions have become increasingly indefensible. The host becomes self conscious that they may be seen as bullying.
On the other hand I would be very surprised to see a competent articulate conservative invited on a left wing opinion show, like the Morning Joe. Like a lawyer asking a question in open court when he has no idea what the answer will be.
“We lost very close friends because of their liberalism. Well actually they lost us.”
So true.
I had to let a few family members go - this during the Clinton perjury thing.
They said it was not a big thing lying under oath and subjoining perjury.
This from a man who was a sitting justice on the Montana Supreme Court at the time.
Unconscionable.
I’ve never looked back.
There is no longer anything fruitful or productive to be gained from debating lunatics who think men can have babies, that your children should be taken from you for transgender surgery, and that we should all starve and freeze to make the weather more better. Our ancestors showed us what needs to be done when debate is no longer fruitful, in 1775 and 1861.
-PJ
Then ask them, if a pregnant woman is shot and killed, should the shooter be charged with one or two murders? I guarantee, that a majority of them will say two.
My experience has been to be pelted with red herrings. Rapid fire irrelevant comments and statements when their position is being successfully challenged. Change the subject. Bush did it too. It’s like wrestling with a greased pig.
It is my belief that this inability to discuss political issues is because my liberal friends look only at online sites that share their worldview; .. This isolationism creates an echo chamber, where only one type of ideology is allowed in, and this forces liberals to think of conservatives as caricatures of what conservatives really believe.
But often as conservatives we simply parrot what sounds good to us, but which really has not been checked out for accuracy. In house opinions are one thing, but when posting on the Internet I try to make sure claims are substantiated.
They get their talking points directly from fake news sites like CNN and MSDNC. One I know brags about watching Fox News as proof that he listens to both sides of an issue.
That is not my experience. First, they pull the race card. Next, they call you stupid. Then they go for Trump. They are already screaming with spittle discharge. The conversation now only a diatribe against me, with no on-topic content.
They start with the absurd position that it is a woman’s health decision and therefore nobody else’s business.
At that point, I think, “fine, when asked by St. Peter why you destroyed the life that was developing inside you, what are you going to say to him, that it wasn’t his business?”
I’m not going to even try to debate them.
The article’s analysis is interesting but misses the point:
Once you adopt the liberal worldview, you have your Good Person Card. You’re Liberal because you’re good, and you’re good because you’re liberal. You no longer need facts, figures, or history to defend your position because any position you take is automatically good because YOU are good. This keeps them from honestly examining their policies, which is why they end up doing such monstrous things. And it’s why they get heated when you debate them: in their eyes you are not arguing a point, you are challenging their worth as a person.
I also try to change the subject. My favorite is bringing up the the similarities and differences between the Apollo and Orion spacecrafts.
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