Dilbert’s Rules for Internet Debate
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James Joyner | Tuesday, November 22, 2005 |
Scott Adams provides a too-real-to-life guide to debating on the Internet.
1. Turn someoneâs generality into an absolute. For example, if someone makes a general statement that Americans celebrate Christmas, point out that some people are Jewish and so anyone who thinks that ALL Americans celebrate Christmas is stupid. (Bonus points for accusing the person of being anti-Semitic.)
[...]
6. Hallucinate entirely different points. For example, if someone says apples grow on trees, accuse him of saying snakes have arms and then point out how stupid that is.
7. Use the intellectual laziness card. For example, if someone says that ice is cold, recommend that he take graduate courses in chemistry and meteorology before jumping to stupid conclusions that display a complete ignorance of the complexity of ice.
Anyone familiar with the comments sections on most larger blogs has seen these in action.
Hat tip to Jack Grant. I didn’t even know Adams had a blog.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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I didn't even know Adams had a blog
It's OK. Until a week or so back, he didn't.
Dilbert probably forgot the accusative, but self-serving superfluous question, such as,
What were your true motives for presenting this article in the manner in which you did?
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