[Debate] Discussion And Debate Tags

[FlipMode]

Okay so I came across a thread on here earlier, which I do not really have the time to post my thorough opinion on, and to be quite honest it sounds like it would fall on death ears since the OP apparently made up his mind. I don't really have the time to respond intricately either, but I do have enough time to suggest this.

But here is my suggestion - it has come to my attention that people here either do not know the difference or are forgetting what the difference is between a discussion and a debate.

Please all, try to remember - A discussion is where you post your opinion on a subject. That is all. If it differs, or someone else's differs then so be it but there is no disagreements made.

A debate - Is where you present your opinion, and where it differs to that of another you give reasoning and explanations. Ultimately you are either trying to convince others you are correct or making them understand the substance behind what you are saying.
Now, the only thing we need to remember is that in a debate we have to stay within the rules of the forum, which means do not be disrespectful or mean in doing so.

So there is my suggestion - allow debates on controversial topics but add tags between the two. This way those who just want to post their thoughts, with no evidence, backing, reasoning and most importantly NO OPPOSITION can do so. And those who want to allow their thoughts to be disagreed / agreed to and in turn do the same to others, are also free to ^^

Well there it is, peace out! I hope that even if this is not implemented, it at least helps some people to establish the difference =)

[Noah]

[quote="FlipMode"]Now, the only thing we need to remember is that in a debate we have to stay within the rules of the forum, which means do not be disrespectful or mean in doing so.[/quote]
That's asking for more than you realize.

I used to be a wiki administrator and I know first hand how quickly simple discussions can turn into debates. It's a fine line set atop a slippery slope. All it takes is one person to say something that inadvertently makes another person legitimately mad. And before you know it, people leave the site, members make permentant enemies, and the administrator and staff have to deal with various crap (I feel your pain Moka )

There is no doubt that discussion and debates aren't fun. In fact, they're one of the greatest things about the Internet: people from around the world sharing ideas. However, an unintended side effect is that people can often times offend others without realizing it. These people who cause the shift from peaceful discussion to out-and-out flame war most of the time don't have bad intentions. From my experience, its normally just people from one corner of the globe feeling personally attacked from people on the another corner of the globe, when that was never their true intention to begin with.

In order for the Smart Pants Forum to continue workings, there are a couple of general rules for both discussions and debates that every member needs to follow. You have to (1) remain calm, (2) assume good faith, and (3) never be malicious. I try my hardest to follow these rules, because I know that if I were to break any (on MLK, MSN, the internet in general, or real life) I am striking a match in a room filled with dynamite. There have been times in the past on MLK where I've wanted to type in all caps how I felt about something, but I chose not to and haven't run into a single problem. There's an African proverb that goes: "If you keep your mouth shut, the flies won't get in". In a perfect world, every member would follow these rules. Then again, in a perfect world, there would be no need for debates at all.

As for FlipMode's original idea, I can see it working, but at the same time I can't. A majority of the users on MyLionKing know how to interact in a socially acceptable manner. But those that can't (whether they meant harm or not) are not going to pay attention to a little word in a topic title. Expect to see raging debates in a tag marked "Discussion". If I could cast a vote, I would choose "Soft Yes". Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

[Woeler]

I agree with this but I say if you do not want to get in an argument you should simply not post. I posted my thoughts somewhere else so here they are. They are about the religios topics.

Thinking that religion or politics can be discussed without any problems is a sad delusion.

There should be rules on when something can be considered offensive.
1 attacking personally
2 using unacceptable words and swearing
3 being racist
4 makes fun of someone

There should be topics where people can expres their views without discussing and there should be topics where people discus and or debate about their views. And you choose yourself whether you want to enter such a discussion or not. And dont go in if you know you can't tolerate people saying that you are wrong.

I'm just saying, we should have clear rules about these topics or forbid them. Not some unsure situation like we're having now

[quote]I don't 100% agree with you but I agree a lot.

I see no reason why I can't let my opinion out here since it has been rejected by staff several times.

Let me start with this, I'm very very experienced in arguments of this kind. Never ever in my whole life have I been on a forum on which people are so easily offended. I am not offended to hear someone else's thought so why should someone be of mine?

On this forum it is impolitic and wrong to criticize someone's thoughts about religion in a way it is not wrong to criticize someone's thoughts about physics or history. And so it is that when I come with rock solid facts (in favor of my views) which are written down in history, I get warned. Someone telling me the opposite against atheism is apparently not wrong.

When taking part in such discussion you must understand that there are people from the other side who may be as or even stronger than you. And they will do everything to disprove you. That is not racism or ignorance. The proper word for this is ''debate''.
Atheistic views are immediately picked up as offensive. This is not offense but these are facts, they are true and have been confirmed. Confronting someone with the real world is not ignorant nor offensive. I have the feeling that ''I'm offended'' is more used as an escape from a debate than anything else.

There is nobody who can take a neutral position in these discussions. At least it should not be allowed for people who take part in it to ban another person who also took part in it. These topics are constantly creating problems. I said to the staff ''Well then forbid them''. They won't because there are only a few people who don't understand how to debate in there. I'm almost 100% sure those are all atheists.

an atheist expressing his views with the hard truth is not racist

you know what is racist?

A place where people are not allowed to express certain views.
then again, we can always be like North-Korea.

Thank you for reading. I'm only expressing my opinion so I see absolutely no reason for someone to be offended about this either. This is just what I think is happening. I might be wrong, but I really doubt it.

But I learned how stuff works here so I just nod and stay out of religious topics. I completely understand how you feel Baya. I cant say I 100% agree with your debating style but I do agree that atheistic views are not respected.

If any mod sees a reason to talk to me about this then be my guest and pm me.
[/quote]

[KingKivuli]

after discussing (well more of a no) this will be closed. i see where the idea is coming from but it will add so much fuel to a forest fire