The one question

[yud]

It seems to me more and more the internet has one basic underlying question:

Should I point out how idiotic some one is being? 

This current US election has brought this out in full force, the thing is having pointed it out some people fully understand the level of stupidity coming out of their keyboards and are hoping no one think that deeply about what they are saying.

So what do think is rude or a much needed tool to raise the level of discussion on the the Internet?

[sLaughterMed]

I think you will find that regardless of intent, calling a stranger on the internet an idiot will inevitability end badly.

And while you might think that Trump and his antics are ridiculous, there is a significant portion of the population who wants him in office. Like it or not, these people are clearly not a small minority, and their opinions matter every bit as much as yours.

If you want to grab someone and shake them over the internet, be my guest. But I think you will find more people will listen if you take a more understanding and sympathetic approach.

And keep in mind that the ones who are knowingly spewing garbage are doing it intentionally, in the hopes of provoking an argument. Calling them idiots is exactly what they want.

[SteveC]

 

[yud]

I suppose I should clarify, I mainly do this over Facebook so people who know me.  Second, I don't actually see all that much pro trump stuff, and while I would rather avoid politics in favor of a more general thought, my own thought is that he has been winning therefore a sizable number of people must actually like him and I am fine with that the US is a democratic republic after all.

Also I do try as much as possible to combat people's assumptions or propaganda with facts or at the very least the understanding that people can have differences of opinion and it does not mean the other side is evil or even wrong just different.  (For example some people see the economy as the most important thing others social issues, and neither is really right or wrong)

But this question runs deeper, consider this situation that happened offline.  After viewing 12 years a slave some asked my opinion as a grad student in history.  And my thought was and is that they spent too much time with the second slave master who was bad even for the time.  And I would have preferred a more nuanced understanding of slavery in the US.  Now after two hours of arguing my point that slavery was more complex and nuanced then slave owner are evil perpetrators of inhuman horrors (mind you never saying that slavery was ok just understandable as to why it happened), I failed to convince two music majors and an art majors that maybe I knew the subject better then they did and that the extra study had given me greater insight.

And I am not sure what my point was, but I will go with maybe you can't convince the posters but maybe you can keep someone else from falling down the same hole.

Actually when I have called friends on posting something knowingly false, the plan seems to be to get people to think X is true without thinking, less so trolling for an argument.

[firiki]

First off, I don't pretend to be omniscient and always right about what I say. I'm pretty far from it, actually.

Having said that, I never cease to be amazed by how opinionated people can be, whether in real life or on the Internet. In many cases their attitude renders any effort to discuss a matter pretty much pointless.

In any case, arguments should be focused on opinions and facts rather than on personal feelings about our interlocutors. It seems, however, that many people get personally offended by the mere fact that someone dares to voice an opinion different to their own resulting in incredible meanders. Additionally, it seems that the more counter-arguments one offers the more irrational, hostile and irate the other side gets. It's sad, really.

As for the question about pointing out someone's idiocy, I don't know; I try to judge based on what is at stake every time. Stupidity is invincible, as they say, and very proud of it!

Edit: Spelling

[pfrsantos]

While most people think like this:




I think like this:

[Grant Lamontagne]

This has touched on politics and should be closed as a result, but I'm going yo let it go (at least for now!) because it has not only been an acceptable discussion,  but also illustrates the point of WHY we have banned topics here like politics and religion.

The bottom line to all of this, the key to your conundrum is that no one wants to learn, no one wants their opinions to change, and facts are mere hurdles to the greater delusion.  They have their opinions, formed however they were formed, they are right, and admitting anything less would make them look and feel stupid.  They don't want your facts or your opinion, they want you to agree with them so they feel better about themselves.

The problem with giving everyone a right to an opinion, and a soapbox to stand on is that, quite frankly, like any tool, not everyone is qualified to use it.  So, you end up with everyone standing ten inches higher, shouting at the top of their lungs, with no one listening because, even if they wanted to, there's just too much noise.

There have always been people who don't listen.  This is nothing new.  What sites like FB has changed (and modern society in general) is that now people feel justified and righteous about being complete and utter idiots.

Def

[pfrsantos]

It pretty much boils down to this:




Or this:




But always remember: