'Arguing with people on the internet makes you stupid'

[struggle4progress]

Poll question: 'Arguing with people on the internet makes you stupid'

[kentauros]

1. It must be a temporary loss.

Otherwise, DU would have turned into Freeperville a long time ago...

[Manifestor_of_Light]

13. Arguing with people on DU makes ya stupid.

says I, "bleah, blurg, glarp, gahh, snork, gurpfle, fagroon........."

:D

[nolabear]

2. That isn't an argument; that's abuse.

spamspamspam...

[Boojatta]

3. The words "on the internet" aren't descriptive of a kind of person.

It's like saying, "I received a letter. It was delivered by the USPS, and that tells you plenty about the person who wrote the letter." Does it?

It's like saying, "I had a conversation on the telephone. Do you know what kind of person talks on the telephone? You don't want to get into an argument with somebody like that."

[struggle4progress]

4. I am in a most agreeable mood, and will therefore agree entirely with everything you have said.

There is no difference whatsoever between various modes of communication, no matter how they differ

Leaving messages for people by painting on rocks and hoping they happen to pass by later is no way different than trying to communicate with them by beating drums at a distance or mailing letters to them or using signal lights or sending them telegrams or conducting a video conference or sending emails back and forth

No matter how they differ, all forms of communication are exactly the same and do not differ in any way

[Boojatta]

6. I didn't say that there are no differences between various modes of communication.

My point is that if we begin by considering all possible messages and then restrict ourselves to messages conveyed over the internet, then our filter isn't very restrictive.

Have you heard people say that they got some information "from the internet"? Don't you agree that a story posted on a BBC news website has more credibility than a thread that I posted in DU's September 11 forum?

You could make the argument that the internet is such a big tent that it includes a lot of foolishness. However, that a given thing is on the internet isn't enough of a basis for you to arrive at the conclusion that the given thing is foolish.

[quakerboy]

5. Disagree

Sticking to your reflexive opinion without doing any research and pointedly ignoring any contrary evidence while arguing with people on the internet makes you stupid.


Just arguing itself does not do anything other than indicate you have argued with someone on the internet. If you use that argument as impetus to inform yourself, that surely does not make you stupid.

[dimbear]

7. Maybe when any schlub can opine, but at sites where you have to 'already be a genius,'

the arguments can be pretty high level. Sites where dimbear can only visit, not 'speak'....

I doubt those arguments result in any net subtraction.

[Boojatta]

9. "Sites where dimbear can only visit, not 'speak'...."

Links?

[dimbear]

15. One of my favorites:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ANE-2/messages

Ancient Near East History.

[HopeHoops]

8. As Tommy Chong said, "Some people say that smoking pot makes you lose your memory..."

"... I just wanted to say that....I just wanted to say that....Heh...I forgot what I was going to say." :hippie: :smoke:

[HappyMe]

10. What was the question?

:smoke:

:hippie:

[applegrove]

11. Arguing with the gop base or their sock puppets makes you stupid!

[trof]

12. I think one would be supid to begin with.

I've never seen any argument on the internets that changed anyone's belief/opinion.

[KamaAina]

14. Nice post, Hitler!

:P

[From The Ashes]

16. ...arguing on the internets...

[bigwillq]

17. It doesn't make one stupid.

I just think some folks take it too seriously.