A Field Guide to General Discussion Arguments.

[Emperor_Norton_II]

For those of you who don't have the time, patience or bandwidth to slog through 200 or 300 post threads about "Candidate vs. Candidate" or "The US is Evil vs. No It Isn't" or any of the other six trillion permutations of GD Argument, I have helpfully prepared this quick generic synopsis:

1) Initial poster presents opinion, usually stated as fact, if not Absolute Truth.

2) Followup poster expresses skepticism, ranging from mild to severe.

3) Initial poster, upset and uncomprehending why the post was not greeted with acclaim, responds with the same argument phrased differently.

4) Skeptic requests clarification and/or additional information.

5) Initial poster posts long list of googled links and/or quotes, often with only tangential connection to the original topic.

6) Skeptic, baffled as to what the list has to do with anything, requests clarification again.

7) Repeat steps 3-6 for at least an hour of real-time.

8) Initial poster begins lambasting skeptic with veiled personal insults.

9) Skeptic, beginning to get tired of the runaround, responds with sarcasm.

10) Initial poster reacts to sarcasm, declares skeptic to be a paid agent and/or close, personal friend of Karl Rove.

11) Skeptic reacts to accusation with outright and abject mockery.

12) Repeat steps 8-11 for at least an hour.

13) Skeptic finally gives up and abandons thread.

14) Initial poster declares "victory."

Add sycophants, fanboys, Merry Pranksters, freepi and other assorted DU wildlife to taste.

[Brucey]

1. Very funny, and perhaps on mark in many cases.

What can/should we do about it?

[Emperor_Norton_II]

6. I don't know about you, but as for me

I intend to milk every last bit of entertainment out of it that I possibly can.

I'm Old in the ways of the net, and terrible in aspect. I've seen this happen again and again and again in the echoing halls of UseNet as well as these newfangled WWW boards. It happens, just as reliably as gravity happens. You get used to it, and even enjoy it half the time.

So I suggest loosen up, sit back and laugh at the silly bastards.

[bearfartinthewoods]

10. hail Emperor

good to see you pop your head up!

[Emperor_Norton_II]

11. Oh, I'm always around

Most people don't see me since I tend to busy myself with things like Science, Hope, and Optimism while the rest of y'all are paying more attention to Death, Despair, Bush, Ruin, etc. :D

[IrateCitizen]

2. You know, YRH, I may not always agree with you here...

... but you definitely have one helluva sense of humor! And your analysis is spot-on, if only slightly exaggerated. :D

Thanks.

[JHB]

3. I'm skeptical. What evidence do you have to back that up?

:evilgrin:

[Emperor_Norton_II]

7. Evidence? What Evidence?

*ahem*

"You freeper. I don't need to tell you my evidence. You (insert scatalogical of sexual reference to Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/etc. here)! So there!"

:evilgrin:

[Nederland]

16. Hey

According to plan, you were supposed to respond with step #3, not jump a head to step #10. Can't even follow your own rules, eh? :)

[Emperor_Norton_II]

18. I'm the Emperor - I trancend rules.

Besides, I didn't feel like running all that nonsense back through the thesaurus and posting it again. ;-)

[muriel_volestrangler]

28. your original post might be taken as having only one skeptic

and since there is more than one in this case, I'll choose to take that interpretation, and then say your thesis has been totally disproved.

Also, with the thread structure getting slightly complicated, I'll hope that you don't even see this response. That way it'll look as though you've no reply to my devastating argument, which gets me extra kudos.

[Dogmudgeon]

4. Even Simpler ...

Optimist bad.
Skeptic good.

--bkl

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

5. A very apt description of what happens so often in this forum.

I laughed out loud while seeing myself and just most of us here in one role or another.

Thanks for puttiong this together.

:toast:

[DemocratSinceBirth]

8. That's An Old Debate Trick

To change the subject or to reduce the debate to the most narrow terms

[Emperor_Norton_II]

9. Trickery? Moi?

perish the thought, O great seer.

yrs in h.sap.malaclypse,

[bearfartinthewoods]

12. straw dog!!!!

attempting to change the subject by accusing someone of changing the subject. that's just so...so...nazi of you.

[Emperor_Norton_II]

13. kick

a little boost to the ego never hurt, and with Arguments still hot n' heavy, once again we present this for the n00bies.

[theboss]

14. Of course you feel this way

You probably feel that the US was right in dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Well you are wrong!! Go back to Free Republic!!!

That was fun.

[Emperor_Norton_II]

15. See?

I provide a public service here, simply by popping my head up.

You should put me on the dollar right alongside George Washington.

[BelgianMadCow]

24. speaking about nOObies,

thanks for that overview ! It al makes sense to me now :-)
Your summary outlines the typical backbone indeed.

[Terwilliger]

This post is just flamebait!!

;-)

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. I'm mildly sceptical.

[Emperor_Norton_II]

20. I reiterate my position

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

22. I'm kinda dumb. Could you clarify?

[Emperor_Norton_II]

23. Insert long googled up list of primary & secondary sources here

Oh, and random quotes from various historical personages.

[BelgianMadCow]

25. I question your sources, your motive,

and your personality in general, in no uncertain terms.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

27. Huh?

I didn't quite get that.

[Emperor_Norton_II]

32. Lather, rinse, repeat.

[chiburb]

19. I should listen to someone....

With under 1000 posts and no gold star???
:-)

[Emperor_Norton_II]

21. Sure, why not?

Gold stars indicate a surplus of money, not Eternal Wisdom. ;-)

[HFishbine]

26. I don't agree with you

do you have any links to back that up?

[bloom]

29. mockery, mockery, mockery

[muriel_volestrangler]

31. What do you have against Bodie?

Or was that Doyle?

[Emperor_Norton_II]

33. sarcasm, sarcasm, sarcasm

[BelgianMadCow]

30. and a kick

:kick:
on my way out for today... :hi:

[robbedvoter]

34. I resent the smugness of this

Having also being bothered by excessive devotion/animosity towards a candidate I also read those "one purpose fits all" threads and informed myself to the point of making a choice. I guess I am too passionate about the process to feel superior to everyone else the way you do.

[Emperor_Norton_II]

35. I feed upon your resentment

:evilgrin:

I was wondering if somebody was going to throw a snit or if everybody was going to go with the spirit of this thing. Guess I know now.

yrs in self-mockery,

[Ardee]

36. Merry Prankster here

All hail my emperor, well I do live about 13 miles south of San Francisco but better you than Willie!