General Discussion

KansDem

(28,498 posts)

97. "It is impossible to have an intelligent discussion with a large percentage of people anymore."

Sun Apr 1, 2012, 08:41 AM

Apr 2012

And when you do have a discussion and find you're "winning" due to facts and logic, the "faith-based debater" pulls out the ol' "We can agree to disagree" conclusion, effectively shutting down the discussion.

For example, I had an "discussion" with my sister last year. She is vehemently "anti-union" and believes "If The Man is signing your paycheck, you do what The Man says." To illustrate the need for unions, I brought up the Massey Mine disaster and asked her if there had been a union to put pressure on the company to follow safety regulations, would 25 miners have died? If a union had threatened to strike if safety issues weren't addressed by management, would the owners have ignored the problems? We went back and forth a few times until she pulled out the "Well, we can agree to disagree" excuse.

No, Sis...we can't "agree to disagree" when you refuse to recognize logic and facts.

I don't talk much with my Sis these days...

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We're really swimming in it now. [View all] bigtree Mar 2012 OP

What a well thought out piece. Thank you. russspeakeasy Mar 2012 #1

There has been some misrepresentation of the facts, however: olegramps Apr 2012 #134

great post, Bigtree riverwalker Mar 2012 #2

+ rtassi Apr 2012 #146

Sorry you have to work with people like that! SamG Mar 2012 #3

K & R, nt Royal Sloan 09 Mar 2012 #4

Faith-Based Everything ChicagoRonin Mar 2012 #5

+1000 Hawkowl Mar 2012 #59

You have hit it right on the head. lisby Mar 2012 #61

+1000. nt awoke_in_2003 Apr 2012 #92

"It is impossible to have an intelligent discussion with a large percentage of people anymore." KansDem Apr 2012 #97

agreed n/t Blue_Tires Apr 2012 #110

You have a very clear vision of what is and will be. jaysunb Mar 2012 #79

I agree to a point - it will only get worse and show the true colors here more and more lunasun Apr 2012 #102

You nailed it my friend CanonRay Apr 2012 #94

If true Justice is served truthseeker68 Apr 2012 #128

Who is rational? Who is reasonable and fair? hfojvt Mar 2012 #6

I find your post to be part of the problem. /nt yardwork Mar 2012 #9

I think it's pretty clear what my opinion is on those bigtree Mar 2012 #10

well my own mother, who knows me about as well as anybody hfojvt Mar 2012 #17

I'll say this bigtree Mar 2012 #19

hmm... chervilant Apr 2012 #99

well this may seem argumentative hfojvt Apr 2012 #108

Of course, the difference between Trayvon's and those other homicides stranger81 Apr 2012 #143

actually no, not always hfojvt Apr 2012 #147

Media driven tragedy... nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #27

that phrase hfojvt Mar 2012 #47

The fact that he was treated with white gloves nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #49

Very good OP. This is about race, class, violence, fear, and misinformation. yardwork Mar 2012 #7

What is a scrap though? hfojvt Mar 2012 #22

oooooo..... Juicy...! happerbolic Mar 2012 #66

Wow... chervilant Apr 2012 #100

I see a lot of pollution coming from the 99% hfojvt Apr 2012 #107

hfojvt I enjoy your posts trekbiker Apr 2012 #111

I doubt if Zimmerman will likely end up like Dalmer. totodeinhere Apr 2012 #130

Good thing they don't get to decide the verdict. Quantess Mar 2012 #8

Have you heard of the term give them enough rope to hang themselves? Baitball Blogger Mar 2012 #11

But some of them will never realize it starroute Mar 2012 #13

I am so counting on the forensics evidence. Baitball Blogger Mar 2012 #16

I used this case to help my students learn about propaganda techniques this week. knitter4democracy Mar 2012 #12

+1 blaze Mar 2012 #26

Of course! knitter4democracy Mar 2012 #29

You're an excellent teacher because lunatica Mar 2012 #31

We do have a lot of discussions. knitter4democracy Mar 2012 #87

Thanks for your work lunatica Apr 2012 #101

Kudos to you! You are preparing thoughtful students who will take those LuckyLib Mar 2012 #32

Thanks! knitter4democracy Mar 2012 #88

What a great skill and what a great teacher !!! lunasun Apr 2012 #104

That's wonderful. Mariana Apr 2012 #95

Aldous Huxley had it figured out. zeemike Mar 2012 #14

Thanks for that. Huxley always seems to have the key when it comes to modern primate weirdness. byronius Apr 2012 #90

This propaganda and spin is a very powerful tool. fasttense Apr 2012 #93

That story is a perfect example of the power of propaganda. zeemike Apr 2012 #98

"I repeated back what he had said to me and he blushed, ashamed" FiveGoodMen Apr 2012 #135

How folks respond to this event mick063 Mar 2012 #15

"We have a Rev. Jim Jones-like following on a national scale." gateley Mar 2012 #21

Look how many views this thread has gotten! Quantess Mar 2012 #18

Must be... ellisonz Mar 2012 #23

Excellent post, and I agree. stevedeshazer Mar 2012 #20

Just wondering droidamus2 Mar 2012 #24

Did we ever stop? nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #25

That's elective college level stuff lunatica Mar 2012 #33

As I told the district nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #52

I'm with you on this. newspeak Apr 2012 #109

Well you can understand the context of an institution nadinbrzezinski Apr 2012 #112

It's really hard to fathom, in this era of information, how deep the lines of division have become. bluesbassman Mar 2012 #28

Post removed Post removed Mar 2012 #30

Nice try nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #34

FYI, MIRT moved fast and jury voted 6-0 to hide pinboy3niner Mar 2012 #42

Yup... nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #43

Societal disrepair?... now that's something new...! happerbolic Mar 2012 #74

I like your parrot Aerows Apr 2012 #122

Flash mobs! OMG! Middle of the night FLASH MOBS!!!111 All due to absent fathers. OMG OMG OMG OMG uppityperson Mar 2012 #35

rofl! Flash mobs!! That's the source of that poster's angst and anxiety Number23 Mar 2012 #64

Maybe it's not a problem in Bumblefuck, AL eggplant aubergine Mar 2012 #69

Oh my God. You get more absurd and unhinged by the second Number23 Mar 2012 #73

"chartreuse flashmobs"? uppityperson Mar 2012 #75

Mauve. Aerows Apr 2012 #123

Post removed Post removed Apr 2012 #129

beseiged by thugs in the last few years due to gentrification.-say wa? lunasun Apr 2012 #105

Gotta love freepers/stormfront NOT nt maryellen99 Mar 2012 #36

Post removed Post removed Mar 2012 #70

I think you're making this up lunatica Mar 2012 #38

Poster PPR'd--will not be replying pinboy3niner Mar 2012 #39

One hit wonder lunatica Mar 2012 #50

Our MIR Team--faster than a speeding bullet! :) pinboy3niner Mar 2012 #51

flash mobs bigtree Mar 2012 #44

Perfect, LOL! pinboy3niner Mar 2012 #48

and so you think those experiences shape perceptions and attitudes about this incident and response? bigtree Mar 2012 #40

The trolls have arrived. nt broiles Mar 2012 #45

Tagged and bagged nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #54

CSM & WSJ?..... really?... are you serious! happerbolic Mar 2012 #76

Nice African gray there nadinbrzezinski Mar 2012 #77

I've cut off contact with people I grew up with over this. I don't care.. if K Gardner Mar 2012 #37

Friend, I can see your problem quite clearly... MrScorpio Mar 2012 #41

You say, "Yet, these folks defending him were so certain . . . " Mariana Mar 2012 #46

That's my impression, also. secondvariety Mar 2012 #55

Thanks. I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it. nt. Mariana Mar 2012 #57

and the little ones in the house need the fairytale version when young lunasun Apr 2012 #106

yeah barbtries Mar 2012 #63

+1000 n/t jaysunb Mar 2012 #82

pathological liars and a bit touched in the head fascisthunter Mar 2012 #85

I agree with you 1000%. NOLALady Apr 2012 #114

People will never learn. If they see a minority walking through a neighborhood they are southernyankeebelle Mar 2012 #53

This law and the stereotyping that goes along with it randr Mar 2012 #56

Such A Test Case Requires a Trial AndyTiedye Mar 2012 #60

ANDY, THAT'S EXACTLY what I was telling a certain DU'er who was accusing me of being melo- Ecumenist Mar 2012 #78

What can you do? BiggJawn Mar 2012 #58

i hope you were able to point out barbtries Mar 2012 #62

This is not new Alcibiades Mar 2012 #65

You know if I wasn't so old, I really would move to Europe or Canada or somewhere & I really don't EV_Ares Mar 2012 #67

If we could take race out of it, it's still about an aggressive gunman killing an unarmed teen. mainer Mar 2012 #68

and that's where race comes in bigtree Mar 2012 #71

88th Rec' BeHereNow Mar 2012 #72

k&r... spanone Mar 2012 #80

A man was shot in my town today by the police Aerows Mar 2012 #81

This is when we get to see who's a racist deep down inside, and who isn't nt Sarah Ibarruri Mar 2012 #83

I live in the South Aerows Mar 2012 #86

Curious. NOLALady Apr 2012 #113

If you are a NOLALady, you live close enough to investigate. n/t Aerows Apr 2012 #115

Correct. NOLALady Apr 2012 #119

No problem, cher, I clarified in a later post Aerows Apr 2012 #121

White and black cops Aerows Apr 2012 #120

The 10 year anniversary of the Rodney King riots is at the end of April. Kablooie Mar 2012 #84

It's actually the 20th anniversary NICO9000 Apr 2012 #136

20th? Don't tell me it's 2012 already!? Kablooie Apr 2012 #148

Hold up. People defended Rodney King's assailants? BlueIris Apr 2012 #89

sure there were bigtree Apr 2012 #96

Yikes. BlueIris Apr 2012 #116

Yes they did. Remember, he was kicked to shit by police. MADem Apr 2012 #126

I can't even imagine having a discussion like that. byronius Apr 2012 #91

Someone needs a life preserver, right?! Zax2me Apr 2012 #103

race issues marshall gaines Apr 2012 #117

The really sad thing is that these kind of people are everywhere Pakid Apr 2012 #118

Chased him from the neighborhood FOR WHAT? AtheistCrusader Apr 2012 #124

There's something interesting going on, and I can't figure it out. Wait Wut Apr 2012 #125

what I think bigtree Apr 2012 #127

I hear you Skittles Apr 2012 #131

You should have my co-workers. ScottLand Apr 2012 #132

Whoever can possibly defend Zimmerman hasn't been paying attention Rhiannon12866 Apr 2012 #133

Hi guys... Jigs Apr 2012 #137

Why would you want to jump into the conversation if not to change/convert TBF Apr 2012 #138

Thank you Jigs Apr 2012 #139

Why is this an "us against them" scenario? I'm trying to figure out what you mean. uppityperson Apr 2012 #140

Sorry Jigs Apr 2012 #142

What upset me was that the investigation was dropped. It was unequal and unfair and that is what uppityperson Apr 2012 #145

I'm not sure that you are unwelcome here... hootinholler Apr 2012 #141

Thank you sooooo much! Jigs Apr 2012 #144