PUPPY NOTE: Name(s) hidden to protect the non-angsty.
Ok, so I forget what EXACTLY I said, and my brain hurts too much
now to go back there. But basically, I asked what the point of the Creationism/Evolution debate was. Noone that believes strongly is
going to just “suddenly” have an epiphany and convert/unconvert.
I suppose that, yes, there are some that are just SO undecided and
non-guided (that’s not an insult) that they could “become” one of
either side by watching…but…that hardly seems likely and even
if they did, it would be just as easy for them to switch back,
again, for any one of 6.9 reasons. So I was left with…people
watch debates because they, through a debater, feel they have a “voice”…that so-and-so is speaking for them, in a way. Like an
us Vs. them mentality, not unlike the mentality of fans of Boxing,
MMA, etc…they watch in order to see their man (or woman) DEMOLISH (intellectually speaking) the other person. Not to learn.
And there’s NOTHING wrong with that (seriously). I mean,
everyone wants to win, right?
Anyways, that’s just a partial approximation of my thoughts…may
have missed some, included a few new ones, but that was the basic framework. And, after posting, I received these messages:
– “I did enjoy watching Nye’s arguments, though. He did quite well explaining why the creation model is not viable. I hope he reached
at least one creation believer and opened some eyes about the lack of scientific education in X.”
Puppy: Interesting idea. And yes, if you want to recruit to the
side you believe in, one is better than none…and it all starts with one. And again, I have no problem with intellectual boxing (which is exactly what debates are: the weapons are words, not gloves…otherwise it’s mostly the same). On a PP note, I in fact BELIEVE in
evolution, because it seems much more plausible, given the evidence.
But I didn’t watch the debate…because I KNEW what would
happen. There would be no revelations, it’d be a rather dull boxing
match because Nye (from what I’ve seen in the past) is very
articulate and I never heard of the other guy, and unless I COMPLETELY hated every other comedy possibility out there, it wouldn’t be funny enough.
I’ve heard all the CA/A jokes before. They’re repetitive. They’re repetitive. They’re repetitive. They’re repetitive. And of course,
they’re repetitive. And most of ’em just AREN’T funny.
I mean, I LIKE funny.
– “I watched it for the same reason I watch any debate. To see two
(or more) arguments and hopefully learn something from at least
one side. It might not be a couple of prize fighters, but that doesn’t
make the ‘fight’ any less interesting.”
Puppy: Agreed. Also, I was a bit snarky here to you, I admit freely.
And for that, I am sorry. I think it was the near-certain revelation that someone would just randomly flame/trash me.
– “You asked and I answered based on my reasoning. I can agree
with your ‘my guy vs. yours’ mentality that some may have, and I
concede that I also wanted to see Nye pick his arguments apart, mercilessly. However, there is really no reason to watch a debate if you are close minded. You need to critically think about both sides and take in all of the arguments to understand their platforms and ultimately take your own stance…I learned from Nye’s arguments. I have watched a lot of religion vs. science debates and know how they go. It doesn’t mean I don’t learn anything from them. I have also learned a lot about many religious views. You can’t have personal discussions with anyone without knowledge of their world views.”
Agreed, and in retrospect, I was a bit snarky here too. My
apologies. After that, there was a seemingly genuine emotional tangent that I do not have. I think it was an over-reaction, perhaps to my snarkiness (to an extent deserved, then) or perhaps just to get some anger and frustration out. And it is something that I am not prepared to respond to.
-Puppy >.< Yip!
5/25/16: If debates aren’t intellectual boxing, why do they ALWAYS – before anything else – ask who analysts think “won” the debate? I mean…they go to the judge’s score cards. Any questions about “Hey, I learned X…” or “Do you think the American people know more now about X?” are totally secondary to “Who won???”
10/16/16: Just some basic format edits, content unchanged. (housekeeping)