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Where Australia's electricity comes from
Considering the Art of Rhetorical Jujutsu
Besides trying to explore, expose and confront the mental-landscape* of contrarians, I’m also big on the Art of Rhetorical Jujutsu That is using the aggressive momentum of your adversary, redirecting it into putting the bully down on his back. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying I’m accomplished, just that I believe it’s good, but under-used strategy and I try practicing it to the best of my evolving abilities. Such as in this recent response to a comment I received - which I’m sharing as a conversation starter.
It would be great if others shared their own examples and thoughts.
(* yeah, I’m sure there’s a better term waiting for me to find it)
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Okay mineguy, lets debate Jim Steele and his LandscapesandCycles conviction September 1, 2016
http://whatsupwiththatwatts.blogspot.com/2016/09/about-jimsteele-landscapeandcycles.html
I received a dismissive, yet challenging, comment from a "mineguy," he claims he can "take down" my arguments with ease.
Okay Mineguy, I'm game. Bet you can't!
I invite you to choose from any of my Jim Steele Critiques (I include the list after my response to your revealing comment.). Then in a rational constructive manner, point out my errors and produce some evidence to support your opinion - I'd be happy to learn from you, if you can produce some rational defensible evidence.
Here let me give you an example of how it's done:
At 3:44PM, August 28, 2016, mineguy's comments:
A brief read indicates this WUWTW site is another of the group-think anthropogenic true believers who are incredibly organized to dispute, disparage, and ‘take down’ any sane and objective contrary argument against that line of propaganda.
Find it at "LandscapesAndCycles"
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“Group think” - What’s that even mean in this context?
You could just as easily complain that, me trusting that men landed and walked on the moon is the result of group think.
What's wrong with group think based on facts?
... and so on . . .
Sure, the guy's a drive by, but he's been shut down. And if he comes up with something, that'll that will just give me more rope.
What's the point, exposing their phoniness.
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Real world usefulness???
I'm shock at the crap that goes unopposed on YouTube and I keep wonder where are the thousands of students who know better, and who spend plenty of time within the media - why can't they devote a little time to confronting these YouTube liar in the comments section. It's a joke if just a few people are out there doing it. Then I think of all those college students who understand this stuff and could come up with responses in short order. Why isn't it happening. Why has that medium been given over to contrarian brainwashing?
Comments
Second, my experience on Facebook is that the first response to a negative comment is almost always an ad hominem attack. College kids are still strongly under the influence of their hormones (nothing wrong with that) but that means they are likely to strike back and then there is no conversation. Unless you really enjoy trading insults with people, it probably doesn't seem worth the effort.
I'm nearly 60, so I can ignore most of that stuff, (although sometimes I throw in a jab or 2!). I do my "work" on Facebook, where commenting and tracking an argument is very difficult due to the formatting, but I've found that my best defense is also my best offense and that is having a handle on various logical fallacies. Pointing out that an argument is ad hominem or that the argument is missing the point or changing the subject or cherry picking or whatever, usually ends at least that line of attack. Unfortunately, I find a lot of these guys just bail (with some last ad hominem) as soon as they see you aren't going to engage them in an insult war.
Another thing I do on Facebook, although I have no idea whether is has an impact - whenever I read an interesting article on climate change, I post it with an introduction somewhere along the lines of "Here's another article from the liberal billionaire scientists who are trying to destroy our economy and ruin the American Way Of Life (TM)". I do that because I have had several people try to challenge climate change on those terms. It amuses me. I'm not sure anyone else even gets it.
I think one of the hopes Sou has for this forum is exactly this kind of exchange, thanks for calling me out.
just saying