Important Questionnaire #16: Misrepresentation of Views -- Debate

[Sunstone]

This questionnaire is important to me: I am gathering member feedback to help me make better policy decisions. Please help out by responding to it.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this statement: "My views are seldom misrepresented by others when I am debating issues with them."

Please pick which one of these five options is closest to your views. If you do not see an option that suits you, please accept this poll was not designed for you, and move on.

OPTION ONE: I very strongly agree with the statement.

OPTION TWO: I somewhat agree with the statement.

OPTION THREE: I neither agree nor disagree with the statement.

OPTION FOUR: I somewhat disagree with the statement.

OPTION FIVE: I strongly disagree with the statement.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I guess option 3. It happens, but it's pretty mild considering the Internet isn't really the most effective means of communication.

 

[Samael_Khan]

This questionnaire is important to me: I am gathering member feedback to help me make better policy decisions. Please help out by responding to it.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this statement: "My views are seldom misrepresented by others when I am debating issues with them."

Please pick which one of these five options is closest to your views. If you do not see an option that suits you, please accept this poll was not designed for you, and move on.

OPTION ONE: I very strongly agree with the statement.

OPTION TWO: I somewhat agree with the statement.

OPTION THREE: I neither agree nor disagree with the statement.

OPTION FOUR: I somewhat disagree with the statement.

OPTION FIVE: I strongly disagree with the statement.

As an atheist and ex JW my views get misrepresented all the time, but that is because of assumptions on the other persons part or because they just really don't like me for criticizing them or they create strawmen of my argument because they cannot address the actual argument I am representing.

 

[osgart]

Is there a guidebook to being a better RF Member?

The thing about misrepresentation is that their probably is a religion or denomination out there for the misrepresentation. So maybe beliefs get lumped together.

I have been called a deist before. But really I'm an unwilling atheist. It's my fault though for taking the side of a believer in some arguments. Playing angel's advocate I call it.

By the way, I'm realizing I have nothing to say here. So!

 

[Sunstone]

Is there a guidebook to being a better RF Member?

A day or two ago, Osgart, in response to some suggestions by various members, I began pulling together a team of staff members to create a "Member's Handbook". We aim to provide in one easy to read document the most important information about the Forum including sections on its mission, history, rules, policies, FAQs, and other such things. The project is just getting started and will take several weeks to complete. Hopefully, the Handbook will be quite useful to folks.

If you have any ideas about what should be included in the "Handbook", please PM me with them now, or wait for me to put up a thread soliciting ideas for it.

EDIT: Request for Input from Members on the Creation of a "Member's Handbook"

 

[Heyo]

This questionnaire is important to me: I am gathering member feedback to help me make better policy decisions. Please help out by responding to it.

How strongly do you agree or disagree with this statement: "My views are seldom misrepresented by others when I am debating issues with them."

Please pick which one of these five options is closest to your views. If you do not see an option that suits you, please accept this poll was not designed for you, and move on.

OPTION ONE: I very strongly agree with the statement.

OPTION TWO: I somewhat agree with the statement.

OPTION THREE: I neither agree nor disagree with the statement.

OPTION FOUR: I somewhat disagree with the statement.

OPTION FIVE: I strongly disagree with the statement.

Words have meanings - but unfortunately they often have multiple meanings. So when I say I'm an Agnostic people often assume the colloquial meaning, even in the philosophy section. So it is on me to correct the misconception.
I think it happened once or twice that I have been intentionally misrepresented but usually there is only a misunderstanding that is quickly removed once detected.
Strawmaning really only works when the interlocutor can't immediately answer.

 

[Secret Chief]

I think, with the best will in the world, this is bound to happen. The format of communication (an online forum) makes it virtually certain (imo), because compared to face to face it is such a restricted means of communication.
Something which on here might take a page to clarify could be sorted out in no time in a real time conversation.
Take this post for example, seems simple enough, but you've already misconstrued my attempted point.

 

[Terry Sampson]

These questions of yours are turning out to be Intelligence Test questions, ... and they're getting harder.
This one was really hard and I was having difficulty answering it, until I realized that if my opponent agrees with me, they must have understood what I said and, therefore, must have represented my views accurately or could represent my views accurately if they said more than "I agree".
On the other hand, if my opponent disagrees with me it's because they are too obtuse to realize that what I'm saying is correct and, therefore, they misrepresent my views merely by virtue of the fact that they disagree with me.
Judging by the number of opponents who disagree with me, I have to say that I strongly disagree with the statement that "My views are seldom misrepresented by others when I am debating issues with them."

 

[Terry Sampson]

I began pulling together a team of staff members to create a "Member's Handbook".

Ahhh, **light goes on** ... so that's the motivation behind all the Questions.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I would agree that my views are seldom misrepresented.

However they are often misunderstood or misinterpreted and sometimes the replies to them bare no relationship to them at all.
I put this down to two things.
My own lack of clarity, or their inability to follow my thoughts.
Or perhaps, that what I am saying is so far from their own Ideas and experiences, that they fail to comprehend my meaning at all.

I do not put this down to wilful misrepresentation.

However I have noticed that Misrepresentation is a very common ploy when attacking other religions.
This is very noticeable when it come to attacks on the LDS, Muslims. and JW's where the attacks usually amounts to telling the members of those faiths "What they believe" complete with false quotes, usually gleaned from online sources. And then attacking those false quotes as if the member had said them themselves. Often followed up by "when did you stop beating you mother" type statements. Then usually ending up with an ad hominem or two.
these attacks can be very unpleasant indeed, and often repeated as a follow up in other threads.

Other times these attack are more subtle, sailing close to the rules, but used as a drip drip hounding through different threads, and when ever the opportunity presents itself. making it far more difficult to moderate as a whole.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

These questions of yours are turning out to be Intelligence Test questions, ... and they're getting harder.
This one was really hard and I was having difficulty answering it, until I realized that if my opponent agrees with me, they must have understood what I said and, therefore, must have represented my views accurately or could represent my views accurately if they said more than "I agree".
On the other hand, if my opponent disagrees with me it's because they are too obtuse to realize that what I'm saying is correct and, therefore, they misrepresent my views merely by virtue of the fact that they disagree with me.
Judging by the number of opponents who disagree with me, I have to say that I strongly disagree with the statement that "My views are seldom misrepresented by others when I am debating issues with them."

so why not vote that way?

 

[Sunstone]

Request for Input from Members on the Creation of a "Member's Handbook"

 

[taykair]

Misunderstandings and misrepresentations happen on online forums all the time. As KAT-KAT said,

...the Internet isn't really the most effective means of communication.

Why, just yesterday, I was chastised by someone here because I agreed with him! Lord knows how he would have reacted if I had chosen to argue with him. (However, I should add that whenever I am misunderstood, I usually attribute it to my inability to explain myself properly -- not to the inability of the other person to understand.)

 

[Revoltingest]

I guess option 3. It happens, but it's pretty mild considering the Internet isn't really the most effective means of communication.

I picked #5. But it's worded in a possibly tricky way.
I strongly disagree with the statement, ie, that it's not seldom.
But I'm concerned that "strongly" might suggest that my views
are misrepresented the opposite of "seldom", ie, very often.
It's just more often than seldom. "Regularly" fits well.
People sure do like to tell others what they believe, eh.

 

[ChristineM]

Option 4, it happens on occasion, particularly with certain posters who will remain unnamed.

 

[Revoltingest]

Option 4, it happens on occasion, particularly with certain posters who will remain unnamed.

Is it about your putting heavy cream sauce on snails?
I've seen that accusation.

Btw, let all know that I am a fire breathing evolutionist, not a creationist.
(Don't ever wanna have that argument again.)

 

[ChristineM]

Is it about your putting heavy cream sauce on snails?
I've seen that accusation.

Btw, let all know that I am a fire breathing evolutionist, not a creationist.
(Don't ever wanna have that argument again.)

You may misrepresent my cooking as much as makes you feel good, it will make no difference to gourmet cuisine. Heavy cream sauces are for northern Italian food, snails required a strong garlic sauce. You will lean to cook one day... Perhaps

Who did you have that argument with? Not me for sure, and i know you were an engineer but took the cure.

 

[Revoltingest]

You may misrepresent my cooking as much as makes you feel good, it will make no difference to gourmet cuisine. Heavy cream sauces are for northern Italian food, snails required a strong garlic sauce. You will lean to cook one day... Perhaps

I'll never learn to cook.
I excel at eating though.

Who did you have that argument with? Not me for sure, and i know you were an engineer but took the cure.

It would be wrong to name a name.

 

[ChristineM]

I'll never learn to cook.
I excel at eating though.

It would be wrong to name a name.

You are right, i shouldn't have asked,

 

[Revoltingest]

You are right, i shouldn't have asked,

The particular poster is a nice guy who's recovered from
that error, & deserves to not be reminded of that exchange.
Oddly though, some people just remain firmly committed to
hostility & misrepresentation.