Shady Debaters; what can we do about it?

[Quagmire]

You know the kinds of people I'm talking about: people who refuse to present any evidence for their claims, or who refuse to look at any evidence presented to refute their claims.

Just as bad (if not worse) are people who send other people on wild goose chases:


you: "Where's your evidence for what you're saying here?"

them: "It's in the Bible"

you: "Where in the Bible?"

them: "Go read it"

Later

you: "OK, I just read the whole Bible and what you're talking about isn't in there"

them: "Go read it again."


Now of course, the obvious answer here is that these people should be covered in pig entrails and drug behind a speed boat in shark infested waters, but since this is the internet, and since there are laws against that sort of thing in most backward countries, this solution would at least need to be modified somewhat to suit our needs.

Any ideas?

 

[*Anne*]

Can we add people who either

1) don't answer questions (as in, don't even bother to respond)

or

2) answer your question with an unrelated question

to the list?

 

[Quagmire]

Can we add people who either

1) don't answer questions (as in, don't even bother to respond)

or

2) answer your question with an unrelated question

to the list?

Absolutely, Anne. :yes:

I would save the stickiest entrails for those people.

 

[Quagmire]

Can we add people who either

1) don't answer questions (as in, don't even bother to respond)

or

2) answer your question with an unrelated question

to the list?

to illustrate:

You: "So where is this passage in Matthew that supposedly talks about Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate playing poker every Tuesday night"?

Them: "So you don't believe poker exists? *provides link to wiki about poker*.

 

[Quagmire]

Or people who are so used to getting away with lying and back peddling in real life, they can't seem to get it through their heads that everything we say in here is still there after it's been said:

You: "OK, I just showed you every-single-reference to both Judas and Pilate in the Gospel of Matthew, and there's nothing in there anywhere about them playing poker together"

Them: "Well why would there be?"

You: "But you just said that there was."

Them: "No I didn't, liar".

You: "Here, here's your quote from 3 pages back

It's a well documented fact that Judas Iscariot and Pontius Pilate played poker togeter every Tuesday night

"

Them: "So you're saying you still don't believe poker exists?"

 

[Willamena]

Well, I am one, so I suggest just sitting quietly on our laurels and doing nothing.

 

[Quagmire]

Well, I am one, so I suggest just sitting quietly on our laurels and doing nothing.

*sneaks up behind Willamena with bucket of entrails*

 

[Willamena]

*sneaks up behind Willamena with bucket of entrails*

You always know how to show a girl a good time.

 

[Skwim]

If it happens frequently enough I simply ignore them forever (I have several on my list). Not a lot of satisfaction there (revenge is sweet), but it saves a lot of fruitless posting.

 

[atanu]

There is another technique that is used as illustrated below.

Them: This is so because X.
You: Why? This cannot be so because Y.
Them: Silence for 7 days or a month.

After a month
Them: This is so because X.

I suggest that we tie them up in smelliest entrails and hang them up for exhibition.

Note: Willamena does not believe in them being not her or she believes that them is her. But her replies to them probably make them to feel like Quagmire did -- to sneak up behind her with a bucket of entrails.

 

[ChristineES]

I just don't respond to them. I also stay out of threads where that could happen. I just hope I've never done it and didn't realize it.

 

[Skwim]

I just don't respond to them. I also stay out of threads where that could happen. I just hope I've never done it and didn't realize it.

I've done it when a poster keeps harping on a point I've already answered, or posts an essentially unintelligible/nonsense reply.

 

[The Neo Nerd]

I don't understand why people keep responding to these shady debaters page after page after page.

I mean once someone has shown the types of behaviours that you are talking about once or twice i tend to give up on trying to explain things to them. I really don't feel like wasting my time.

I still read the threads thought, as a psych student the myriad of ways these people chose to defend their view point (no0 matter how ridiculous and desperate) is very interesting.

-Q

 

[bain-druie]

Yikes, I'm probably guilty of failing to respond. I get so busy I can't come on for a while, and I forget what threads I was on, and by the time I come back they're inactive so nothing reminds me.

PLEASE DON'T COVER ME IN ENTRAILS! :help: (Unless, of course, they're very fresh...)

 

[Rakhel]

I am probably guilty of being a shady debater. If I get tired of the argument, I just cut it off. After a while the debate begins to take it's toll on my emotions, my head starts to hurt and my thoughts end up like a deflating balloon. PFTHHHHHHhhhhhh.

It's not that I think I am wrong about the argument I am presenting, or that I am even conceding to their argument. I just have to let the argument go when it becomes too much.

 

[Skwim]

I don't understand why people keep responding to these shady debaters page after page after page.

. . . after page after page. Now that is a puzzlement! Sometimes it's like I'm in a thread full of masochists

 

[The Neo Nerd]

. . . after page after page. Now that is a puzzlement! Sometimes it's like I'm in a thread full of masochists

Amen to that brother

 

[FlyingTeaPot]

I petition the OP to include a third type of shady poster:

Me: So, after much debate, you seem not to be able to defend your position. My argument is logical and you have failed to disprove me. Do you concede that my point was correct?

Shady Poster: ................ :run:


About a month later in a new thread.....

Shady Poster: How about my original point which was disproved a month ago eh? I think its rather clever. What do you guys think?

Me:

 

[Kilgore Trout]

What about people who skirt the rules by posting insults as nebulous metaphors and indirect attacks? I hate those people the most.

 

[Kathryn]