Okay, not all, but too many. Both creationists and non-creationists.
I come and go from this site, sometimes with months in between more concentrated attention. After a relatively recent return, it seems to me that there are a lot more threads being closed due to flaming than there used to be. I see the same thing again and again, usually from the same participants. In many cases it is users who have been around a long time and yet cannot resist being petty little sh*ts and engaging in ad hom after ad hom. I know I'm not the only one who has noticed because several creationists here like to accuse various non-creationists of intentionally killing threads because they can't defend their position.
I get it; it is frustrating when your interlocutor is being unreasonable and/or childish. that is a poor excuse to respond in kind. Demonstrate some friggin maturity, people. Pretty much everyone, myself included, will give in from time to time and indulge the counterproductive but satisfying urge to insult or make accusations of dishonesty. But when thread after thread is closed because of this immature self-indulgence then perhaps you should be reconsidering your behaviour.
If you find yourself going around in circles, try to be more precise. Try to get your interlocutor to say very explicitly what they mean when they used a certain word or refer to a certain concept. This doesn't always work, but in my experience it almost always allows the discussion to be moved forward at least a little. At the very least you get your interlocutor to define their position enough that it becomes clear that further discussion will lead nowhere. You know that User X will always claim that the past was different in whatever way is required to explain a discrepancy with the Bible, for instance. Why get all worked up trying to pin them down when you already know exactly what they'll say?
Anyway, I guess it doesn't matter because those of us with the self control to actually have a calm discussion (even when the interlocutor is being annoying) can always start a new thread dealing with the issue we were examining, but it is still a frustrating thing.
Rant concluded. Go about your business. Just try not to be children when you do. Oops. I guess there was a little more rant left.
I come and go from this site, sometimes with months in between more concentrated attention. After a relatively recent return, it seems to me that there are a lot more threads being closed due to flaming than there used to be. I see the same thing again and again, usually from the same participants. In many cases it is users who have been around a long time and yet cannot resist being petty little sh*ts and engaging in ad hom after ad hom. I know I'm not the only one who has noticed because several creationists here like to accuse various non-creationists of intentionally killing threads because they can't defend their position.
I get it; it is frustrating when your interlocutor is being unreasonable and/or childish. that is a poor excuse to respond in kind. Demonstrate some friggin maturity, people. Pretty much everyone, myself included, will give in from time to time and indulge the counterproductive but satisfying urge to insult or make accusations of dishonesty. But when thread after thread is closed because of this immature self-indulgence then perhaps you should be reconsidering your behaviour.
If you find yourself going around in circles, try to be more precise. Try to get your interlocutor to say very explicitly what they mean when they used a certain word or refer to a certain concept. This doesn't always work, but in my experience it almost always allows the discussion to be moved forward at least a little. At the very least you get your interlocutor to define their position enough that it becomes clear that further discussion will lead nowhere. You know that User X will always claim that the past was different in whatever way is required to explain a discrepancy with the Bible, for instance. Why get all worked up trying to pin them down when you already know exactly what they'll say?
Anyway, I guess it doesn't matter because those of us with the self control to actually have a calm discussion (even when the interlocutor is being annoying) can always start a new thread dealing with the issue we were examining, but it is still a frustrating thing.
Rant concluded. Go about your business. Just try not to be children when you do. Oops. I guess there was a little more rant left.
