940 Debating

<p>A lot of people don't really know what debating is; they have some vague notion of young men in bow ties making points of order, or panels of political partisans yelling over each other, but the denizens of the Internet, Social Media specifically, have turned debate into a sport. Sometimes, very rarely, somebody actually changes their mind, but the entertainment and the fun is in the contest of rhetoric, logic & personalities involved. There are no special requirements to debate; you don’t have to be especially intelligent, knowledgeable, or even know what you’re talking about; you only need thick skin.</p> <p>Many Newbies, not familiar with online debating, begin with an awkwardly post, get embarrassed & insulted, and leave before they ever get a chance to learn how to engage. They are under the impression they have to win, but highly sophisticated debaters often take the other side of an issue just for the fun of it. Clever rhetoric will beat out logic every time; after some experience, you'll know which arguments are effective and which are failed experiments. It's reasonable & expected that your oral illusions will become more-and-more persuasive as they refine over innumerable debate encounters. No one will be convinced but there may be lurkers who will think differently because of something you said.</p>