The exception does not the rule make. FYI, until 1989 I was one of them, in fact I was interviewed by a rep from Aryan Nations, Then I did a geographic, met sobered up, met new people including former SDS and Weather Underground, even had lunch with Angela Davis, ( myself and about 20 others) and realized what a misguided fool and asshol…
The exception does not the rule make. FYI, until 1989 I was one of them, in fact I was interviewed by a rep from Aryan Nations, Then I did a geographic, met sobered up, met new people including former SDS and Weather Underground, even had lunch with Angela Davis, ( myself and about 20 others) and realized what a misguided fool and asshole I had been. And it didn't happen because of some debate. It started with winding up in a drunk tank and in an AA meeting, where I met other "kinds" of people. My social circle expanded and with it my world view, and I am still learning and expanding.
I suspect the word "debate" is misleading you, because what you just said above actually agreed with my point. You changed your mind because of talking to people, not being shut out from them.
Uh, the subject was "changing the mind via debate" not meeting other people and experiencing an alternate view.
It wasn't just "talking" to people, but it was walking in their shoes, experiencing their lives, sharing their lives, their woes, their hopes, breaking bread, drinking coffee. working with them. I even became a shop steward.
No talking to people is not the answer. I do realize that once a person takes a position, they feel that they have to defend it. The inability to admit error is not restricted to fascism or the right wing.
Sobering up, meeting people on the other side, required me to admit that the first 50 years of my life, or at least that portion which was ideologically engaged, was wrong. And frankly I also find, now that my critical reasoning skills are recovered, that I have serious problems with some doctrinaire leftists, but still consider myself a progressive.
You obviously didn’t read what I wrote before. A good debater isn’t someone who tries to convince you with facts or tries to call out your bullshit or judges you. A good debater is someone who talks to you and shares their point of view and invites you in to walk in their shoes. But it requires another person with an idea different from yours - the idea that anyone can magically “change their mind on their own” is misguided.
The exception does not the rule make. FYI, until 1989 I was one of them, in fact I was interviewed by a rep from Aryan Nations, Then I did a geographic, met sobered up, met new people including former SDS and Weather Underground, even had lunch with Angela Davis, ( myself and about 20 others) and realized what a misguided fool and asshole I had been. And it didn't happen because of some debate. It started with winding up in a drunk tank and in an AA meeting, where I met other "kinds" of people. My social circle expanded and with it my world view, and I am still learning and expanding.
I suspect the word "debate" is misleading you, because what you just said above actually agreed with my point. You changed your mind because of talking to people, not being shut out from them.
Uh, the subject was "changing the mind via debate" not meeting other people and experiencing an alternate view.
It wasn't just "talking" to people, but it was walking in their shoes, experiencing their lives, sharing their lives, their woes, their hopes, breaking bread, drinking coffee. working with them. I even became a shop steward.
No talking to people is not the answer. I do realize that once a person takes a position, they feel that they have to defend it. The inability to admit error is not restricted to fascism or the right wing.
Sobering up, meeting people on the other side, required me to admit that the first 50 years of my life, or at least that portion which was ideologically engaged, was wrong. And frankly I also find, now that my critical reasoning skills are recovered, that I have serious problems with some doctrinaire leftists, but still consider myself a progressive.
You obviously didn’t read what I wrote before. A good debater isn’t someone who tries to convince you with facts or tries to call out your bullshit or judges you. A good debater is someone who talks to you and shares their point of view and invites you in to walk in their shoes. But it requires another person with an idea different from yours - the idea that anyone can magically “change their mind on their own” is misguided.