Mock “debates” convice no one

You know what I get very tired of? Fake debates where the writer has the conclusion in mind (and they all do). It could be that they just need a way to get their points across, and cheesy dialogue was the first thing that came to mind. But I have never, ever read or watched something of this format and thought anything other than “this is entirely unconvincing.”

Have you heard of, read, or seen the story Dinner with a Perfect Stranger? It’s about a woman who has dinner with a guy that says he’s Jesus. She’s skeptical at first, but eventually he convinces her and it’s the most life-changing event she’s ever experienced. I’ve seen the movie, and through the whole thing I’m sure the author expected me to think, “Oh, wow, he’s got me at every turn!” But instead, my thoughts went like this, “Why did she say that? I wouldn’t have asked that. I would have said this.” And so on.

And I got to thinking that there is almost no way that any kind of conversation like this where you make up the dialogue for the other side of the argument could ever convince someone that doesn’t already agree with you. No matter how well you anticipate the arguments of the other side, you’re going to miss what someone would have said. Check that, what everyone except possibly one person with that exact viewpoint would have said. People can’t be pidgeon-holed like that. It reminds me why I like real debates. Because you have the chance to voice your actual objections to any point. If at any point in a mock-debate you think “I don’t accept that point, but they didn’t question it,” you won’t accept anything built on it. It’s an utterly useless tool for anything other than story telling.

Anyone who can point me to a counter-example would be much appreciated. But until then, I say stop with this. It’s a lazy literary device that at best is useless for your point, and at worst is counter-productive.