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.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Money for College-Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]listed below are a handful of urls to webpages we link to because we think they really are worth checking out[...]…
ICICI Money to India…
[...]here are some links to internet sites I always link to for the fact we feel they really are worthy of browsing[...]…
Sade Nieto…
[...]The basic main important reasons for the living of the people are food, clothing and shelter. [...]…
Apply for Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]following are a couple of urls to web-sites which we connect to because we believe they’re seriously worth browsing[...]…
Online Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]listed below are a couple of references to internet websites which I link to since we believe there’re truly worth checking out[...]…
Money for College-Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]in the following are some links to sites which we link to for the fact we feel they are well worth browsing[...]…
OpenOffice Download…
[...]listed below are a few url links to web pages we link to seeing that we think they are definitely worth browsing[...]…
Alfred Perez…
[...]followed below there can be the website link towards a world-wide-web sites i visualise be certain to use[...]…
Travel Offers…
[...]all of these sites could not be entirely related to our site but we absolutely believe that you all must explore them[...]…
[...] we like to bookmark other sites on the web, even if they aren’t related to us, by linking to them. Below are some sites worth checking out[...]…
[...] Like to show our love for it by Linking to it from Our Blog[...]…
Favorite sites on the web…
[...]the web site below has got an article that you will discover seriously worth going to[...]…
Best SEO Strategies…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]…
Get Money With Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]the following are several listings to internet pages we connect to for the fact we believe there’re well worth visiting[...]…
OpenOffice Download…
[...]below are some links to web sites which we link to as we feel they really are worthy of visiting[...]…
Cheapest Kasper Suits…
[...]here are a handful of hyper-links to sites I always connect to for the fact we think they will be well worth checking out[...]…
Frederic Barton…
[...]Because here one can order a quote from multiple conservatories for free without any obligation[...]…
Get Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]the following are some listings to internet sites which I connect to seeing that we think they are worth checking out[...]…
ICICI Money to India…
[...]in the following are several web page links to internet sites we link to seeing as we think they really are really worth visiting[...]…
Escorts in London…
[...]here are some links to sites that we link to because we think they are worth visiting[...]…
Discount sauna belt…
[...]while the sites we link to below are completely unrelated to ours, we think they are worth a read, so have a look[...]…
Get Money With Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]listed below are a couple of urls to places which we link to for the fact we feel there’re really worth visiting[...]…
best online casino…
best online casino…
OpenOffice Download…
[...]what follows are a few urls to web sites which we connect to as we believe they will be definitely worth visiting[...]…
Money for College-Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]here are a few references to internet pages which we link to because we think these are worthy of visiting[...]…
Trackback…
[...]here are some links to some sites that we think you should visit[...]…
OpenOffice Download…
[...]right here are some listings to sites I always connect to because we think they’re definitely worth visiting[...]…
Money for College-Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]in the following are a handful of web page links to web-sites we connect to since we believe they really are truly worth visiting[...]…
M1 Sign Line…
[...]If you ever need stuff to think about, why not take a look at this BlackBerry-related blog[...]…
Search Engine Optimization…
[...]the time to read or visit the content or sites we have linked to below the[...]…
Recommended websites…
[...]just below this important write-up are links to other web sites that my partner and I can personally suggest. Don’t hesitate to go read for yourself[...]…
Trackback…
[...]is always a good read, take a look now to see if there is anything new and let me know if you[...]…
The Best Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]right here are several web links to online sites that we connect to for the fact we believe these are well worth visiting[...]…
Cheapest Kasper Suits…
[...]in the following are some hyper-links to places we link to for the fact we believe these are really worth checking out[...]…
Things You Should Know About…
[...]I operate a fairly fashionable pop star scuttlebutt web site, and to stay current, I use marketplace pulse tools.Your website has been firing up certain Alexa triggers, and I figured I’d check it out and see if I could figure out what all of the …
Get Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]right here are several references to sites I always connect to for the fact we feel they will be well worth visiting[...]…
watch free movies online…
[...]we like to honor other free movies web sites on the web, even if they aren’t related to us, by linking to them. Below are some internet websites worth checking out[...]…
Ported…
[...]This is something which you may not share with me, but if you do[...]…
Get Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]below are several hyper-links to websites which I connect to for the fact we feel they will be well worth visiting[...]…
rat names…
[...]below you’ll find the link to some sites that we think you should visit[...]…
Get Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]right here are several links to places I always connect to because we think there’re worthwhile checking out[...]…
Get Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]following are a couple of links to web-sites that we link to as we feel these are truly worth browsing[...]…
mascot…
[...]If you wish to know more details on how to treat heartburn, you can refer health magazines and websites in the internet as they offers hundreds of valuable tips and suggestions for doing so[...]…
London Escorts Agency…
[...]just below, are some totally unrelated sites to ours, however, they are definitely worth checking out[...]…
Get Money With Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]in the following are some web links to places that we connect to for the fact we believe these are worthwhile browsing[...]…
Get Money With Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]what follows are a couple of listings to web sites that we link to seeing that we feel they’re worthwhile browsing[...]…
Money for College-Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]right here are several hyper-links to internet sites which we link to as we feel they really are really worth browsing[...]…
The Best Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]listed below are several web links to internet pages I always connect to seeing that we believe they are well worth visiting[...]…
Best internet websites…
[...]one of my favorite things to do is to look to find intriguing data to link to such as the internet site listed here[...]…
ghost games…
[...]just below, are some totally unrelated sites to ours, however, they are definitely worth checking out[...]…
The Best Scholarships for Minorities…
[...]these are a couple of links to web-sites I always connect to for the fact we think they really are worthy of checking out[...]…