Quote:
Originally Posted by spindles
I didn't vote, because I find it easy to be convinced by the case I already believed in. It may be worth changing your poll for future to options like - "I was pro-gun before reading and I still am"
- "I was pro-gun before reading but I was convinced by anti-gun"
- etc.
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Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't think it will be a likely case where one of these debates will turn readers against a position they've already taken. I sincerely doubt that a 10- to 20-post debate on TFP will turn a gun advocate into an anti-gun protester.
I worded the poll to get a general sense from people how convincing the debaters were
regardless of the reader's position. You can be pro-gun and think that Willravel was more convincing than telekinetic was. You can be anti-gun and think that telekinetic was more convincing than Willravel. But in either case, I don't think they will likely have turned people's beliefs. I'm not saying it's impossible; but that's not what we're trying to gauge here I don't think.
What I think is most interesting is knowing from readers who was the better debater regardless of where you stand on an issue. Although it's a challenge to be unbiased about these things when you have a strong position, I'd like people to try their best to judge the arguments rather than evaluate your own stance and reflect that in the polls.
You don't have to fully agree with either debater's arguments to think one is more convincing than the other.