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Wikipedia is handy when you are debating facts, but that is something that I rarely do. When I am debating something it's usually on a philosophical basis and it is always something that is important to me. I never argue for the sake of arguing or simply to get under someone's skin. Meaning, if someone finds themselves in an argument with me, they can be sure that I am arguing from the heart - that the point I am making is not just an opinion that I threw out there carelessly, but a deeply-rooted ideal. Therefore, whenever I argue a point I mean well, not harm.
The flip-side of the coin is that other people's arguments that diverge greatly from my own (due to the personal nature of my ideals) are sometimes offensive to me. Therefore my rebuttals can sometimes be (or seem) condescending. Sometimes I'm even an asshole, but I don't apologize for it. As far as I'm concerned, if you are not prepared to put the weight of your convictions behind your words and grow a thicker skin, I don't think you should putting yourself out there in certain discussions. There are simply some subjects that don't lend themselves to genteel debate.
Now if you're having a discussion on the best way to de-flea your house or your favorite Harry Potter book and someone is being a jerk about it, that's different, in my opinion.
/just my .02 on the topic.
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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce
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