Best way to handle message board debate?
 

I'm involved on another message board that is professional in nature but sometimes gets bogged down due to debate. Well, I'm involved in one it seems. I have way more knowledge on the topic than the other guy but he's showing bravado and it's getting silly. At the same time his last post asked questions and mischaracterized what i said. I want to repond but I keep thinking of the whole "don't argue with an idiot..." phrase or the "arguing on the internet... special olympics" picture that went around the internet a few years ago. Do I bother responding? Should I PM the guy? Or is it best to ignore the thread?

Blech.

You're aware there's a way to do it more than just turning it into a malevolent and ridiculous shouting match. You're ahead of most.

If the guy seems unwilling or unable to realize that as well, I'd just ignore it from then on... the inability to make it more than a shouting match speaks for an inability to concede a point.

Is it worth the aggravation??? Is it worth your time??? Is it really that important??? Will you change his mind in any way with your arguments??? Answer these questions and you'll know....

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...x/internet.gif

yeah the thing is, it's not really a shouting match. it's a debate, but the guy entered the thread with a huge chip on his shoulder and has taken it over. it seems that we're both very sarcastic and it's just getting silly. he's dodging and setting up straw man arguments.

part of me wants to ignore, the other part wants to rip him to shreads. ;)

heh. i just posted that pic in the thread and told him that he's the chick. thanks. :D

Is there no moderator who can step in and ask the guy to argue the points and not the person?

Everyone has pretty much already summed up the answer you were looking for, but here's my two cents.

They are everywhere. They watch you when you sleep. They do not like Oranges... there is much wrong with this. But anyways, you will find that there are a lot of biased people out there who will not accept a different answer as correct. It does not matter if you are right, to them, it just simply isn't. I like to think they are just pathological liars in nature, and just can't help it.

But in order to realize that your debate is not an "arguement"... would be by using a credible source to back up your side of the discussion. If it falls into an opinionated arguement, just do not respond as it is a waste of time.

It's a scientific debate [insert geek joke] and there's plenty of literature being thrown around. The problem is that he's basing his thoughts on studies that are poorly done and biased. The thread started with his buddy but he's stepped in now. He's a hack and only quotes those studies that are given to him when attending a course. I'm showing him exactly why the studies he's quoting suck ass and showing him others, but it's no use.

I tried to diffuse the situation by posting DaveMatrix's picture. I'll see how he responds but the guy's from Texas. We all know what guys from Texas do with facts.....

I doubt the Texas thing has anything to do with it (even though it was a joke, just mind me).

I can assure you that this arguement is probably going nowhere real fast. So you should leave it and dont respond anymore.

popo... argue the points and not the poster. State your case and back off. It doesn't sound like you are going to change this guy's mind on anything. Just state your position and retreat.

I believe the adage, "never wrestle with a pig, you'll both get dirty and only the pig will enjoy it", is appropriate here. Don't feed the trolls and don't throw gasoline on flamebait.

Quoted for truth and because you seem to have missed it the first time Charlatan said it. This is how a mature board should run.