How to Arguie Online Successfully

One of the more interesting issues with debating people online has been the rise of the politically outspoken. While this is hardly news, the pandemic followed by the fall of certain conservative leaders has seemingly forced both sides into a fever pitch to see who can outscream the other. While this means that the conservatives have decided to ignore debate conventions and engage in every one of the major logical fallacies, their honorable opponents seem to have forgotten that they shouldn't be giving them more ammunition.

It doesn't help that a lot of people no longer care about the anonymity made possible by social media. Even a few years ago, people relied on that anonymity to say whatever they wanted; however, people have been fired for their internet activities as well, and with people feeling more frustrated by recent events, it seems as If people aren't worried about who knows what their personal beliefs are. This has made people a lot more confrontational online.

In this regard, what follows is a list of suggested tactics to bear in while engaging such individuals in internet debates. While some of the advice is no doubt going to be disliked, the point here is to defang the opponent while making you look like you're fighting for the higher ground. They want you to fight dirty because it proves that, for all of your highfalutin morals, you aren't above them; if anything, because you're just acting like you're better than them but you're still using their same tactics, you're the lowest of the low: a hypocrite.

Hopefully, this will help you debate a little better. At the very least, it will make them struggle a little more, making those dreary debates a lot more interesting for all involved.

Make sure it was problematic.

Your opinion is not the end-all-be-all you may think it is. Sometimes what was said was not actually racist, sexist, or whatever; sometimes it was just a different opinion or way of attacking the situation. With that in mind, try to give the other person some wiggle room; try to allow for context before you jump in.

Don't feel like you need to jump in.

While I can understand the concept that if good men don't fight evil men win, sometimes engaging someone does nothing for your side but makes you feel better, and sometimes can actually do damage to your side. Sometimes you just need to ignore someone or even block the person. The key here is that you need to decide if you're willing to die on a particular hill or if it would just be better to run away to fight again another day.

Do your research.

This is a two-pronged problem: Not everyone is doing the best research and sometimes it's the sources used. The key here is that you need to use sources that are at least somewhat neutral; sites with an obvious bias, especially if that bias is one you share, should be avoided. By the same token, try to avoid attacking sources that you simply don't like; Wikipedia is an obvious one despite the site being a valuable resource due to its bibliography.

However, don't use some sort of document that only you have access to as a source. The other person needs to be able to verify your statements; if your source is a paper on the subject only available behind a paywall or through an NDA, then you effectively have no source. All you're doing is coming off as some sort of schmuck.

However, make sure that you've done your research. While there is the joke about how everyone thinks they are an expert, the lack of research is sometimes painfully obvious, such as with anti-vaxxers or some "woke", so make sure that you've done your own research or are at least going on the word of someone with a solid reputation.

Make sure your argument is solid.

This is one that's happening on both sides of the fence. Before you start typing, don't just do your research, but make sure that your argument is solid. The best example of this currently is the whole AI art debate; too many people are getting a lot of the details wrong so their arguments are coming off as just railing against the machine rather than something truly substantial. When you're going up against someone who is looking for every possible weakness in your argument, then having a less-than-solid argument doesn't really help your case.

Expertise is not spread by osmosis.

This is being thrown in because too many people assume that because you live with an expert on something and may even be used to bounce ideas off of that they are an expert themselves. That person is aware of a lot of issues that apply to the situation that you, having more limited experience with the subject, may not be aware of, and your limitations are pretty obvious to anyone associated with the subject. Simply doing your research is usually enough to overcome this issue.

This also means that you need to bring in your own expertise and not rely on that of the family expert. This is important, especially for women; if you're trying to show that you should be taken seriously by the misogynist you are arguing with, "my husband says" or "I'm married to an expert" is going to kill your argument; you need to stand on your own merits if you want to be taken seriously.

Put another way: Just because you've been married to the leading economics expert for thirty years, it doesn't mean you will be considered an economics expert, regardless of how often your input may have helped him. So don't mention that; phrase it so that you come off as an economic consultant instead.

Remember to respect your opponent.

Even if your opponent is being a total jerk, always treat the person with respect. Even if you can't convince them of your opinion, you may win converts among the spectators or others involved in the argument. It also means that they need to work harder to make their points, especially if they are being jerks themselves. It may feel great to unload on someone verbally, but it can only do your argument damage if you rely on insults, however small, to make your point.

These may seem like simple tips, but you would be surprised how often people forget to apply them and end up getting frustrated; worse, some of you just start arguing like the enemy and thus undo every point you fought for. Just remember to play nice, and you are likely to gain support, possibly even change minds.