I’m Not Debating That
But what’s this article doing, then?
A common scenario:
Someone makes an aggressive, bad-faith comment in a “Just Asking Questions!” way. Their words are fascistly insipid or insipidly fascist. They have no knowledge or qualifications to discuss the topic. They’re trying to get attention from humans or bots. They want to initiate, frame, and control a discussion that centers themselves and the sound of their own voice. They want it to be divisive, because that creates more volume and gets them more attention. They don’t really seek an answer, because if the debate ended, the attention would end. It’s OK, so they think, if it hurts someone. They only care about themselves.
If you point out that their words are false and their approach is hostile, they’ll complain you’re “canceling” them. Again, their goal isn’t truth or kindness; their goal is to hold the microphone for as long as they possibly can.
On ‘Speaking First’
There have been situations where I’ve said: This is not a debate. The facts are established, they don’t need to be debated, and I’m not going to debate you. I’ll explain why (at generous length). However, I’m not going to engage your argument on your terms. I’ll only discuss it on my terms.
