Stupid Question Asking

[Andara Bledin]

It's like going looking for trouble. You're not going to change anyone's mind so why bother even posting about it?

I once changed someone's mind on the topic of abortion.

That's why bother even posting about it.

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[Rapscallion]

Some people haven't heard alternatives to their particular worldview.

Rapscallion

[HYHYBT]

Of the dozens of times that people have asked me if I have seen their lost item, I can count on one hand the number of times where "where did you have it last" has not resulted in the locating of said object.

OK. you claim that works. HOW does it work? Because, of all the things I've ever lost, the number of times someone else's asking me that question has *helped* is zero.

[Andara Bledin]

It's a starting point - not the only thing. You go with that and move foward (or back from "now") until you figure out where said item was actually last seen.

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[blas87]

What if you don't remember the last place it was?



I don't want to bore or confuse anyone with my work details, but I'll suffice it to say, my bf has had a lot of quite dumb questions.....and I mean, I trained before, and I try not to be too harsh on someone who is new to a machine or project.....but some questions.....it's like......do you realize you are asking if you can run a machine without a critical part in it?

[Peppergirl]

Oh, I don't know. I've changed some of my ideas based on arguments on here. A proper debate can do that.

This.

This message board served to change my mind about capital punishment.


Hmmm. Don't want to derail Andara's thread by going completely off topic, but this would be an interesting topic for a separate thread, no?

[HYHYBT]

It's a starting point - not the only thing. You go with that and move foward (or back from "now") until you figure out where said item was actually last seen.

EXACTLY! Now get to the point: how does it help for SOMEONE ELSE to ask that when I've already gone through all that myself before involving another person. Because it has NEVER ONCE worked that way in any lost item I've ever had anything to do with in any way.

[Andara Bledin]

Because if you just think about it, you are using one section of your brain, and only you are thinking about it. If someone else asks, that adds another section devoted to the problem; when you answer, yet another section. That on top of the fact that you have two different people with likely two different problem-solving approaches now working on it, means that the probability of a solution being found has increased several times.

It's very easy for a single person to develop tunnel vision and not see the obvious. It's much less likely for two to do the same.

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[DrFaroohk]

Yes, an ON TOPIC debate can be wonderful. It's even changed my mind on a few things here.

What I was getting at earlier is people completely derailing threads just because they don't like the subject matter. If you don't want to answer someone's stupid question, just don't answer it. Being a jerk about it is just looking for trouble.

[HYHYBT]

How about jumping to baseless, negative conclusions? A conversation can't just drift naturally. No, it has to be because someone (or, rather, someones, because one person alone cannot do it) hated the original subject, yet went to the trouble of derailing it rather than simply not opening the thread anymore.

[Gravekeeper]

Oh, I don't know. I've changed some of my ideas based on arguments on here. A proper debate can do that.

Likewise, I have changed my perspective towards or perception of gun control and atheism based on debates here. Just off the top of my head. The gun control debate was especially interesting.

[Sleepwalker]

I think there's diminishing returns- it's been a long time since a debate forum changed my mind, but I've been posting on them for... 16 years... ogod. I need to go feel old now.

[Andara Bledin]

I've got 5 years on you for that, Sleepwalker.

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[Rapscallion]

I'd qualify what I said by saying I've modified opinions, and not always a full change of mind. I think that makes sense.

Rapscallion

[Andara Bledin]

I've shifted stances on a few issues based on debates and discussions I've had online. Sometimes the other side has compelling evidence I was not previously aware of. It's good stuff.

However, this thread isn't about the validity or usefulness of debates. It's about people asking stupid shit that has nothing to do with the thread it's asked in, doesn't advance the discussion at all, isn't interesting enough to even spawn a proper derail, and could have been answered by a simple search.

^-.-^