Do Flutherites generally believe that one bad turn deserves another?

Yeah whenever I see that kind of bullshit I’m reminded of playground bickering. I’m guessing those who do, mess up their bibs with spitting so much dribble out. Coochy coochy coo!!

No… I believe that one bad turn deserves at least two others. i believe in getting ahead not getting even.

In our polarized society, debating major topics that bring out diametrically opposing views is tricky enough face to face. But doing so via short written statements that can be so easily misunderstood or misinterpreted (like email) takes a lot more skill than I have. In writing, it’s just too easy to reply to one snarky comment with another. That said, I read many interesting, civil and well-articulated debates on Fluther, which is one reason I stay.

It’s less common here than on other Q&A sites. This kind of playground pissing-contest lowers the whole tone of the forum. Maybe we need a sign over the door like at my favorite watering-hole: “This is a high-class place, act respectable!”.

I don’t think that’s a flutherite thing so much as it is a human thing.

It is half the fun of reading and even participating in those questions where the push pull often becomes comical. But it all boils down to the truth of the matter which appears hard to swallow at times for some jellies even me!! ;))

I disagree with your premise that such exchanges occur very often on Fluther. (Grin)

I agree with @KatawaGrey and that it is more of a debate. If a person brings up a half sided conclusion than why not enlighten the other person with the whole spectrum of the topic at hand.
Depending on how its handled, it is simply a debate.
If people simply sat and said nothing than what would be the point of even writting a comment. I can’t say I’ve ever written a question where I thought everyone should absolutely agree with my view. I actually like a differing view so long as they can back it up with facts or at least make it a reasonable thought to make me question my original thought. We only grow when people disagree. We learn to either stand by our convictions by growing stronger in our beliefs or we learn something new that enlightens us to the possibility that we were wrong.
@Winters I see you are new. I think I’m going to like you. Love your answer. :D

Of course a bad turn doesn’t deserve another bad turn. I’m not sure your example is really a bad turn, unless the presidents are proxies for the jellies.

However, it is a common strategy. It’s called “tit for tat.” Usually these kinds of things occur when people have no evidence for what they are saying, so a more effective strategy is just to do a little research and then you can offer reasons for why you think the politician is a loser. It might also get the conversation over to something real, if the other person tries to offer counter-evidence.

As to what flutherites think, I have no idea. There are too many of them and I don’t even know very many. Plus there are all the lurkers, although I suppose they don’t count. But I can tell you that I don’t find that form of arguing to be at all interesting, so I don’t engage in it. If I see it, I might use the strategy Iisted above, or I might just abandon the question.

Fuck yea. And no.

sing other examples is a time honored way of participating in a discussion. There is a natural tendency to point out a worse case scenario to prove your point, no matter that it does not prove anything, but merely serves to deflect the discussion.

I don’t think it is prevalent on Fluther, but some jellies are stuck in that type of discussion because they don’t have enough experience to know better.

I don’t know whether you are talking about working up a semi-adversarial “tit-for-tat” during a debate which can go on too long and prove pointless or polarizing or about shooting the man who molested your child as he emerges from the courtroom scot free
For the absolutely most serious things I would say yes, but think it over and make sure you can either accept the consequences or not get caught. For lesser things I’d say not worth stooping to their level.

I believe Mahatma Gandhi was right when he warned, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

I can only speak for myself. I will argue my viewpoints with facts when I find someone else’s opinion seems unsupportable or misleading. I rarely argue just to be mean spirited.

I agree with ETpro’s quote. I do believe in Karma however, and it can be a bitch to be sure. :P