Apologies All Around And Some Handy Tips On Gearing Up For A Good Slam Should We Ever Go Head-On Again

Only three things really matter to me
when it comes down to the art of debating:

1. Whose take has the most points to support their case.
2. Who presents and supports their argument best.
3. Whose argument is less flawed and/or is more rock-solid.


Because if you really get down to the crux of the matter, in a fair debate, there really is no right or wrong. For or against, both sides have equal chance of gearing the topic of debate to their advantage and swinging the judges' votes.

Ahh, talk of this brings back
fond memories for me.

You see, I love debating. First tried it out in highschool and at the time, the thought of warring with words totally stressed me out! Thing is, my team won the debate, I won Best Speaker and that was when I found myself falling head over heels in love with the whole idea of arguing for kicks and As.

But that didn't last very long.
I soon left highschool and went to college.

At TCSJ, I improved on my arguments, refined my debating style and learned the art of slaying my opponents under the tutelage of this awesome, awesome English lecturer I had – Ms Stella Lee. She was the only woman who ever, ever, EVER caused me to get a 2/10 on a grammar test. Caused more than half the class to fail, too! Haha. (Remember, Nit?? Totally made us wonder if we were kidding ourselves all through highschool with our English Language prizes, A1s and all. Haha. How pathetic.)


Well, needless to say, the class I attended that called for debates was tough. We were all to draw lots, team up, then draw lots again for topics to debate on. In Round 1, we debated with others in our class. Next, the individuals who emerged with a final score of 80/100 and above were called back for more debates. From there, we moved on to inter-class debates – what was supposedly Round 2.


Problem was, there were only three or four people who scored 80/100 and above. That's not even enough people to hold ONE debate. So, my lecturer called upon those next in line with scores of 70+/100 to join the lot of us who got into Round 2. Seeing that there was only two pathetic debate teams (6 people altogether), we went straight into the Finals. The topic given? "Debates are a waste of time. Argue for or against."

-_-'''

Ms Stella sure had a sense of humour.

I can't remember now if I was arguing for or against anymore. All I know that my team won and we got our extra credits. (Yes!) Thing is, in college and all throughout highschool, I was never assigned first speaker position. In fact, I think I was usually second or last. Not because I was a great or an amazing speaker but simply because rebuttals and conclusions were my forte. Well, guess I just went with what I was used to and applied the same rules of engagement to our little online debate.


Thing is, trust me when I say that logical fallacy arguments are simply DA BOMB (they're my ultimate favourite to use) when it comes to slicing and dicing the opposing party's argument. That's what I used on your posts, actually. So... if you're open to improving your technique, you should read up on that – Logical Fallacy Arguments. It won't teach you the ways of presenting your points, but it'll guide you on the ways you can destroy the opposing team's argument.

So, yeah. That's me doing my part
to help you grow as a debater.

In my defense, your initial post in reponse to my totally innocent Influenza A H1N1 At Urbanscapes post was laced with profanities and subliminal finger-pointing. Mother's body parts in your headline, indecent descriptions of sexual acts in your first paragraph, etc. (I didn't bother to screenshot any of that because I wasn't interested in having profanities in my blog. Even if it meant that I'd be losing a point I would have wanted to make, it felt like a point worth losing to me.) How else was I supposed to take it other than interpret it as a direct assult aimed at my direction?

But, oh well... Bygones, eh?
Sure. I'm all for that.

And don't worry, okay. I didn't even know you were featured till some of the other bloggers told me about it. So, yeah. I believe that you weren't boastful about it. And no, in spite of what you may think, I'm actually not "famous" in the blogosphere. Haha. Wish I were (that means more money!), but I'm not. I don't even frequent as many events as you do. Haha. Not much the social butterfly so... no fame follows the moth who hides behind flickering flames.

You've said your apologies. Now, I'll say mine.

I'm sorry you were "at the wrong place at the wrong time." It is unfortunate that my line of fire became a path that you chose to undertake when you responded to my very first post. It was bad timing for you and a bad day at the office for me. Two terrible combinations coming together. Bad, bad, bad.


I'm sorry I tore your argument/piece/post to shreds and caused your loss of credibility as a writer. As a writer by profession myself, I know it's not always easy going by the book and worrying about important facts and minute details when words are dying to be let out, but we've all got to try. Good try. You put up a pretty good fight. And that's all that matters right now. *pats back*


I'm sorry I took a stab at your career of choice. Journalistic Writing can be a wonderful and life-enriching path to pursue. I hope you find wonder in it when your time comes. If not, there's always Advertising. Heh heh. We're forced to spin the truth all the time. =p

I'm sorry if my comment pages are now sore sights for you. I apologise on the behalf of my comment-leavers and for myself for any fallacious statement made of you. To harp on what isn't true would be terribly unfair of us.


I'm sorry that you took this entire experience so badly. Anything started that leads to emotional distress or mental unrest should not be continued. Huai Bin (of SixthSeal.com) and I have been through one such incident before. That time was worse, actually. We ended up calling each other Arch Enemy. Haha. We're still friends though. I guess the difference is, for us, it was enjoyable. Fun. Thrilling, in fact. I'm sorry you can't say that you feel the same way but I understand how this entire can be difficult for you to accept considering your current demographic and psychographic position.

Today, I heard a man I respect speak. He said,
"You gotta make a mess before you can clean it up."

Well, we've had a ball of a time swimming in our mess, alright. Used up all our Nasty Quota for the month and tired ourselves out already. So, here's to a squeaky-clean clean-up! =)


One thing though, I agree with Poopie. Post whatever you like. If you were referring to me in your response to her in your chatbox, worry not. I'm not one to be offended by debates or strong points of view. In fact, I tend to find respect growing when people stand up for what they believe in. =)


UPDATE AT 4:02AM on 3 JULY 2009: Found this online. It explains the various types of Logical Fallacies in detail. The page looks somewhat amateurish lah but... do not be fooled. It's a very, very good article. A good read with good explanations. Enjoy!