How to argue effectively with assholes

[mopaul]

occassionally we must find ourselves in a debate with an asshole. how to proceed? first, we must sink, just a bit, to their level, or otherwise, you're wasting your breath. when an asshole takes you on at a party or over the watercooler, be bold and assertive. don't employ 'turn the other cheekism', it's pointless.

come out with both barrels blazing, that's all they understand. get right to the insults, don't hold back, THEY don't. if the obscene word 'reagan' comes up, stand up for your rights. here's a suggestion: 'reagan?...i hope he rots in hell the nazi bastard, and his shrew of a wife too', then take a deep breath, and proceed from there.

it's very effective. remember how well it works on you? when an asshole says that bush is a godly man and the greatest president we ever had, or reagan made us feel good about ourselves, just say, if reagan were here today, i'd spit in his face, and watch the fun begin.

finally, don't back down, or show fear to assholes. they sense it, and if you show the slightest weakness, they will exploit it. go for the jugular and bite hard. you can't kill an asshole with kindness, only turning his own weapon against him will stop him.

for too long, liberals have chanted the mantra, 'let's not sink to their level and become them'. utter piffle and twattle. be mean, be bold, be aggressive when dealing with assholes. otherwise, they will send us all to hell with them. fuck assholes. they have no power over us anymore.

[LiberalEconomist]

1. Always remember that

"in the land of polite people, Asshole is king." ---George Carlin

[fertilizeonarbusto]

2. INDEED!

Everyone here ought to study this carefully.

[ewagner]

3. During Newt's

reign of terror in Congress, I remember reading an article about his address to the National Convention of Young Republicans. He told them that the one thing Republican leaders had not taought the Young Republican was how to be mean! He said their (the YRs) only problem was that they weren't mean enough.

Meanness is stock and trade for the NeoCon agenda. I'm afraid you are right that civility, in political matters, is gone.

My attitude on this is, shall we say, morally ambiguous. In other words, I think we should be mean in order to defeat the neocons and their hateful agenda (Somebody on the board once said, "It isn't a debate, it's knife fight")and, then, after the neocons have been driven from power we can "enforce" civility.

[gulfcoastliberal]

11. Repugs thrive on hate...

They love their hate, don't they? Vile, hateful scumbags - every one of em.

[SoDesuKa]

4. Socializing With Assholes

Personally, I try to avoid socializing with assholes. It's one of the reasons I don't go to bars anymore.

If I can't avoid interacting with assholes, I try not to discuss politics. If the subject comes up, I try to avoid arguments. I don't think I'm a wimp; I just don't want to be bothered.

[mopaul]

6. i hear ya, i've done that all my life

i followed christ's admonitions to keep peace, but i just hate being screamed at with lies.

[rhino47]

10. Good thought Sodes

I think talking to an asshole is like going into battle with unarmed man.Pointless.

[Kid_A]

5. I've found that the best way to win an argument with a Republican

is with silver bullets and direct sunlight. They seem to be immune to crosses, a stake through the heart just slows them down a little bit, and garlic just makes them angrier. The trick is to kill the whole creature, not just stun it. Some people make the mistake of thinking they've vanquished the beast, only to have it sneak up from behind them with the "Why do you hate America so much?" line.

[skypilot]

7. Argued with an asshole last night

Actually he only started out as an asshole. In the end it was all bluster. He tried to talk up "trickle down" economics to me and actually claimed that Saddam Hussein would not let weapons inspectors into Iraq before the war.:eyes: He also, at one point, managed to confuse communism with philanthropy. Don't ask. I actually had a good time blasting this guy. I can be a real asshole too when it suits me. But in the end it wasn't so bad. I even got him and his friend to admit that they didn't really know what they believed.

[gratuitous]

8. Nice job

Sometimes that's as much as you can possibly hope for: That you caused a person to turn on his or her brain. "I even got him and his friend to admit that they didn't really know what they believed."

Music to my ears!

[kiahzero]

9. Newer argue with an asshole / idiot

They'll pull you down to your level and beat you with experience.

[indigobusiness]

12. That's how you win battles...and lose wars.

He who fights against monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you stare persistently into an abyss, the abyss also stares into you.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

[mopaul]

13. wise words.........taken into brain.........approved...........n/t