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News: Rules Of Debate

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AB Editor | 14:30 Thu 13th Jan 2011 | News
97 Answers
Good Afternoon,

It seems a few of you are getting a little ruffled around the boa. I wondered if we could agree on some basic guidelines for debating in the News section of the AnswerBank.

Here's what I have to start with:

1. If you present a statistic, back it up - If you can't, expect to have the statistic dismissed.

2. Silence is not evidence - Just because someone hasn't condemmned the actions of someone or other in a news story doesn't mean they support them. Do not assert as much.

3. To further point 2: Only work with what people say - not what they haven't.

4. No personal attacks - However, "sledging" style "banter" should be taken with good grace.

5. Anecdotal Evidence - If you have experiences of one thing, please accept that other either may not have or have had opposing experiences. It is likely that neither are invalid.

6. No on likes a whiner - if someone disagrees with you, I suggest you absorb the comments and compose a well thought out rebuttal. Do not whine about how you're being bullied/attacked or similar, it makes for very boring reading.

Further suggestions?

I'll write this up properly once we've had a chance to talk about it.


All the best,

Spare Ed
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Additionally, Ed, have a look at your own poll statistics. 80% of users are in the senior age group. A good idea would be to treat them as such. Is your boa ruffled, Ed?
mike11111 - In this instance, surely the Ed means that just because there is not an orderly queue of contributors forming, waiting their chance to join a thread to add their consensus with the OP, it does *not* automatically mean (however much it pleases some people to believe it to be the case) that these contributors hold a contrary opinion and deserve the castigation they receive ?

It would be too tiring to have to post "I agree" or "I disagree" on every thread simply to satisfy a handful of ABers who believe their own threads should be the highlight of everyones' day...........
The nature of the right to silence

In criminal proceedings the general rule is that every man is innocent until proven guilty. Therefore, it is for the prosecution to prove that he has committed a crime by establishing beyond reasonable doubt every element of the offence.

The accused does not have to prove anything and that would provide that he does not need to say anything or establish anything in his defence. This is further embodied in a widely known fundamental human right to remain silent.

However more recently, Parliament has created a number of rules which allow a failure of the accused to answer questions to be adduced as evidence of showing his guilt. These circumstances include the accused remaining silent on being questioned by the police, or not accounting for a certain object in his possession, or for his presence at a particular place.

This is taken from a Law site, notice >> failure of the accused to answer questions to be adduced as evidence of showing his guilt.<<
Well hallelujah for someone taking the trouble to confirm a point I had made.
I reckon all this Courts of Law stuff has sent everyone nodding off. No surprise there then! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
11 (based on last weekend) - don't have private conversations with other posters in a foreign language, especially if rude words are used that most of us have to look up and wish we hadn't
quelle blague, boxy, bonsoir, mon petit chou
Well that odd little exhibition didn't wake them up - and no surprise there either!!
Oh.dear....thats me banned again....boo-hoo-hoo....
Warned you all about this, didn't I?
Goodness! Is that life I hear stirring?

What are you talking about WShee and Keyplus?
You sure did,Keyplus....Oh,hello there Naomi...
Hello WShee. Shhhhh.......
for kromo, with the leap of illogic comment I'm talking about making a false assumption based on something said that does not follow. .
that's a tremendous sentence, Geezer, let me just run it through google translator

פֿאַר קראָמאָ, מיט די שפּרינגען פון ילאַדזשיק באַמערקן איך ב טאַלקינג וועגן מאכן אַ פאַלש האַשאָרע באזירט אויף עפּעס געזאגט אַז טוט ניט נאָכגיין.

Now back from the Yiddish

Peer Ckerama, Mitt pretty Sfringeen von Ilaadazashiak Abamarkne how in Talkinge Voagan loran a Falsch Hashara Abazirt Auip Apaas Giazagte then nit Anaachgyen Tot.

No, that's not much better, is it.
Yeah.right Geezer.....Err,pardon?
lol jno
I actually think it's extremely rude to speak a foreign language in company that doesn't understand it - but in this case I'm happy to make an exception.
-- answer removed --
probably removed because the poster involved turned out to be a troll

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