The first 12 months of @thetinmen was a baptism of fire for me; every comment section, under every post, soon became a battleground of mud-slinging debate. The bombardment of silly names, the blabbering of baseless claims, and the continual reference to ‘facts’ without citation, was more or less a daily experience for me. And it was to my benefit. As through such a process, I was able to develop the skills, and find the words, I now use to assert my position more eloquently than ever. So too, as with anything you do on a day to day basis, you notice the patterns and weaknesses of your opponents, and how to unravel them. You soon see the trolls for all their ugliness. The wye smiles of sealions, and their pleas for civility. The Gish Gallopers as they fire out thousands of baseless claims, drowning out discourse like a broken howitzer. You see those hiding in ‘the Motte’, moving the goalposts and muddling semantics. And the Bigoteers flinging shit around, like a petulant child who’s eaten too many sweets. These are lessons hard learnt, sculpted through the fire and brimstone of a thousand bloody battles, against an army of nitwits, cry bullies, and megalomaniacs. And I know, many of you have been right there with me. So what have you learnt from the comment sections of social media? What are the tricks and sleight of hands you’ve seen? And how did you beat them? What do you think? ~ Images by Getty, Jay Rembert, Sandra Setamaa, Chris Yang, and Martin Martz. #logicalfallacy #debate #logicalfallacies

2024-03-15