CreateDebate


Debate Info

Debate Score:21
Arguments:25
Total Votes:21
More Stats

Argument Ratio

side graph
 
 Is this the best we can do? (18)

Debate Creator

LittleMisfit(1745) pic



Is this the best we can do?

I hate to say it, but the debates on this site are a piss-poor example of what real debates should look like.  All I see is petty bickering, name calling, and weak unsubstantiated arguments.  We need to work together to improve the quality of the debates on this site, and make this a friendly and informative place to learn other people's viewpoints without all the anger and hatred.  A little kindness goes a long way.  Here are my suggestions for improving the site.

**Don't be a dick**
People will be much more receptive to what you say if you say it in a calm, friendly, non-aggressive way.  If you resort to name calling and personal attacks, all it will do is put that person's defenses up. Calling someone stupid, ignorant, or bigoted, even if it's true, is not going to help you win them over.  Not only does it make you look like a jerk, but people often form stereotypes because of it.  For example, I frequently see rude and demeaning comments from atheists towards religious people.  As a friendly atheist it really pisses me off, because these rude people are just reinforcing the negative stereotype that religious people have of atheists.  It also discourages people from participating in the debates, because they get tired of being abused. 

**Back up your claims**
If you are going to make a strong argument, back it up with some actual facts.
WEAK ARGUMENT: *"I think bla bla bla"*
BETTER ARGUMENT: *"I think bla bla bla, because bla bla bla."
BEST ARGUMENT: *"I think bla bla bla, because of bla bla bla, and here are the sources to back it up."*

**Learn how to have a proper debate**
http://cdn.twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/Flowchart-to-determine-if-youre-having-a-rational-discussion-e1300206446831-634x882.jpg

**Thou shall not commit logical fallacies**
The arguments people make on this website are ripe with logical fallacies. Here is a great website for studing logical fallacies. http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com
 
**Reposts**
Stop posting the same topic over and over.  It seems like every day people post the same topics that were posted a day or two ago.  Give it at least a week.

**Changes to the website**
I think this website needs a forum for general chit-chat.  Too many "debate topics" are not really debate topics.  I encourage everyone to send an email to the web master to ask them to add a forum.  A live chat room would be nice too.

Add New Argument

For some reason the formatting didn't work. Maybe it only works when posting an argument.

2 points

try http://debate.org if you don't like this place so much

LittleMisfit(1745) Clarified
1 point

I read stuff on there from time to time, but can't participate because you have to give them a cell phone number for them to send a text to. I'm one of those rare people that doesn't have or want a cell phone. Plus it only has 1 on 1 debates. I like to hear the views of lots of different people. Thanks for the suggestion though.

1 point

They have a forum if you go here you can jump in to a topic and start debating in the forums of the supposed topic. (I used to go on there before I came here).

iamdavidh is the king of ad hominems.--------------------------------------

1 point

I agree with you. :(

1 point

Changes to the website

I think this website needs a forum for general chit-chat. Too many "debate topics" are not really debate topics. I encourage everyone to send an email to the web master to ask them to add a forum. A live chat room would be nice too.

Yes sometimes I don't feel like debating because I am bored but we should have some kind of chat so we can just go there to chat.

1 point

Dear LittleMisfit...I appreciate your enthusiasm to make the site better. My thanks to you for that.

Let's take these one at a time (easiest first)

Formatting. You are correct, the formatting you are referring to is only for arguments. If you want to format a debate, your best bet is word. You can change font, color, etc. Just be aware that all the formatting characters (hidden) add up quickly and count toward the 5000 character limit for debates.

Yes, debates are often revisited not just annually or monthly, but sometimes daily. This is simply a factor of more new people coming to the site. I would ask your understanding in this area.

Quality of debating. Well, that is more about the "eye of the beholder". If you like to formally debate, find a few users on the site who you like to do that with and select challenge debates. If you don't mind the "unfiltered social debating" that occurs (very similar to how you described it), then everything is good. The problem is there are many who fall in between.

Either way, welcome to CreateDebate.com I know you won't be disappointed!

LittleMisfit(1745) Clarified
1 point

Thanks for creating such a great site. I think it has so much potential. It's just a matter of figuring out a way to get people to stop being so mean, and start backing up their arguments. I have a couple more suggestion on how to improve the site if you're interested.

1. It would be nice if there was a way to receive notifications any time new arguments are added to debates that I find interesting. For example, if you could add a button under the debate description called "Follow this debate" or "Add to favorites" That would make it a lot easier to follow certain debates instead of having to scroll through the whole debate list over and over trying to find if anything new was posted in the topics that interest me. For now I think I'll just start a Favorites folder in my browser for CreateDebate, but i will still have to scroll through and skim the arguments to find anything new.

2. Add a preview option when creating a debate, like the one that's available when posting an argument.

1 point

I have added your request to the list of to do items. The list is long, but we get things out as quickly as possible. There is clearly a diverse group of debaters, and as such a need for places to debate more seriously. We have public and private communities available for just that purpose. Feel free to create your own and invite the people you find who you like to debate with most often.

Let me know if you need help setting up your own community.

Thanks,

Andy

Reposts

Stop posting the same topic over and over. It seems like every day people post the same topics that were posted a day or two ago. Give it at least a week.

How do you know?

LittleMisfit(1745) Clarified
1 point

Just click Browse/All Topics and sort by most recent. Then skim through the last few days of topics.

Changes to the website

I think this website needs a forum for general chit-chat. Too many "debate topics" are not really debate topics. I encourage everyone to send an email to the web master to ask them to add a forum. A live chat room would be nice too.

It does not happen like so easily

Back up your claims

If you are going to make a strong argument, back it up with some actual facts.

WEAK ARGUMENT: "I think bla bla bla"

BETTER ARGUMENT: "I think bla bla bla, because bla bla bla."

BEST ARGUMENT: "I think bla bla bla, because of bla bla bla, and here are the sources to back it up."*

Are you doing it? Why are you asking others to do it?

1 point

I include sources frequently. Obviously not every single thing you post requires a source, because sometimes no research has been done on the subject, and sometimes what you're saying is just common sense.

SOURCE: http://www.createdebate.com/browse/waterfall/LittleMisfit

Don't be a dick

People will be much more receptive to what you say if you say it in a calm, friendly, non-aggressive way. If you resort to name calling and personal attacks, all it will do is put that person's defenses up. Calling someone stupid, ignorant, or bigoted, even if it's true, is not going to help you win them over. Not only does it make you look like a jerk, but people often form stereotypes because of it. For example, I frequently see rude and demeaning comments from atheists towards religious people. As a friendly atheist it really pisses me off, because these rude people are just reinforcing the negative stereotype that religious people have of atheists. It also discourages people from participating in the debates, because they get tired of being abused.

I don't see it often... HOw do you know?

Learn how to have a proper debate

http://cdn.twentytwowords.com/wp-content/uploads/Flowchart-to-determine-if-youre-having-a-rational-discussion-e1300206446831-634x882.jpg

In a nutshell, a debate is something you can talk and discuss about, without vulgarities.

LittleMisfit(1745) Clarified
1 point

Yes, but there are different calibers of debates. Most of the arguments on this site fit under the weak category that I listed in the description. Those types of arguments aren't very informative and do very little to help people understand why people hold their particular position on an argument.

If we take a look at a recent debate about spanking you’ll see it has over 200 arguments. http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/ Human_Growth_and_Development_Should_parents_use_spanking_as_an_option_to_discipline

Out of all those arguments not a single one of them included a reference to a study on spanking. A simple Google search of “spanking studies” returns over 4.7 million results, yet no one thought it would be a good idea to back up their argument with one of those studies.

1 point

Repost

Stop posting the same topic over and over. It seems like every day people post the same topics that were posted a day or two ago. Give it at least a week.

Thats mainly 3 people doing reposts.

LittleMisfit(1745) Clarified
1 point

Even if it's only one person, that message is meant for them.

For myself I've notice that I am always honored for respecting others and because of that I always am respected so I don't have to worry about that because if you don't have anything nice to say just shut up and it's as simply as that!