| Tip #1: Don't use God, Jesus, or religion to support an argument | Tip #6b: Give full citations of verifiable sources, preferably URLs |
| Tip #2: Don't preach religion and don't try to win converts | Tip #7: Chose your words c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y |
| Tip #3: Leave out the name-calling and insults | Tip #8: Say what you mean |
| Tip #4: Leave out the bumper sticker slogans | Tip #9: Find common ground |
| Tip #5: Be wary of using generalizations and analogies | Tip #10: Not everyone is here to win |
| Tip #6a: Use objective sources | Some phrases and acronyms used in Abortion Debate chat |
| Reason 1: Your religion is a system of beliefs unique to you and to others
who believe as you do. Because they are unique to you, they are not useful in a discussion
with someone who does not believe the same as you do. When someone does not hold the
same religious beliefs that you do, your religious arguments are invalid and irrelevant to them, just as their spiritual or religious beliefs would be to you. The universality of your beliefs may be apparent to you, but to others it is not, just as the universality of their beliefs is not apparent to you. One
cannot debate something they don't believe in, and bringing religion into a discussion about
abortion only ends the debate.
Reason 2: Religion is frequently used as a diversionary tactic. Once religion is brought into the debate, the discussion is pulled far into a religion debate and well away from abortion. This is a room for abortion debate, not religion debate. If you want to debate religion, there are several rooms listed under the "Religion & Beliefs" category in Yahoo! chat, including Christian Chat, Islam Chat, Jewish Chat, Paganism, and Religion (general). These are the rooms appropriate to a religion debate, not the Abortion Debate room. |
| Reason: This is not religion chat (see Tip 1, Reason 2). It's great you have a religion in which you believe, and of which you are proud. We all know that it's inherent some religions to try and spread the religion. No one is denying that or saying that you don't have that right. An Abortion Debate chat room is not the time nor the place. Preaching and trying to covert will more often than not be seen as arrogant and condescending, and will be met with hostility. It wins you no allies and will often be used as a diversionary tactic. |
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Tip #3: Leave out the name-calling and insults. |
| Reason: They're the fastest way to end any debate. They will also get you into a who-can-insult-more contest, in which many people (sometimes, it seems, the entire room) will be more than happy to be contestants. If you want to be branded as an immature idiot and have anything further you have to say be invalidated, name-calling and insults are the way to go. |
| Reason: Sound bites and slogans are not debate. Instead of simply making an assertion (example: "Abortion is wrong."), which can only be responded to with a request for clarification, try making a statement that explains what you think and why you think so (example: "Abortion is wrong because it ends a human life.") to which the others in the room have the option of making several responses. No "Baby killers!" or "Murderers!" either, please. Truth though we might believe they are, they are tantamount to name-calling (see Tip 3). |
| Reason: If there's any kind of loophole, inaccuracy or inconsistency in a generalization or analogy, rest assured it will be found, most likely by someone who's not a supporter of your position on abortion. They are often used to divert the topic and/or discredit the user. |
| Reason: Just as you would not accept many prochoice sites (such as NARAL, CARAL (California), CARAL (Canada), and the NAF) as a source of reliable data and information, chatters who are prochoice will not accept material from many prolife sites (such as the RNCFL, Operation Rescue, NRLCL, and the FFLA). Each side has good reason to be wary of biased sources. Helpful Links lists sources of data and information that are generally (but not always!) accepted in the Abortion Debate chat rooms. |
| Reason: Anyone can waltz into any chat room and blithely state something as a "fact." You will be asked to back up your facts with sources. Be ready to. |
| Reason: Every word and its useage has been called into question at some point in the abortion debate. When we say "every word," we mean every word. Know what your words mean before you use them. If you're even just a little bit off, someone is guaranteed to call you on it. Keeping a dictionary by the computer is helpful. |
| Reason: Opinions and facts are two different things. An opinion is "a belief stronger than impression and less strong than positive knowledge." A fact is "a piece of information presented as having objective reality." Both are welcome in the debate as long as they are presenting as being what they are. When someone rephrases something you've said, if that's not what you meant, say so. Instead of getting pulled into a debate about the other person's misinterpretation of what your stance, clarify and restate your case. Stick to debating statements, not interpretations. |
| Reason: Chances are someone in the room shares your taste in music, movies, or hobbies, or has kids the same age, or lives in a part of the world you've always want to visit, or has other things in common with you, even though you don't see eye to eye on abortion. Finding common ground gives you a dimension beyond just being a position on abortion and helps to remind everyone that we're talking to other people, not opinions. |
| Reason: Not every debate has winning as the objective. Sometimes people want to refine their arguments, get information, or just try to understand what others believe and why they believe what they do. Often someone's views on abortion aren't as easily categorized into what is commonly thought of as "prolife" or "prochoice." The debate touches on many issues including adoption, feminism, law, history, politics, parenting, abstinence, rape, marriage, and the list goes on and on. Someone's opinions about, and experience with, any and all of those factors influence their views on abortion, and no two views are exactly alike. No two debates are, either. |
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