SonOfTheDevil Posted May 21, 2006 Share Posted May 21, 2006 Clearly some of you out there may think im a little loose at the mouth. But the truth is 89% of the time I really give it my full thought. But the Question is what about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrine Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Of course I do. There is a very good reason I never lose factual debates. I always check my facts before debating, unlike most people. It's kind of mandatory when you love verbally abusing stupid people, it would be pretty embarassing to abuse someone into submission only to find out that I'm the one who's wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malchik Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 Yes. But this is not to say I don't sometimes get it wrong. Not even Peregrine is infallible, whatever he might think. Far too many 'facts' are challengeable - and are disproved - to be able to say 'I am right' all the time. However I try to be accurate within the constraints of current knowledge which is what I believe Peregrine means. I am not sure we can ever say we don't think before we speak - the brain works whether we want it to or not - it's more a question of considering the effect of what is coming out of our mouths. You are most likely to be truthful when drunk and the part of the brain that considers the effect of your comments is not working properly, if at all. Hence the expression 'in vino veritas'. However you are also most likely to regret or be embarrassed by what you say in these circumstances. This is not because you were factually wrong (you say what you believe which may or may not be a fact) but because you have unintentionally damaged relationships or the image of yourself you like to pretend is real. The difference between being honest and being brutal is a very thin one. Many who tell you they are always brutally honest get pleasure out of hurting others and as that is their intention I doubt whether they are being as honest as they assert. Where most of us get it wrong, though, is not knowing when to stop. We do not have to have an opinion on every subject. We do not have to know more than others about everything. And yet sometimes we just have to keep on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karkarinus Posted May 22, 2006 Share Posted May 22, 2006 It's kind of hard not to think before you speak write on these forums. what What I initially feel compelled to say suffers several numerous changes before actually getting posted. If only we could do this in a verbal conversation - that lovers' tiff, that press conference, the ars idiot at the traffic lights -go back and rub out a word or two, or rip it all up and start again, carefully checking for mistakes along the way. I am a very compulsive person by nature, but the good thing about written communication - whether it be forum debates, poetry or journalism, is that you can make sure it's right before publishing it. You can just Select All and Delete the lot. No-one will ever know. We can't all be perfect, but we can at least limit the chances of fu ... scre ...messing it up. And then there's always the edit button! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stampede Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 If I just posted on impulse, everything I typed would only reference breasts and the 80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercbird Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Whoohoo Stampede! I dont think often enough before I speak, I have a bit of a hot temper. Problem is then I have to start thinking very fast after I spoke! This is why I never joined the debate teams at school. Its also why I like posting more than chatrooms, there is usually enough of a delay for the flash to burn away before I say something stupid or just plain nasty. Managment of said temper is obviously going to be a lifetimes work. At least the hot flashes are over quick, and prepares me nicely for menopause... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrine Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Yes. But this is not to say I don't sometimes get it wrong. Not even Peregrine is infallible, whatever he might think. Far too many 'facts' are challengeable - and are disproved - to be able to say 'I am right' all the time. However I try to be accurate within the constraints of current knowledge which is what I believe Peregrine means. I know I'm not infallible. What I meant was I check my facts carefully before making confident claims. When I start lecturing someone on the facts of a situation, there is pretty much zero chance of me being wrong. It's not that I know everything, I just don't get into a debate if I'm not sure I'm right. Of course it doesn't exactly hurt that I'm right at the top of the intelligence scale, with access to virtually any facts I could ever need to check... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfTheDevil Posted May 23, 2006 Author Share Posted May 23, 2006 If I just posted on impulse, everything I typed would only reference breasts and the 80s. No worse than me, if I wouldn't give it a second thought I could talk about Nascar and Hot girls all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loveme4whoiam Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Generally. I think about what I'm saying, or as Malchik says, the ramifications of what I say more or less depending on who I'm talking to. If its my friends and we are just dossing about, then generally I don't care what comes out of my mouth and neither do they. But if its a delicate topic or something, I'll tend to think about how I phrase something (and with my friends, that is extremely important :wacko:). Oh, and drunkeness removes any such thought processes, so perhaps if we all wish to be honest all the time we should remain in a semi-inebriated state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karkarinus Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Sometimes I think far too much before I speak - especially on delicate subjects, trying to forsee the possible effects of what I say on the listener. This sometimes - not often, but sometimes - leads to putting my foot in it big-time. Sometimes saying nothing is better than pronouncing some precisely calculated, well-intentioned utterance only to discover that you've gone and hurt someone's feelings or just made yourself look a tw@t. Peregrine: It's not that I know everything, I just don't get into a debate if I'm not sure I'm right. What about debates that do not involve factual evidence, and merely rely on the participants' ability to express their opinions, to defend their beliefs - and acknowledge their opponents' contributions as valid, whether or not they are in keeping with those of your own? How do you fare in verbal discussions when you do not have access to all the facts? The subject comes up, and a spontaneous debate ensues; you have your opinions and the need to express them. Are you as talented and self-confident when 1) you are speaking, 2) you do not have resources to back up your arguments, and 3) the outcome of the debate depends solely on the interlocutors' ability to make others come round to his/her way of thinking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.