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Online Arguments

Reddit is a breeding ground for poorly formulated arguments and pointless "trolling". People get a kick out of having an argument that will clearly never end in consensus but rather just to argue for arguments sake.

https://www.redditinc.com/assets/images/blog/reddit_header_2023-11-28-222257_hthh.png

I chose to look a NBA Reddit, a notoriously controversial space with no real rules or etiquette. This argument asks the question, " If a team of the 5 best college players at every position went against a team of the 5 worst NBA players who would win?". This topic is inherently sent up for failure as it's a hypothetical with no firm variables and no right answers. One of the first comments concludes with the statement, "People in this thread are insanely stupid.", this is a problematic way to finish what might have been a coherent argument as they finish with an unnecessary inflammatory comment. Later in the thread someone comments, "dumb post lol really", a completely irrelevant comment that isn't contributing to the conversation at all. Lastly, someone makes the comment, "The top 5 players would win by 30 points, maybe even more... this question is a fucking joke TBH", another comment with no consequential information provided to the overall conversation, just a baseless take on the matter.

 
https://preview.redd.it/does-anyone-know-where-i-can-find-these-types-of-memes-at-v0-2xzyvs0fbsw91.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=8882f46bd252e4ff312258b1b48fc1a798294409

5 RULES

The 5 rules that I would make for how people should argue online correctly are as follows:
  1. Present arguments in a respectful manner.
  2. Use proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.
  3. Present evidence to back up your opinions.
  4. Do not pour fuel on the fire (don't engage with others who are clearly arguing just to argue).
  5. Keep an open mind. It's okay to be skeptical of other opinions but you shouldn't be in denial if a well-rounded argument is presented contrary to your original beliefs.

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