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RSS FeedWho should rate Helium debate articles:Those who agree or disagree?
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| Agree | 61% | 376 votes | Total: 619 votes | |
| Disagree | 39% | 243 votes |
Agree
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Ha! And once again we have to choose one or the other while the answer lies in the middle between BOTH SIDES somewhere. If I could I would post this same article on both sides.
Let's look at this question: What planet are you from? Guara or Goffel ? Now although I don't mind aliens I am definitely not one of them so I don't believe I'm from either. I would love to say something to that effect as a whole but I cannot because then I have to commit and thus limit myself to one or the other. It would be nice if debates had three points that includes a gray area too. I think the most wisdom will come from there.
Actually I'm from earth here somewhere in the middle. Please don't bite me?
Debate implies duality. It implies a black and white situation where one side chooses anything opposing. It inspires conflict. We should move our debate consciousness to a converse consciousness where we stop arguing and start conversing. Most often I skip debates because I am entirely not in a duality of that nature.
We like debates because it opens up the mind. One has an opportunity to see the other side of a story and even though we might become heated or excited we always think about what was being said later. Gradually we might moderate our point of view a little and find a better stance closer to the neutral gray area between the two viewpoints. So therefore I often thought that it should be the other way around. We should rate the opposites of what we voted for so we can get an opportunity to open our minds a little in reading another point of view entirely.
Dogmatic people from dogmatic families often never saw the other point of view and on Helium they still don't because they voted 'no' for example and then they rate all the ones who agree with them and the will not read the other point of view because frankly a dogmatic person is not interested in seeing another point of view. When will they ever see a well constructed 'other' point of view? Sometimes you might find a shocking surprise and change your foundations entirely.
Gosh I also have a horny nose so I could have been from Goffel all long. I think I'm gonna bite someone.
Due to dogma or due to ultimate belief a reader might find they have no association with the opposite point of view whatsoever so I think its best to let the reader decide where to rate regardless of where they voted. Or maybe we should get an opportunity to rate both sides of the argument. Writing always gives us the opportunity to speak out in clear structured context without being interrupted and that is what makes it so much more powerful than mere bickering.
Alternatively if we choose to have the debates as they are now I would then suggest another way to conduct it. Everyone rates in the area where they voted but they must also have a poll as the debate continues where Helium maintains the last best three writers on both points of view for the reader to read and then to vote again and to see if the debate has changed our collective consciousness on the topic. This then implies that a reader must have the opportunity to change votes as he or she change their minds. We can also have a voting history to see how the debate affected the polls as it evolved.
This would be fun don't you think?
Learn more about this author, Eugene Pitout.
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Disagree
The purpose of a debate is to present ones views in such a way as to convince the opposing side that you are right and they are wrong. If the only people to hear your side are the people who already agree with you, then you are wasting your time and theirs in debating.
Debate articles should be rated by the side that disagrees with your point of view. This gives you a chance to rise to the purpose of the debate, which is to persuade others. Writing when you know that the only ones who are likely to read your article are those who agree with you tends to make you slack in your abilities. You have no one to persuade, therefore you don't have to make strong points. All you need to do is restate the beliefs your readers already have.
On the other hand, were you to write knowing that your articles are going to be critiqued by people who disagree, sometimes strongly, you are going to have to put yourself in a whole new state of mind. Now you actually have to make good points. You have to sound knowledgeable, even if you aren't. You have to raise points of view that will make your audience think. You now have to live up to the purpose of the debate, to convince people that theirs is not the only possible outcome.
Helium is designed to give all writers, good and bad, a chance to be heard. It is also designed to give bad writers a chance to improve their writing skills. What better way to improve your writing skills than to write for an audience that disagrees with you. These people will be more judgmental of your work. They will give the article that was most persuasive a higher rating.
People who are in complete agreement with you tend to overlook your mistakes. Whereas people who disagree with you are going to be more critical. They are not going to change their point of view by an article with spelling and grammatical errors. They are going to be looking for well written, informative articles that will make them, if not change their minds, at least reconsider why they believe theirs is the correct opinion.
Having debate articles rated by the opposing side can only improve not only the rating process by making people actually read, and sometimes reread the articles, but also the writing. Writers will have to take the time to reread their own articles before publishing them. They will have to put themselves in the position of the rater and actually be critical of the article they just wrote. Granted this will not be easy, I for one am terrible at critiquing my own work, but it will produce better articles, which after all is what Helium wants; good articles that are well written.
Learn more about this author, Dorothy Jo Bourbeau.
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