Lose as Much as Possible - Unconventional Arguing Techniques

I notice that quite a lot of people can't STAND to be wrong about anything.  Not ONE thing.  Not even one SMALL thing!  

They act like losing even some small argument means losing their entire reputation.

I think this makes them very ineffective at arguments.  It's like being a boxer who can't handle taking a punch.  One who just relies on knocking out opponents with one hit before the opponent is able to hit back.  Very unrealistic expectation.  

Here are some recommendations I'd make for having a more effective argument.  Some of these recommendations may initially seem unintuitive, stupid, and perhaps even lazy.  A huge chunk of people can't stand applying a technique similar to these due to fear of even a slightly damaged reputation.  They would prefer to put in more work to be less effective as long as they think it will keep them from taking even a minor hit.

Recommendation 1: Attack your own argument ASAP.

Try to discover and point out the flaws in your own argument before your opponent can.  It takes away most of their weaponry right from the start.  It lets them know that you've done your homework and you can take a hit.  Many people who argue don't have the guts to do this.  They try to hide their weak points and hope their opponent won't discover those weak points.  I guess this strategy works against feeble opponents who can't figure things out, but it won't work for strong opponents.  And limiting yourself to weak opponents only is pretty sad.

Recommendation 2: Try to argue against just ONE big thing your opponent argues for, but no more than that.

Since many people can't STAND to be wrong about even the smallest of things, they are unable to establish what are the leaves and what is the root of the tree of a structured argument.  They are used to attacking every leaf and every root they see.  Wastes a ton of energy.

So lose the smaller arguments on purpose.  Roll with the opponent on the small stuff.  Roll with their opinions as much as you possibly can without sacrificing your main point.  

As your opposition thinks they're building momentum by knocking down the leaf arguments that you don't even worry about, they might suddenly get surprised when they eventually reach the root and find that you defend that one big argument with a lot more vigor and strategy.  The sudden loss of easy momentum adds a bit of intimidation.  And you will have a lot more energy than your opposition, because even though they did get some seemingly easy victories, they had to search for those victories - and that alone causes some mental wear and tear.

Recommendation 3: Realize You Don't Need To Win, You Just Need To Sow Doubt.

Last realize you don't need to win.  So don't try. Rather than getting your opponent to completely accept your argument, just attempt to get your opponent to ever so slightly doubt their own argument instead.  If you do this well enough you can just leave and your opponent ends up fighting themselves, and they may ultimately finish the job on their own and take up your position without you ever knowing it.

Conclusion: All of these recommendations may appear to be losing efforts on the surface, but sometimes when you're caught in something like quicksand or a skid, doing the opposite of what you think you should do tends to work the best.

Pledge of Allegiance AGAINST the Kardashians

 I'm not sure how "relevant" the Kardashians still are, but I made this pledge quite a while back:

I pledge allegiance against the Kardashians

Who have embarrassed the United States of America

And against the shallowness for which they stand

Abusing fame and wealth, in the face of God

And leaving low aspirations of intellect for all

How I Found Out About Cannibalism

When I was in first grade in the late 80's, our excellent teacher (who I remember fondly) would routinely sit the entire class in a circle and give us all copies of some small booklet.  One student would read a page and then we'd progress around the circle with each student reading another page until we had completed the entire booklet.  

There were probably 20 pages in each booklet with no more than 5 words on each page.  And they were of the same series.  Very age appropriate.  

But I remember early in the school year thinking something that was not very age appropriate when I read the title of one of the booklets.  I can't remember the exact names in the three-word title, but I sure remember the verb between the names.  It was something along the lines of "Joe Meets Sally."

And despite the picture of two kids shaking hands on the cover, my blood went cold.

I knew what the word "meat" meant - although I probably didn't know how it was spelled - and I thought "Wait a minute...  Is someone being turned into meat here?  Is someone actually being cooked?  And are we reading about it in the first grade?  That would be rated R and we're little kids!  We're too young to read about that!  That can't be right!"

Trusting that there's no way such a gruesome topic could possibly be a part of first-grade curriculum, I decided not to panic and to just wait and read along with everyone else, even if I worried that the happy pictures might suddenly turn macabre at any moment.

Well, as we progressed through the book, it became apparent to me that this version of the word "meet" just meant seeing someone for the first time and had nothing to do with transforming anyone into an entree.  So I ended up learning the idea behind cannibalism at the same time I learned a very elementary word in the English language.

Of course this experience only taught me the theoretical idea of cannibalism, not that cannibalism actually existed.  When I found out it actually was a real thing much later it left no impression on me that I can recall.

I figured somebody somewhere might find that story to be of interest, but I'm not sure.  There also was a time in community college I was challenged to an arm-wrestling contest by an old fellow who appeared to be over 90 and who many times informed me he survived the holocaust and even showed me his evidence of this by rolling up his sleeve and showing me a tattoo of a number on his arm.  His wife was in my evening art class and I saw him at the college all the time.

It's weird that since I can't confirm these experiences directly with anyone in my life today that they both seem almost like a dream, but I remember them very distinctly as being quite real.  My actual dreams are far too incoherent when compared to these experiences.

Never Say The N-Word

Mathematical Proof that Saying the N Word Is Always Wrong

Symbols

E = an error/wrong occurs

G = a skin color

T = a form of treatment

S = saying the N word

A = action

R = racist

D - discrimination based on skin color

W = white

Axioms

1) If R then E 

2) If D then E 

3) If((If A(G) then T) & (if A(Not G) then Not T)) then D

4) If S(W) then R 

5) S is an element of A 

6) R is an element of T 

Proof Steps

SHOW For All S, if S then E 

1) We already know If S(W) then R.  And if R then E. 

2) So now we just need to show If S(not W) then E.  That will 

be enough to show For All S, if S then E.

3) So let's start with S(not W) and see if it leads to E.

4) If (S(not W) then R) is true, then R will lead to E.

5) So we'll say (if S(not W) then not R) and see where that leads.

6) Well, by plugging both what we just did in step 5 into axiom 3

and also plug axiom 4 into axiom 3, that will yield D. 

7) By axiom 2, if we have D then we have E.

8) So whether or not S(not W) leads to R or not R directly,

we still end up with E no matter what. 

9) Conclusion is that S(W) and S(not W) both lead to E,

so for all S, if S then E. 

QED 

Truth is not important because.....

Truth is not important because it is logical.  In other words, the fact that it often possesses the property of logic is NOT the defining characteristic that makes truth important. 

Truth is important because it is beautiful.

Even Miracles are Merely Shadows

Miracles are demonstrations of restoration and healing in a broken world.  When an impossibly bleak situation suddenly, for some unexplained reason, becomes bleak no more, we call it a miracle.  These miracles are some of the best things in life.

Yet, to the believer, even these wonderful things are nothing more than shadows of the glory that is to come.  The best things in this world are merely shadows of the next.  That's something to be optimistic about.

The SECOND Most Powerful Thing In The World

I think it's easy for us to vastly underestimate the power of sin, particularly because of its allure.  But I believe sin is extremely powerful.  Powerful enough to be the second most powerful thing in the world.  The only thing able to defeat it would be the first most powerful thing in the world - God.  Without God, sin will defeat us for sure.  We will create the fires of our own personal Hell.