PLEASE READ THE "PROCEDURES" SECTION CAREFULLY BEFORE SENDING A FRIEND REQUEST TO THIS PAGE!
INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to Bar Rules. This is the second in a series of four MySpace pages to be established throughout the course of the year. These four pages constitute Year One of the Sanctuary Project
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PROCEDURE:
"Bar Rules" is intended to test the viability of legitimate civil debate. A topic or resolution will be posted weekly on this page's blog.Those wishing to be "befriended" by this page are encouraged to offer a topic to be used at some time. The first two topics have been pre-determined. Future topics submitted by friends will be selected randomly. Opinions on the topic should be submitted in the form of blog comments. In the interest of flow, comments will not be subject to approval, but the operator reserves the right to delete any that violate the standards below.
As this portion of the Sanctuary Project is designed to benifit charitable causes, topics provided by friends must include at least one charity-oriented clickable such as the ones below:
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTION AND INTRODUCTION by Andrew Giles
"“It may happen sometimes that a long debate becomes the cause of a longer friendship. Commonly, those who dispute with one another at last agree.”
Elbert Hubbard (American editor, publisher and writer, 1856-1915)
I saw this quote online and I wondered if this would be true. Could a sustained debate work online with individuals who share various perspectives and in the process develop friendships? From my perspective, the current media environment (print, internet, television and radio) spoon feeds us a steady dose of debate on a daily basis and this food for thought is akin to fast food; somewhat satisfying in the short run but ultimately bad for you because it does nothing to nourish your mind. The debates in these formats we listen to, do not allow for an engaged discussion because of the time constraints placed on them so it seems that debate has become argument. It would seem that arguments today are to be short, loud, shallow, and vacuous. This is of course my opinion.
So what would we need to do to create a space where welcomed dialog and debate are entertained, considered and discussed? Bar Rules has been created for us and will ultimately be governed by us. We decide on the topic and we can run them into the ground or we can shy away from them. We can do what we want to with them. What is important here is to engage them if only temporarily. We can engage them with our own perspectives: our own gendered, cultural, political, social, economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
From my own experience, I know that I have wielded a sword and shield from time to time on many topics. Blocking the verbal jabs of the counterpoint and lunging into my opponent with face tingling adrenaline and empty points about their mama when the “discussion” truly went south. Time changes and perspectives change and my opinions now are different in some ways and “still crazy after all these years”. What has been the biggest difference is that my opinions are now mine and not some philosophers I read about or some talking head. Sure there are elements and influences of others within the construction of my own belief system but isn’t that the point: To engage in open and civil debate without animosity so that we may learn from each other.
From here it seems that we have our first question or questions. Should we do this? Is debate healthy and if so why? And can we engage this space with genuine interest and respect? I leave it up to you the participant.
Some general guidelines here.
1. Try to avoid the yes/ no questions and answers. I realize I did this with the first question. Open ended questions are better.
2. Lets keep the name calling to a minimum and keep our mothers out of it.
3. Use specifics about a point to provide a counterpoint. This lets us know you have considered the other.
4. Stay on the subject of the debate.
5. Know that we may all agree or disagree from time to time. The sky might just in fact be blue and this is ok.
Andrew Giles currently lives in Villa Rica, Georgia with his wife Carey and his 2 year old son Aiden. Andrew graduated from West Georgia with a BA in Anthropology and a minor in Religion. He currently works for a fiber optic company in Carrollton. Anything else will cost you a beer and he does have a good Colombian prostitute story.
Free Rice Word Game
