There are a number of reasons why I get along better with Gary now that he’s retired, and one is because he has found Facebook. Facebook is Gary’s argument outlet now instead of me.
And MY GOD how he can argue. While the rest of us stay in our bubble of generally like-minded friends, Gary seeks out people who will debate him on Facebook.
One of Gary’s Facebook friends debate partners is one guy, D______, who is as red as Gary is blue. Gary will state his opinion on Facebook, D_______ will counter with the opposite, and the debate will go on for pages.
Gary says climate change / ridiculous border wall / Saint Hilary, then D______ says hoax / stealing our jobs / criminal mastermind, and my friends say who is this D______ guy and how does your husband know him?
It’s quite nice someone else gets to be Con to Gary’s overwrought Pros.
5 responses to “Gary’s Capacity for Argument”
I feel like Gary should be Facebook-friends with my husband.
I am so glad you get to not be an argument outlet. 🙂 Let those who thrive on argument argue with other people who thrive on argument!
(of course, there are those who do not thrive on argument, but instead get miserable and worn out and haggard over it, but don’t feel like they can stop because People Are Wrong and surely if the people just heard the facts from someone then they would realize the problems in what they’re espousing and come to a more reasonable viewpoint.)(in fact, I have a hard time *not* responding to the conspiracy theories of someone I know – but from previous wretched experience, if you respond with facts and citations to an easily refutable claim, she ignores that and spurts a bizarre stream of a dozen or so additional conspiracy theories, with her trust in those purveyors of gibberish entirely unshaken by one of their pet “truths” being shown to be erroneous.)
https://xkcd.com/386/
I wish no one was wrong. It would be nice.
Maggie – because they would argue well together or because they would agree? I’ve found that people who agree with Gary go through a phase in which they pile on to D_____, then they block him.
KC – I don’t know if I could hold my tongue if someone I knew was a conspiracy theorist. I know three people who are devoted to alternative medicine, one of who died pursuing a cure that wasn’t there.
It’s hard. But 1. we only communicate via email, and 2. every “so, here are the facts regarding [issue I do actually know something about]” response merely results in a no-line-breaks spout of *different* conspiracy theories. But yes, it is hard to not respond, especially when one of the conspiracy theory topics is something one personally knows about.
KC – I wouldn’t even go to step 2. Why even give her the facts? She isn’t asking to learn. I had a lot of trouble with a co-worker who would sigh and ask her computer questions like “why aren’t you giving me the report I want?” I always pivoted in my chair and tried to help, until I realized she didn’t want to learn and wasn’t asking me for help.