How dare you dare me when I dared you!

[Mitera Nikkou]

Poll: Someone is insecure in their beliefs when they refuse to discuss/argue anything that may challenge them.

Doesn't matter what the beliefs are. It could just be your opinion of an anime character that you really, really like. Or really, really hate. Whatever. Just imagine broaching a subject with someone who does whatever they can to avoid it, even though they have all of the time and opportunity to participate. (Because it would be another thing entirely if they were busy and/or preoccupied at the time.)

What brought this on? I've run into a few cowards lately, and their irrational stupidity bugs me. So, now, I bug you. Ha!

[Alexis]

Does anyone speak Nikkou? I have no idea what this poll is about

[Dracos]

Translation: Is the following statement true or false; If someone refuses to discuss/debate a subject, it means that they are insecure in their beliefs about it.

My answer; false. There are a number of reasons that someone could refuse to entertain debate or discussion. For one, they may be so sure about it that they view debate as silly. I would hardly pay you much mind if you wished to debate whether or not gravity existed, but that hardly makes me insecure in my beliefs about it. Many religious people view their religion in this light; they don't refuse to debate because they're worried about you convincing them, but because they already 'know' they're right, so there's no point in debate. Another issue is that many people simply don't like to debate. Their views may be well founded, but if they avoid discussions/debates, it may be because they simply don't enjoy such exchanges.

[Mitera Nikkou]

I suppose there is that. But I wonder about it. Just because they're so sure doesn't mean that they can't be insecure in other ways. For instance: arguments based on logic. It's one thing to be sure, but it's another to convince another person with, essentially, "it just is." In particular, when confronted with an audience, which would require them to sound more convincing and/or sensible than the other party. They could decline because they know that their argument isn't sufficient enough, despite how they manage to convince themselves with it.

Beyond that, it wasn't supposed to be a question regarding just any situation. That would render the true or false result useless. It simply gets down to this: if someone can (because they would engage in such a thing), why would they decide not to? In which case it would depend on the subject. And, from there, why they would or wouldn't discuss/argue for or against it. I gave a specific reason for why someone wouldn't, and I simply posed whether or not it had enough bearing to be true or not.

Eh. I always end up doing a lot of work for something I thought was simple. I'll never learn.

<-- Is retarded.

[Rodney]

I concurr with Draco, refusing debates proves only that one does not believe that it will be possible/usefull to debate the topic in a fair and productive manner. It can be so for a various sets of reasons, including but not limited to the reason mentionned in the poll.

[Mitera Nikkou]

Well, yeah. Beliefs are meant to be self-serving, after all. You've got to take special care of them, because you wouldn't want just anyone to raise doubts in your mind; or in the minds of others, who in turn question your own beliefs. Mwa-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!

And stuff like that. I curse humanity! :O

[Helel]

I disagree in that for some people, things that you may consider to be a belief may be a given fact- and in their minds, could easily be rationalized as being something that doesn't require being debated/defended in an argument.

A slightly off the wall example is such: I like the color red. For me, this is just fact, but for you, it may be that I was influenced into liking red because of the symbolism or the color, which for some reason you may find disagreeable and up for debate because other colors may represent such things better.

You can replace colors with really anything: religion, politics, etc. and I think it'd hold true for many people. Sure, these things can be hot button issues that set people off like high explosives, but for many people, things like this, despite being beliefs, are held as fact- and nothing you say or do can change that. And likewise, anything they say won't change it either.

Sure, if a person can't debate something, that may mean they're ignorant or shaky in their beliefs, but I wouldn't say this is always the case for everyone. Otherwise, I'd say it depends on how much a person can rationalize a belief to be held as a fact.

Such is the nature of the cave. :P

[Mitera Nikkou]

If I didn't know any better, that sounded like a come-on.

[Funny Hat + Funny Accent]

It was.

Anyways, I have to agree with my brother that the topic question/statement tends to be false. Another example, sometimes I do NOT debate something because I know it's useless to attempt with whoever is on the opposing side for a wide range of reasons.

Three main ideas to keep in mind that I use when determining if I should debate: topic (red button issues are ALMOST always a bad idea), audience (you can lecture to a group of anti-government fanatics about the needs to expand the government's role in society all you want, but you won't get very far with them), and your personal status (which can cover deficits in emotional, physical, mental or psychological conditions. It's rarely a good idea to attempt a serious debate if a family member just died, you're drunk, you haven't slept in three days, and you have a raging headache. That's an extreme example though.)

[Mitera Nikkou]

According to my diagnosis, I'm a paranoid schizophrenic. I guess that renders any disagreements I have about something as moot, since it could just be that I think they're out to get me. And maybe they are.

[Rodney]

In my humble opinion, you are actually para psychedelic, which is a lot more 70's.

[Mitera Nikkou]

No, no, no... That's when you say: "I'm a doctor, not a hippie!"