How to stop getting into Internet arguments?

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those are reasonable arguments. if that's what your typical argument sounds like, then your problem really is the people you end up debating with

there's a saying i read once (coincidence or not, said by someone on another autism forum) that i try to always keep in mind: "you can't reason with unreasonable people". and that is most definitely true

cease and desist. it's the best thing for your sanity

No matter how much evidence one presents, if one is convinced of an issue, one is usually stuck believing in it, research findings be damned.

As far as being "pro-Life" is concerned, I'm sort of on the fence about this. I definitely think abortion is murder after the 2nd trimester. I don't like the idea of abortion.

But if somebody is going to be born with Tay-Sach's Disease, then that person will only live five years at most, at least a year of which the person is on a ventilator. The child is only "normal" for the first 4-6 months or so, then declines precipitously. I would advocate aborting a child diagnosed prenatally with Tay-Sach's.

Same with some other chromosomal/genetic disorders.

But Down Syndrome is a different story. One can live a happy life with Down Syndrome. Many can become productive citizens. It's wrong to abort a person prenatally diagnosed with Down's.

As far abortion in cases of rape, I can go either way. I would hope that the mother doesn't abort the child, though, and give it up for adoption, even though ultimate outcomes for kids, especially in foster care, are usually not good. Though there are exceptions.

I believe the "morning-after pill" solves many of these issues.

i sometimes wonder what would happen if i ever brought up my views on infantile euthanasia

there are certain things that make sense but society is simply not prepared for. there have to be rituals already in place to humanize and dignify possible outcomes and solutions to catch-22 tragedies

my opinion on animal rights for instance is that the reason why we shouldn't mistreat animals is because it's too much like mistreating people. and, yes, if the animal looks more "innocent" or "cute", it makes it more important. because mistreating "innocent" beings is too much like exploiting vulnerable people, and mistreating "cute" beings is too much like killing babies

if you get desensitized to one thing, you get desensitized to the other to a certain degree. and if people get desentizied to killing babies, well... it think it's safe to say that that's not a very good outlook for society as a whole. these irrational primal instincts do matter a lot, and they need to be properly addressed when shocking scenarios are dealt with

Truth doesn't need you to argue for it. However, if you must, an ego only gets in the way. If you have low self-esteem already, you are closer to the truth than arrogant asses.

That doesn't make you stupid, also you always have the option to drop out of an argument/debate if it gets too intense. If people say anything about that f*** em, no sense in wasting time on them if it's ruining your day. Also its perfectly natural to be upset/feel bad if people say hurtful things, so don't beat yourself up over that.

Also if you're feeling sensative or stressed or just having any difficulties sometimes it's best to just avoid topics you have very strong feelings about and stick to more light hearted conversation and there's nothing wrong with that.

When "The Gift" said: "Simply really. Shut up."

I got a problem with anyone on this website telling someone to shut up.

Granted, discussions such as you listed are always going to be dangerous. People will use facts as weapons, and then stretch them if they have to. If you want to talk about pro-life, it may be best to find other pro-life activists.

People are talking about banning pit-bulls?? What would that even mean? Euthanizing all of them?

Very true, and something I need to internalize better myself. On the other hand, if you're good at baiting them into saying obviously unreasonable things in support of causes you disagree with, you can tarnish those causes by association and maybe pick up some people who were on the fence; not that I would ever do such a thing...

If a person can't get into a reasonable discussion without using the usual rhetorical devices, then it's useless.

I think Florida banned pit bulls for a time, and it can be really hard to find an apartment if you own one. It really sucks because I'm thinking of adopting a pit bull as an emotional support animal.

Maybe I should write "you can't reason with unreasonable people" on a Post It note and put it on my desk.

There is nothing wrong with getting into arguments over the internet, better to vent frustration and anger into that than something in real life but of course it's not good to be mean or to belittle someone. Arguing from contrarian positions isn't that hard, those that defend the majority opinion generally are the one's least prepared to actually debate the said merits of that opinion. What it comes down to is not actually caring whether the person you are arguing with actually can be won over or not since usually people are pretty dug into their ways, any movement towards middle ground should be encouraged and any further deviation should be condemned. It's all just a rhetorical exercise, if you don't enjoy it then probably avoid it since it does make you a very divisive poster and nobody likes to be hated.

me neither. never.

I probably would try to do it if I hadn't learned yet from my lame experience that it's most likely to backfire.

Perhaps the problem is, you are ultimately seeking validation of your viewpoints from the other person, and that you feel you have not sufficiently argued your point if they don't acknowledge the validity of your argument?

Here are some pointers that might help.

1. People often fight dirty on the internet, and for many people, their objective is to invalidate the other person by any means. These people will use logical fallacies, tangents, and argue semantics to control the conversation. Don't play their game. Realize that not everyone will wage logical, honest debates, and these people will just waste your time.

2. Work at forming logical articulations of your views. This ability will help you in life in general.

3. Stick to the facts.

4. Don't take bait people throw to try to reel you back into a debate when you've had your say and have decided to leave.

5. Accept that not everyone will agree with you, no matter how intelligent or logical you are, and accept that you don't need everyone to agree with you.

6. Admit when you are wrong, provided you are actually wrong, and the person is not attempting to utilize a logical fallacy.