Guide to Civil Debate and Discussion
This being an Ace Attorney fansite, it’s pretty easy to picture yourself as Phoenix Wright or Miles Edgeworth when arguing over something with another user. The problem is that you’re not. The person you’re talking to is a real human being with real feelings, and the kinds of put-downs used in the games can really hurt if you use them against a real person. This kind of behavior is unacceptable here. Let’s consider the following situation: You’re discussing the object in the spoiler box below with another user. The two of you disagree on what to call it. Approaching the matter improperly can easily lead to hurt feelings (and possibly a ban). The goal of this guide is to help teach you how to keep your debate from ending in such a manner.
Spoiler: Which is it?
- Respect your opponent. Disagreeing with someone is not an excuse to be rude to them. Every position deserves to be heard and taken into consideration. Even if you think a certain position is stupid, you should calmly point out its flaws. Lacing your argument with insults and personal attacks will just encourage your opponent to get defensive. If you can argue a point, you can argue a point without being a jerk about it. If you’re getting fed up with your opponent’s arguments, you should stop and take a break from debating. Don’t post anything on the matter until you’ve calmed down. If you lose your temper and lash out at your opponent, you might be taking a break whether you want to or not (translation: be nasty enough and you’ll be banned).
- Choose your words carefully. You can offend your opponent even without directly insulting them. Even if you think it’s really obvious that it’s a stepladder, you implicitly ridicule your opponent by saying as much. If you say something’s obvious, that implies that anyone who doesn’t see it is stupid, blind, willfully ignorant, etc. That which might be obvious to you might not be obvious to your opponent. Likewise, calling the ladder viewpoint stupid implicitly calls your opponent stupid for adhering to it. It’s rare for anyone to mean any harm when ridiculing someone’s argument, but as the Judge said right before giving Phoenix a penalty in 1-4, “not meaning any harm” and “not doing any harm” are two different things.
- Some arguments can’t be won. While the question of whether it’s a ladder, a stepladder, both, or neither is one with a definitive answer, there are other questions that are matters of opinion rather than fact. For example, is it a good ladder/stepladder? Opinions can be based partially in fact, but they’re also a matter of personal preferences. It is quite common for an argument over something like this to be a result of differing opinions. “That’s [just] your opinion” is neither admitting defeat nor declaring victory. Rather, it is an acknowledgement that the disagreement is not something that can be resolved as things stand. An opinion is not something that you can force a person to change—not even if all the evidence is on your side. You can point out every flaw in the design, but your opponent might still think of it as a perfectly good ladder/stepladder. In cases of differing opinions, it’s best to let the matter drop.
- Respect differences in opinion. That which you consider bad might be something your opponent considers good—or at least tolerable. This goes back to the matter of respecting your opponent. Maybe you don't like metal ladders/stepladders, but your opponent does. If that’s the case, constantly complaining about what material the ladder/stepladder is made out of will only serve to annoy your opponent. For that matter, you should never say something specifically to annoy your opponent. That kind of behavior is known as trolling and can warrant a ban. Regularly bashing something someone is fond of can also fit into this category, depending on the intent. We won’t punish you for sharing legitimate criticisms of something, but at the same time, going into a thread where people are positively discussing something and constantly trashing it doesn't help discussion.
- Attack the argument, not your opponent. This ties back in to the "respect your opponent" bit. Having a different stance on something does not make your opponent inferior to you in any way. If there is a flaw in your opponent's argument, you should point out the flaw (without being rude about it, of course), not berate your opponent for failing to notice the flaw himself/herself. Your opponent can only adjust their position if they are aware of the flaws in their argument. Failing to notice those flaws does not make your opponent stupid.
- You do not have permission to return fire. This guide is here to help discourage rudeness. If your opponent is being rude, that does not make it okay for you to be rude. Report their behavior if you feel it warrants reporting. If you feel you can't respond civilly, just don't respond. Flaming your opponent for flaming you will just lead to both of you getting in trouble. As far as the rules are concerned, who started it is irrelevant.
- Don't be afraid to stop. You shouldn't expect an argument to end with a clear winner and a clear loser. If you no longer feel like debating the matter with your opponent, just don't respond to their latest statement. Failing that, just say you're done for the time being. This isn't admitting defeat, nor is it declaring victory. Arguments aren't always fun, and sometimes keeping up the argument just stops feeling worth the time and energy you would have to put into doing so. For that matter, if your opponent does this to you (i. e. stops arguing), let it go. Maybe you've given them something to think about and they need time to ponder it on their own. Alternatively, maybe they no longer feel able to continue the debate without getting rude. Whatever the case, accept their decision to leave the debate and don't rub it in. An opponent leaving without admitting defeat can be annoying, but so is an opponent that insists on continuing an argument when you're sick of it.
Bottom line: we’re not a Yahoo! or YouTube comments section. Play nice and be cool.
