Hello hello! My semester-end exams begin tomorrow, but when you get a good idea for a post, you just have to post it, y’know? Especially if it comes to you a day before your exam. I actually do that a lot. Heh.

Well, I digress, as usual. Exams are a topic I can go on and on about. And I’m pretty much doing all this stuff (see link) right now.

OKAY I’M RAMBLING.

What I actually want to talk about is related to Facebook. So, I joined Facebook when I was 16 and I’ve seen it change a lot. I’ve also met various kinds of people and seen how they are on FB and how they are in person.

In the beginning, when you just join, it was all about making innane statuses and finally building up the courage to start posting photographs. Then you ‘Like’ stuff and comment on what others said or did (wid vry abbreviatd, twistd eng cuz it ws kewl).

Now however, things seem to have gone up a notch.

We’re all grown ups, with numerous opinions (or at least trying to form them) and whenever someone posts something, there will inevitably be that one person who has a differing view. Then, depending on the personalities/free time/interest levels of the two parties, the topic would either be debated upon in detail, with emphatic and vehement production of facts and sarcastic/furious diatribes, or one would just say “Yeah maybe”, and the conversation would more or less conclude. In the middle of it all (especially in the former kind of…’discussion’) there will be some others joining one of the camps or trying to calm down the situation; however, if its the second case, the aspiring peacemaker is usually attacked by one of the ‘adversaries’ for want of a better word.

I, for one, am pathetic at debating. However I do love witnessing well-argued debates and am very happy with myself if I’m, surprisingly, ever able to debate well myself. But my paralyzing fear is that I’ll get into a debate and get stuck in the middle with no way of further arguing my point *shudder*

Now, the key phrase here is ‘Well-argued’.

If the discussion is well-argued and the two debaters support their views rationally, I have no objection to it. However, sometimes (please understand, SOMETIMES) there are these discussions which are held with no requirement for it whatsoever. It’s as if some people have been told that being offended and arguing is the new ‘cool’, and they must indulge in this if they are to be accepted into society. So some discussions turn out to be like the following –

A : Purple is a wonderful thing and socially, culturally and economically, it makes more sense to love purple.

B : Purple is an outrage and we should all denounce it! Orange is the new purple!! And I demand justice!

A : Do you really think orange can bring in a change? There are too many options to show that purple is, psychologically speaking, much ahead of orange and will bring about world peace!!

B : May I remind you that orange is a fruit too? Purple is just purple. So technically speaking, orange is much more versatile and can change the world. We need revolution before world peace!

(Disclaimer : Kindly note, this is not an actual discussion/argument. It has no basis whatsoever in reality)

I got pulled into a debate, much to my chagrin, a few weeks back. But I was relieved to realize that I could rationally put my point across, and the discussion ended amicably (at least so it seemed). My fellow debater, who was against the motion (so to speak), made some points too and there was no scandalous resorting to personal statements to prove our points. That was a relief.

So please don’t get me wrong. I am impressed when people come together and have wonderful, respectfully and rationally argued debates about some current topic; it’s neat, and sometimes helps me consolidate my views too.

But it’s also worrying when you know that there are some people who are nitpickers and begin an argument just because they feel like it.

Do you think all debates are good debates?