The Perverse Logic of Modern Debate.

Intelligent debate is dead.

If you read comments on any of the newspaper websites, you already knew that.

First, let me introduce you to my favorite comedian in years, Stewart Lee.



Today I had a similar conversation about generalisations to Lee's on twitter with, not a taxi driver, but a Geelong based real estate agent.

It started with an admittedly facetious tweet by me...

nightwatchman Right whingers, though tough on Roebuck, are tiptoeing around the news that Liberal senator Mary Jo Fisher has been found guilty of assault.

Then, out of nowhere, a reply by Geelong real estate agent and "full-time father-prenuer*" NicholasMaas.

NicholasMaas @nightwatchman Not at all. I say she should be removed from parliament. That's something we would expect from Labour / Greens, not Libs.

His reply was ambiguous. I was hoping he didn't mean what it looked like it meant. So I asked him...

What's "something we'd expect from Labour/Greens, not Libs"?

But he meant what I thought he meant. His reply...

Indiscretions resulting in charges... 

I don't argue with strangers on twitter. It's a mug's game. But I had to make sure....

Do you seriously think your political leaning has a bearing on the probability of you doing something illegal?

His answer?

indirectly.... Yes.

I could have followed Stewart Lee's tact with a sensible rebuttal to quell the real estate agent's ridiculous generalisation. I could have even made a similar generalisation based on my previous experience with Geelong's wonderful real estate agent community. And I'm sure he'd return that with "you can prove anything with facts" 

 

But I didn't. 

 

I was gobsmacked. 

 

Unfortunately this was all I could come up with...

Wow.

* No, I don't know what a "prenuer" is either.