Bad arguments for anti-discrimination

[Dimentio]

There's one thing that I really hate. When there's one guy or gal who's sharing your progressive opinions, and that person is going to debate for those opinions, and come with such utter stupid arguments that all you could do is to wish you just could become a tree or something.

Like, some usual anti-racist arguments used here (all these arguments are real arguments which have been used):

* "Think how empty Sweden would be without immigrants. No pizza places, no hiphop, no Italian restaurants."

* "We Swedes are probably racist because we are jealous, because the immigrants have some real culture, not dorky things like midsummer."

* "Without the muslims, who would take care of you when you're old?"

* "Crusades! Inquisitions! Witch burnings!"

How should one react when someone you basically agree on in an issue are mishandling that issue so enormously that they are lowing the bar of debate to a kindergarten level?

[Who?]

You could play it off like it was an inside joke?

After they say something absurd just laugh and say, "No, but really," and go on with your argument.

[BuddhaInBabylon]

If you like that person, maybe it's worth using tact and interjecting something like " no but seriously" or some other device, but if you don't particularly care for that person, why not just say "nah...everything you just said was bullshit, HERE is the real reasons for this or that viewpoint" Pissing somebody off who doesn't have the capacity to represent progressive views in a positive light is an acceptable social indiscretion if you ask me. I don't like to make people feel bad, but sometimes peoples stupidity makes ME feel angry, suffocated by their ignorance (or arrogance), stifled by their zeal. So in the end, you have to stick up for yourself. It might sound self-righteous, but so long as you don't consider yourself superior and keep in mind that maybe you just have a clearer understanding of the subject at hand, and that fact does not make you better than they, then it's just edification. That's my view anyways.

I run into this kind of thing a lot....consequently, i'm not very popular with my colleagues because i tend to step on toes. I won't allow for someone to make broad generalizations for example. In debates or otherwise. People who have no business having opinions, LOVE broad generalizations because they don't require references, responsibility, or any effort at all. i say piss on that.

[leftace53]

I tend to give them a "WTF" look, and just continue with what I was saying like " :rolleyes: right, moving on ..."

I know some people who joke about arguments like these though, those are pretty amusing.