Its better to remain silent…
People who use talking points and dumb exit rebuttals should be shunned and slapped from this point on. If you hear one, slap the person who said it. We need to institute a requirement of some original thought and personal research if you wish to have a public opinion. I believe in freedom of speech, but not freedom to spew someone else’s crap just because they said it and you must repeat it. Its cachos. I don’t care what politcal group, goverment, agency, company, team, school, or whatever you are part of. No body should stoop to “talking points”!!
If you are appointed to speak for your group, you should know the material personally and be able to answer on your own. If you are asked for an opinion or to make a judgement call about something you directly don’t know, yield to someone else or just say your not sure. If you have to use prepared statements to speak on behalf of your group and try to debate on that foundation, you should not be speaking.
As another option, if you must, you may speak in the third person repeating someone else’s opinion since you really don’t have one of your own and that way we know its not your own personal opinion or statement (from you, the clueless representative to your group). You may defend the person who said it then based on your own personal experiences. That way we can stop this jumble of misinformation.
On another note, one thing that has been driving me nuts lately is the rebutting of the argument against Bush’s reaction to the most recent disaster in New Orleans saying we are blaming Bush for the weather. The argument is not about Bush could do anything to prevent the weather (which is still much more debatable that he could of helped that), but what is hardly debatable is his horrible appointments to FEMA, his timely response time to the disaster, and his countless bumbling through fixing the issue.
Carlos Mencia says it best: “DUHHH-DUH-DUUUUUHH”.
I guess thats just my personal pet peave or something but seems to make sense.
People using talking points is almost as bad as people dismissing other people’s arguments as talking points.
TomL
19 Sep 05 at 8:32 am
Of course, you are using every single one of the “spin methods” here. Redefine the argument, make your point, keep your opponents from answering…..
It’s only talking points if you disagree with them, else they are logical!
LostKnight
19 Sep 05 at 3:30 pm
OK, this was funny. Unintentionally perhaps, but still funny. =)
You, on others’ public opinions: “We need to institute a requirement of some original thought and personal research if you wish to have a public opinion.”
Your public opinion: “Carlos Mencia says it best: ‘DUHHH-DUH-DUUUUUHH’”
Yep — that’s a mighty fine example of original thought (”DUUUUUHH”) and personal research (quoting someone else)!
Thanks for making me laugh out loud this morning! =)
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20 Sep 05 at 11:41 am
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