Public Service Announcement

If you are engaging me in a debate on a topic, do not attempt to counter my opinions with information from a highly partisan or highly ideological organization.

I don’t trust Amnesty International to be fully forthcoming on the positive aspects of incarceration and limits on prisoners’ rights. I am not going to get my facts on birth control risks and societal impact of contraception from the Roman Catholic Church. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA) is not going to give me an honest, objective opinion on whether or not fish suffer when we catch them and release them. I don’t get my facts about the value of psychology and mental health medications from the Scientologists. Etcetera.

And, to be more specific to my most recent experience today, do not point me to the NCPA (www.ncpa.org), a conservative/libertarian think tank, for “facts” about global warming (and the “fact” that we have no part in causing it) when I point out that we should be concerned about our human impact on climate change, regardless of whether or not global warming really exists and whether or not humans are fully responsible for it.

Thank you for your cooperation.

5 thoughts on “Public Service Announcement

  1. TitforTat

    If you are engaging me in a debate on a topic, do not attempt to counter my opinions with information from a highly partisan or highly ideological organization.(Deacon)

    Now this was tooooo funny, especially coming from a “Christian”. Not too much partisan ideology coming from that organization. 😉

    Reply
  2. Deacon Blue

    Big difference between someone sending me to get “facts” from a conservative think tank on the topic of climate change (science, law, social policy, corporate responsibility, etc.) and using the Bible in discussions of spirituality.

    The corollary to the situation I ranted about would be to be, just to give two examples: (1) In a discussion of atheism, someone telling the atheist to go to a Christian Web site for proof that God exists, or (2) in a discussion of Christianity, an atheist citing an atheist or agnostic Web site as “proof” that God doesn’t exist

    Reply
  3. Big Man

    Touche Tit for Tat.

    Deac, I think that at a certain level, all information sources are biased. I don’t have a problem with folks using biased information. I just have a problem when they use biased information and pretend it’s not biased.

    Reply
  4. Deacon Blue

    I agree with your assessment of bias, Big Man…both on an intellectual basis and as a fellow journalist. There is rarely any such thing as true objectivity.

    But the other thing you mentioned was precisely my problem in the case I noted ambiguously. The source was tossed at me as if it were the only place that gave a true and clear-minded appraisal of the situation, even though it only presented scientific evidence that supported a conservative/libertarian political agenda.

    Reply
  5. Big Man

    Deac

    Yeah, some people are stubborn like that. I don’t understand that mentality. I’ve never really needed other people to co-sign my opinions.

    Reply

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