I try to keep myself well informed on current events and different subjects, and when I have time, I like to debate online, but lately, I have become unhappy with the level of discourse I find online. What I really want is a venue where I can state my opinions and find articles where the issues of the day can be discussed by sensible people, or at least people who raise interesting and worthwhile points instead of just calling everyone that disagrees with them crude names.
This is much harder than it would seem, mainly because the Internet takes an already polarized population and gives everyone a level of anonymity that allows them to be needlessly cruel. Anyway, I was feeling a strong desire for a rousing debate online that was not an experiment in who could call who by the most profanity-laden name.
I expressed this desire to a friend, who suggested that I visit a website that was designed for exactly this purpose. The website allows anyone to write a concise article that supports their opinion on a certain subject. Then anyone else can write an opposite viewpoint, and then these two articles are placed side by side on the website, and then anyone else who logs on to the website can vote for whichever article they concur with.
This means that comments that they leave are not as anonymous as some places on the Internet and there is less of an opportunity for people to leave mean and horrible comments. The opinions expressed are well thought out and authentic, and cover a broad range of political issues, which is something that really makes me excited. I got so excited about these online debates that I began talking about them to everyone I know and telling them how they really ought to join in the fun and share their own ideas.
After I had participated in a couple of these debates online, I gained a feeling of confidence as I was able to sharpen my skills at expressing my viewpoints and getting my points across, as well as learning to understand the opposing viewpoints, which I believe makes me a more well-rounded person. I had been distressed about the state of political discourse that I see in this country, but having participated in these discussions, I feel more positive about the people of this country and know that there are lots of intelligent well informed people in this country.
This is much harder than it would seem, mainly because the Internet takes an already polarized population and gives everyone a level of anonymity that allows them to be needlessly cruel. Anyway, I was feeling a strong desire for a rousing debate online that was not an experiment in who could call who by the most profanity-laden name.
I expressed this desire to a friend, who suggested that I visit a website that was designed for exactly this purpose. The website allows anyone to write a concise article that supports their opinion on a certain subject. Then anyone else can write an opposite viewpoint, and then these two articles are placed side by side on the website, and then anyone else who logs on to the website can vote for whichever article they concur with.
This means that comments that they leave are not as anonymous as some places on the Internet and there is less of an opportunity for people to leave mean and horrible comments. The opinions expressed are well thought out and authentic, and cover a broad range of political issues, which is something that really makes me excited. I got so excited about these online debates that I began talking about them to everyone I know and telling them how they really ought to join in the fun and share their own ideas.
After I had participated in a couple of these debates online, I gained a feeling of confidence as I was able to sharpen my skills at expressing my viewpoints and getting my points across, as well as learning to understand the opposing viewpoints, which I believe makes me a more well-rounded person. I had been distressed about the state of political discourse that I see in this country, but having participated in these discussions, I feel more positive about the people of this country and know that there are lots of intelligent well informed people in this country.
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There are a selection of online sites where you could learn more about debate online companies. To see more, please go to debate online or www.pihlu.com.
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