{"id":12102,"date":"2016-07-30T10:03:06","date_gmt":"2016-07-30T14:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12102"},"modified":"2016-07-30T10:03:06","modified_gmt":"2016-07-30T14:03:06","slug":"how-to-become-an-asshat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12102","title":{"rendered":"How to become an Asshat"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"12106\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?attachment_id=12106\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0.png?fit=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"200,200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0.png?fit=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-12106 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0-150x150.png?resize=150%2C150\" alt=\"k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/k5z4q8xqcbwq5zk023v0.png?w=200&amp;ssl=1 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/a>I am certain all are familiar with the popular definition of insanity.In case you are not, the Urban Dictionary defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I have discovered that this definition is quite applicable to debating subject matter such as politics, race, or religion in a Facebook group. To my knowledge no one has ever changed the mind of another as the result of debating them on Facebook. As stated, to my knowledge. Should anyone have evidence to the contrary they are invited to comment below.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>I am reasonably new to the Facebook group debate. I entered into the fray with my eyes wide shut. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I am a reasonable man and believe I have a reasonable point of view. I am willing to listen to, and consider, opposing points of view. That willingness does not, in and of itself mean I am willing to change my mind. I have since discovered that this is the wrong approach. Reasonableness and objectivity are qualities that are shunned by most Facebook Debaters. Additionally, I have discovered there is a set of unwritten rules that one must be aware of to be able to debate like a champ in the groups. As stated, these rules are unwritten (until now) so when one enters the arena unarmed without the awareness of the rules, they are immediately at a disadvantage. As a public service, I have assembled a few of the more important rules with a brief explanation and the possible consequences of not following said rule.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rule #1 \u2013 Name Calling is indicated when one is handily losing the debate and has no other recourse but to call their opponent a name. This will immediately derail the debate causing the winning side to flounder and lose sight of their original objective. The winning side will then feel compelled to defend their good name and\/or give a reason why are not whatever the name caller implied they are. For example, I was recently called an ass by my opponent. I questioned the use of the term and was upgraded to an asshat. I have no idea what an asshat is so I left the debate. I guess they won.<\/li>\n<li>Rule #2 \u2013 Use misdirection. Logic and commonsense have no place in a Facebook Debate. The thought of debating using the tried and true point-counterpoint method is not considered as proper in Facebook. One must make their point using lies, misdirection, and obfuscation. Recently it was stated in Facebook that Alton Sterling was killed for selling CD\u2019s and the big bad policemen should be tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. The misdirect used here is the attempt to inflame the audience by having them believe that a person was shot and killed for something as inconsequential as selling bootleg CDs. I will not rehash the Alton Sterling case here. Suffice it to say that the point of the misdirection is to take attention away from the facts and truth and instead garner support using inflammatory statements. Misdirection is an important weapon to keep in your arsenal.<\/li>\n<li>Rule #3 \u2013 Use of Memes and Edited Video. When one comes into the fight fully unarmed with certain essentials, <a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/download.png\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"12103\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?attachment_id=12103\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/download.png?fit=183%2C275&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"183,275\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"download\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/download.png?fit=183%2C275&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12103 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/download.png?resize=183%2C275\" alt=\"download\" width=\"183\" height=\"275\" \/><\/a>such as a vocabulary and the ability to string several words together into a sentence then it is best to allow another to do their talking for them. The meme is an excellent tool as it is a true example of the old saw that a picture is worth a 1000 words. The 1000 words are not enough, so the mem writer will add a few more words, super-imposed over the picture to make a statement. Frequently the statement has nothing to do with the subject but I think all understands by this point that truth and fact are something ignored. Additionally, the use of edited video that cuts the truth from the subject matter are also a valuable and often used tool to make ones point.<\/li>\n<li>Rule #4 \u2013 Personal Attacks. Once the debater realized they are being overcome with a groundswell of truth and facts they must report the final strategy, the personal attack. Nothing is sacred and nothing is left alone when it comes to the personal attack. The debater will use all means necessary to discover\u00a0any information about the other person, the other\u2019s person\u2019s family, or the other person\u2019s dog that will show to the world that the other person is truly not worth their salt and are, above all else, an asshat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There you have it, the rules of the debate. If you go in unarmed, you have no one to blame but yourself. Of course, one could stand on principle, calmly and rationally point out the facts with the hope the other side will see their point of view and change their mind. Once they realize the futility of this, they can make their final point and calmly walk away. But what fun would that be?<br \/>\nThose are my thoughts, what are yours?<\/p>\n<p>Feel free to comment, like, share, agree or disagree with this post. Please consider a <a href=\"http:\/\/townehouse.net\/subscription-info\/\" target=\"_blank\">free subscription<\/a>. Options to like and subscribe can be found elsewhere on the page. Thank you for reading the Townehouse Blog.<\/p>\n<p>This material may be published, broadcast, or redistributed. In fact, I encourage it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I am certain all are familiar with the popular definition of insanity.In case you are not, the Urban Dictionary defines insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12104,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_daextrevo_audio_file_creation_date":"","_daextrevo_text_to_speech":"","_daextrevo_document_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/fb-debate.jpg?fit=740%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12844,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=12844","url_meta":{"origin":12102,"position":0},"title":"Friends?\u00a0 Really?","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I must admit, I am not a big fan of the so-called social media, I think it is a mistake to use the word social as for too often it is anything but social.\u00a0 Frequently it is filled with hate, rage, and anti-social commentary. What is disturbing to me is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Here%E2%80%99s-How-You-Can-Find-Out-Who%E2%80%99s-Ignoring-Your-Friend-Requests_542946169-Anikei-1024x683-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Here%E2%80%99s-How-You-Can-Find-Out-Who%E2%80%99s-Ignoring-Your-Friend-Requests_542946169-Anikei-1024x683-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Here%E2%80%99s-How-You-Can-Find-Out-Who%E2%80%99s-Ignoring-Your-Friend-Requests_542946169-Anikei-1024x683-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Here%E2%80%99s-How-You-Can-Find-Out-Who%E2%80%99s-Ignoring-Your-Friend-Requests_542946169-Anikei-1024x683-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11934,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=11934","url_meta":{"origin":12102,"position":1},"title":"Faceless Book","author":"Tom Lind","date":"December 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently I started a Facebook group which was supposedly going to focus on things political. 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I find that on occasion I am blocked and not feeling passionate about any thing in particular. On those days, the blog articles do not flow freely. This is one of those days. I woke up early this morning and realized that I had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Miscellaneous&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Miscellaneous","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=19"},"img":{"alt_text":"facebook-profile-pic-160x160px-v1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/facebook-profile-pic-160x160px-v1-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":822,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=822","url_meta":{"origin":12102,"position":4},"title":"Definition of Self","author":"Tom Lind","date":"January 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In an earlier blog post I wrote of passing milestones in my life. I have now passed yet another milestone. Friday, January 17, 2014 was my last working day with the City of Cincinnati Police Department. I have been getting up and heading to work at various assignments and various\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Retired","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/retired-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1276,"url":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?p=1276","url_meta":{"origin":12102,"position":5},"title":"Vaccinate Your Children!","author":"Tom Lind","date":"February 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently I have noticed there is quite a controversy raging on Facebook regarding whether one should or should not vaccinate their children against a myriad of serious and potentially deadly diseases. At first I did not pay much attention. After all, my children are all grown, my children are all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"12ba83d52ed9c455fb8083381250fd48","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/townehouse.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/12ba83d52ed9c455fb8083381250fd48-150x128.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p38YRh-39c","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townehouse.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}