How is a 'good discussion' defined?

It would seem that some would describe a 'good discussion' as one where we find out who has the most general experience, in terms of years, and blindly accept what they say in all areas of that interest without questioning or offering up alternative ideas?

I've seen a driver listen to, and take, tarmac tire advice from a 'kid' who probably wasn't even born when the driver started racing stock cars.

What makes a discussion a good discussion for you?

(all cheek aside, I am seriously interested in what people think about this.)

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First Rally: 2001
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Last Updated, January 4, 2015

Quote
john vanlandingham
Blame is for idiots. losers.

Good perspective on both sides adds a lot for me. As well as arguments founded in facts, not just regurgitated 'wisdom' or pure opinion. Opinon is fime and is part of the discussion, but some cannot seem to separate fact from opinion.

And that's my opinion!

Mark B.

i love having a conversation with someone who has a very strong opinion, and a sense of "i know what i'm talking about"... but less than a minute in you know that that person is absolutly clueless. i love to just ask and encourage those kinds of people to keep talking and to give me more advice.

"where should i put this sticker decal?? i think it would look awesome right here- at the very center of the windshield. you never see anyone do that, and you would notice it right away if you were looking at my car!!"

A good discussion to me, is one where two or more people have passion, knowledge and experience about a topic and where all parties are willing to hear where the other is coming from and not let some stereotype, or other socially conceived factor overly influence the receivers perception of the others point of view/experience/etc.

Other than that, I think it's important to keep respect involved, even if you totally disagree.

Can you tell I have a Sociology degree? hah

Cheers,

Andrew

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Andrew M
Onterrible
30ish

I like it to be really firm yet forgiving. Fluffy and/or furry on the outside is nice sometimes too. I'm sure you'd all agree the best dickcushions are heated.

Wait? You said discussions??.... Shit! I need to get my eyes checked!!!

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Michael LeCompte

A good discussion is one that stays on topic.

On online forums there is no leadership role, and one or more people feeling that they command a higher level of respect due to a variety of reasons is not valid (unless this position is agreed to by all). We're all on even footing, no question is stupid, and there certainly isn't a place in a good discussion for calling anyone stupid. That's just rude and counter productive, as is immature name calling.

Ego and feelings can sometimes cloud a discussion with personal attacks, again this is counter productive and has no bearing on a discussion.

The goal is to arrive at the best idea(s).

Discussions are littered with best-intentions and good-faith gone wrong.

It is not sufficient to simply believe you mean well, you have to practice it.

A good discussion to me has a 2:1 ratio. I use my 2 ears twice as much as my 1 mouth. I also subscribe to Stephen Covey's idea that to be understood, you must first understand.

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It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion.
William Ralph Inge

TANSTAAFL



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2009 09:21AM by Vorpal_Rally.

I've always enjoyed the Three Stooges style, force with commitment -- and bruises, very entertaining! Subject was less important then the out come ... LOL

Come to think of it I've worked under these circumstances. (Insert Three Stooges them song)

The problem with Internet is there is little if any of personal character in the conversation, if one knows the person fairly well from personal encounters then meaning can change, humor be absorbed, sarcasm realized.

Dialog is slow (Internet) when compared to in person and this leads to misunderstanding as folks dwell on things that in real life would get passed over quickly (inflection). Intent is often miss understood and, as usual, personal perspective corrupts if one isn't careful.

Many times disagreements come down to "there is more then one way to skin a cat", and depending on application the end result is what matters. Like most things there is personal preference of things we consume, in this case information ...

Many times tempers could be cooled if we would simply actknowledge we understand what the other's point is, even before commenting that one disagrees -- I believe many assume this simply by replying, while others don't and that begins the break down ...

I still prefer Three Stooge style ...

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As always IMHO

SEAN TENNIS KF7JJR
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
SAAB 99, SAAB 850
SAAB V4, SAAB 99T



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/01/2009 10:34AM by SEANT.

What makes a good discussion... (with very rough percentages as they seem to appear in relation to rally-related-discussions)

1) an understanding among the participants that there is more than one perspective or approach from which to consider the problem (this rules out 70% of the online discussion content)

2) the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion/preference/hypothesis (this rules out about 50% of online discussion content)

3) participation by experts in the field (this rules out 50% of online discussions)

4) the willingness of leaders in the field to honestly state their opinions where they know they'll be recorded forever (this rules out 98% of online discussions)

If one wants a good discussion, I recommend a phone.

Anders

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

Anders Green Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What makes a good discussion... (with very rough
> percentages as they seem to appear in relation to
> rally-related-discussions)
>
> 1) an understanding among the participants that
> there is more than one perspective or approach
> from which to consider the problem (this rules out
> 70% of the online discussion content)
>
> 2) the ability to distinguish between fact and
> opinion/preference/hypothesis (this rules out
> about 50% of online discussion content)
>
> 3) participation by experts in the field (this
> rules out 50% of online discussions)
>
> 4) the willingness of leaders in the field to
> honestly state their opinions where they know
> they'll be recorded forever (this rules out 98% of
> online discussions)
>
> If one wants a good discussion, I recommend a
> phone.
>
> Anders
>
> Raleigh, NC
> Impreza H6 3.0

I looks like you have eliminated about 268% of all online discussion here..... did this analysis come from a Congressman?

BTW, a good discussion should not be facetious.....

Ha-ha-ha....
Mark B.

It's more like prison sentences where you can serve several of them at the same time.

In fact, there are probably more parallels than just that.

Anders

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

A discussion is good if I learn something useful from it.

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Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

You should be able to have a heated discussion, maybe even poke a few jabs at each other, disagree on things, and still be friends and drinking beer and making jokes afterward. I don't bother ever talking about politics with people that don't share the same opinion as me though. You're never going to change their mind and they're not going to change mine, so people tend to just get pissed off. Now mind you, a subtle jab here and there is perfectly fine, but I prefer to just avoid the subject. I really like conversations where i get to know people better and where I don't feel like everytime I talk they're not listening but just waiting for their turn to talk. I tend to not really listen in conversations like that.

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Grant Hughes

Rallymech Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A discussion is good if I learn something useful
> from it.

And so often the things we learn are not necessarily what you were expecting to learn. And that's the delight in speaking with some people, those who share an open mind.
And the drugery, the wading in shit of talking to those who are only talking to try to extract from you just some obscure shit what they think they can profit from somehow, or who parse their words so carefully to score like in a Junior High Debate Team shit.

Look at just yesterday, you leave with 2 books by really interesting authors you'd never heard of.....Eric Newby's "A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush" and Tom Robbins' "Another Roadside Attraction".

So I'll modify Robert's "If i learn something" cuase with men anyway unfortunately what I may learn is this guy is a freak, but let me say a good conversation is that one I learn something interesting, delightful, surprising, or funny.

A good conversation can also be when a person shares their passion, not their "reasoning" (which is 99% of the time facile rationalisations to do something they want to do masquerading as "reasoning"

A good conversation is when we treat the PERSON as an equal, and optimistically grant them some credit for their expertise in what they do to pay the rent, and they don't expect us to buy their personal fantasies, so we can discuss subjects and not argue their own internal rationalisation they do to convince themselves.

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John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

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A good discussion is: Honest, Companionable, Understanding and Charitable toward others. (Good humor not withstanding, of course.) It can also be informative.

A good discussion also hits a Lie or Malice right between the eyes.

Rich Smith