For example say some famous so called expert posts something on social media which to you is wrong but everyone agrees with him. I sometimes want to show him up for his bs but when i do i feel guilty for exposing him to others even though these types imo are typically know it all doushes. Basically if there are a heap of people reading his bs and believing what he is saying, would you expose his bs and say something or not say anything at all?

Depends why you feel guilty, I guess.

Well that depends more on your delivery than the fact that you are making a correction.

yeah but even if you do reply in a mannered way they still get offended and think that i am showing them up, especially if they are held in high regard in social media in the same industry.

Why are you worried about showing any reverence to a dickbag pseudoexpert who's spouting nonsense? Like, seriously, do you enjoy it when your girl ****s other men?

It won't do anything. Insulting people like Food Babe and Deepak Chopra only results in people attacking you back. They're borderline cult leaders. Just have to shrug your shoulders as you watch them fall off a cliff.

OP: twoplustwo is the place for you! Not so much in this forum, but in many of the others, you are going to come across 'so called experts' and 'know it all doushes (sic)' whom lots of members w/ fawn all over.

Not only can you correct them, it's ENCOURAGED! And, if you're lucky, you can get into a flame-war (hopefully of epic proportions) that'll make everybody's day! All that you have to do to get over this hesitation and bad feelings is to up your post count to 3K or so by April. That ought to do it.

Can you elaborate on who and what?

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...1&postcount=23

I don't think you should ever be afraid of exposing ignorance. Though when you do, you should be very prudent and do thorough research. Claims can be controversial without being ignorant.

I mean, I read a fair bit of academia on social media, and no matter how solid articles are there are always crazies in the comments screaming their lungs out. Don't be that guy.

As for swaying people, you can pretty much forget it. We live in a world where the crowd favors the up-voted more than the solidly argued. Machine-gun rhetoric is the name of the game; don't stop to argue a reasonable response, just keeping on speaking. Hyperbole is cheaper, easier and requires less words. It's possible to convince individuals, but it's almost impossible to convince crowds. It's sad, but it is what it is.

Of course, I'm speaking from a general standpoint. I don't know exactly what it is you are referring to.

I think trying to sway someone over to your side with the magical power of your arguments is kinda grandiose. You should probably aim to increase your understanding of their position because that's the only thing you can control (and with better a understanding you'll be able to create better future arguments) and a nice subgoal would be to slightly increase their followers understanding in a way that nudges them towards your beliefs.


Of course this method requires more listening and question asking than debating/arguing. I think you'll find it more enjoyable and rewarding as you get better at it. Anyone can debate and argue on the internet, all the fish do it. Don't play like the fish.

Convincing individuals isn't that hard. I think maybe you are thinking of actively engaging in debate with someone whose expressed opinion you disagree with, which of course is harder. That person will feel like he has something to lose by changing his opinion.

This is a trick you can exploit when debating / doing politics, by voicing disagreement with sentiments before they are expressed.

Tycoon: "I need a man who can say 'No' when I talk nonsense. Are you that man?"

Applicant for job: "No."

Current in Hollywood in the 1940s