Graduation Day (cartoon)

[marmar]

[lunatica]

1. If this cartoon doesn't make you feel sobered

You're not paying attention.

[Fumesucker]

2. I never went to college..

By the time I escaped high school I had endured so much bullying that just the thought of sitting in a classroom would bring on a panic attack.

However I find I can more than hold my own against all comers in online debate such as here on DU where posters with advanced degrees are fairly common.

How can that be?

[DaveJ]

4. Debate is a skill unto itself

I try to avoid debate. I'm more interested in teamwork.

If someone else holds a strong opinion, I'm happy for them.

I do not think college is for everyone -- I know that many people are successful at their chosen goals without it.

[Fumesucker]

5. Debate requires a command of logic, facts and rhetoric..

All of which I believe are taught in college..

Teamwork requires assembling, maintaining and motivating a team, all of which requires rhetorical skills that can be honed in debate.

[DaveJ]

6. Still not interested in debate

I can tolerate a 'heated discussion' if the goal is to agree on a solution. Two people might want to do things differently, argue for a few minutes, then eventually decide which way to go. Some people are incapable of that, but it is very important.

There are different perspectives, but in my case, logic was one class I put zero effort into in college. I actually took the same class twice since I changed colleges, and got A's with no studying (most classes were not that easy).

I just never saw the value in debate. Again, I'd rather come to a common resolution. The scientific process involves feeding off prior studies, not debate. There is scrutiny, but not debate.

[Fumesucker]

7. Then what are you doing here on DU?

Debate (putting it charitably) is what we *do* here and you have nearly 4500 posts..

I know that I for one have changed my views considerably since I stopped lurking and started arguing, it's tough getting pounded into the metaphorical ground like a metaphorical tent peg over and over, eventually I changed my views to more accurately reflect reality and now I don't get metaphorical sand kicked in my face anywhere nearly as often as I used to.

Indeed I just the other day made that point to someone I know who reads a lot online but never posts, his opinions have not been tested in the crucible of public debate and I think a lot of them don't stand up to scrutiny due to the fact he's never had to defend his opinions on an open forum.

Scientists are often ridiculously partisan about their support for various hypotheses, debate on the merit of those hypotheses is sometimes remarkably vigorous.

[xchrom]

3. Du rec. Nt