Read other letters about this article

• Wednesday, August 29, 2007 08:00 PM

  @ healthyskeptic

  You did not refute me and just because you want to say so does not make it so. Saying someone is idiotic and ad hominem attacks are not refutation. You did not counter my specific argument that the culture wars and Lynne Cheney and her ilk have influenced to our detriment the teaching of geography and history in the public schools.

  You KNOW NOTHING about the issue that I raised and you don't want to admit it. I am not saying there is not validity to your point because in fact your point is not counter to mine. In other words, because you did not provide a counterpoint, you refuted nothing.

  You seem to think that there is only one truth: Your truth.

  You seem to think that there is only one side to any argument: Your side. You don't seem to realize that there can be many facets to an issue and more than one reason contributing to America's geographical ignorance. In fact there are several reasons. The reason I ask your age is that you seem to be so young or immature that you do not understand this possibility. You display a mind distinctly lacking in nuance.

  Furthermore, you want to reserve the right to dish it out but you cannot take it. Sorry, it doesn't work that way.

  Here is your MO. Like the Energizer Bunny you seize a position and begin to beat your incessant drum. You then try refute all ideas to what anyone else offers whether they are counter your point or not. What a waste of ammunition. If your cannot refute their points, you offer what you think are intimidating insults. Sadly this seems to work on some people. It does not work on me.

  You can never be an effective rhetorician if you cannot recognize the useful parts of counter arguments. You cannot counter what you choose to ignore and you cannot win your points by your careless and scatter shot method.

  Miss South Carolina flubbed a question about people's knowledge of their OWN nation -- not about the rest of the world. Part of the reason that children in the US are ignorant of their own country is connected to the culture wars of the 1980s and 1990 -- which Lynne Cheney was very much involved in. Or do you think she has had no life outside being married to our current vice president?

  If you are ignorant of this matter, then you cannot refute my point by talking about Asia. You could only refute my point if you had knowledge of and were willing to discuss said culture wars.

  Get it?

  —AKA Smith Read AKA Smith's other letters
  Permalink
  Flag
  Click "Submit Flag" if you feel this post is inappropriate. Explain why below if you wish.

  Cancel