Oftencold
DP Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2008
- Messages
- 5,044
- Reaction score
- 2,202
- Location
- A small village in Alaska
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Very Conservative
I originally made this for another site. I thought it might hold some small interest for some of the posters here
A helpful guide for serious Conservative posters, which may also aid Liberals and Independents
1. If someone is making a fool, ass, spectacle, or embarrassment of themselves politely stand aside and allow them to proceed.
A helpful guide for serious Conservative posters, which may also aid Liberals and Independents
1. If someone is making a fool, ass, spectacle, or embarrassment of themselves politely stand aside and allow them to proceed.
Proper courtesy suggests that you might want to point out to your disputant that you have invoked this rule.
2. Return insult with amused derision.
Remember that if you are following the Oftencold Rules, your post is almost certain to be superior in nature to any negative responses it may garner. Consider your emotion-charged detractors to be amusing, slightly defective and over-stimulated children in need of guidance, correction, and chastisement.
3. Return courtesy with courtesy
This rule should be strictly observed, regardless of the degree of disagreement.
4. Try to take the High Road in all situations
It is acceptable to point out your detractors’ lack of intellect, poor reasoning skills, ignorance, apparent emotional state, and failure to grasp the issues. But be merciful and kind to those who are cordial, no matter how grievous the errors they express.
Never attack someone's family.
5. Remember that you wish to convince the “Unseen World”Never attack someone's family.
Face it, as a Conservative, if you are serious about what you post, you have to accept that most of your detractors probably lack the mental agility to reconsider the nonsense that they're posting.
However, it is vital to realize that we are seen by the ghostly, multitudinous, unseen and unregistered visitors drifting through the web earnestly seeking understanding. Seen in that light, your posts become part of an archetypal dialog, a way of educating the lost, the ignorant, and the newly aware.
Who knows who will read your words and when? And who can predict their effect? While you generally must respond to contradictory posts, your target audience should usually not be the person unwise enough to dispute with you, but those that read the discourse.
Converting your opponent is secondary; they are a mere tool to express your superior position to others.
6. Choose your individual words with careHowever, it is vital to realize that we are seen by the ghostly, multitudinous, unseen and unregistered visitors drifting through the web earnestly seeking understanding. Seen in that light, your posts become part of an archetypal dialog, a way of educating the lost, the ignorant, and the newly aware.
Who knows who will read your words and when? And who can predict their effect? While you generally must respond to contradictory posts, your target audience should usually not be the person unwise enough to dispute with you, but those that read the discourse.
Converting your opponent is secondary; they are a mere tool to express your superior position to others.
It is painfully obvious to the casual observer that the preponderance of wit, intellect, reasoning, compassion, and functionality rest squarely on the Right side of the political spectrum. In fairness, the Liberals have a lock on most of the spittle launching rage and self-absorption. This is incontestable.
However, we must never forget that there are young to be educated, political neophytes to be won over and perhaps most importantly, the occasional individual from the Left who has suddenly gained new insight and run screaming into the night.
These people need our help! And they must be shown that there is a clear difference between Conservatism and The Forces of Darkness, Chaos, Suffering and Loss, or Liberalism for short.
We cannot help them easily if we sound like our opponents! Every time we hear someone say that there is no difference between the Left and the Right, we should see it as a failure on our part to successfully evangelize.
Therefore, avoid frequent use of vulgar terms for body parts, references to private bodily functions, offal, excreta and what Terry Pratchett has called “women of negotiable affection.”
The mind of a Conservative is refined and polished, their words must be as well.
7. Do not insist on the last word in a thread.These people need our help! And they must be shown that there is a clear difference between Conservatism and The Forces of Darkness, Chaos, Suffering and Loss, or Liberalism for short.
We cannot help them easily if we sound like our opponents! Every time we hear someone say that there is no difference between the Left and the Right, we should see it as a failure on our part to successfully evangelize.
Therefore, avoid frequent use of vulgar terms for body parts, references to private bodily functions, offal, excreta and what Terry Pratchett has called “women of negotiable affection.”
The mind of a Conservative is refined and polished, their words must be as well.
Your Opponent will generally descend in a few levels of discourse into ranting, threats, insults, innuendo, name calling, fragmentary arguments, futile attacks on your character, spite filled ravenings and general drivel.
Allow other readers to see the point at which you ascertained that further discourse was pointless. This will cast the feeble nature of the Liberal argument into stark relief, akin to an embittered individual left to mumble to himself while more functional company has wandered away.
8. Retract, apologize or concede when you are shown that you are wrong or may have given unintended offenseAllow other readers to see the point at which you ascertained that further discourse was pointless. This will cast the feeble nature of the Liberal argument into stark relief, akin to an embittered individual left to mumble to himself while more functional company has wandered away.
This rule which may come to be known as “the Bitter Pill,” can do little to harm your reputation, and may do a great deal to enhance it. No one should be allowed to force its invocation from you. But you should know when its use has become necessary.
Apologies should be both posted, and sent as a private message.
9. ForgiveApologies should be both posted, and sent as a private message.
If conservatism is to triumph, and if that triumph is to lead to a better World, we must forgive those who trespass against us, have insulted us, abused us as the result of a defective mental state, made comments normally associated with the half hour before medication time in a ward for the treatment of violent psychopaths, and generally have in the past been far beneath contempt.
Always welcome a genuine convert as a returning Prodigal.
10. Document
If you are making a point that is alien to Liberals, (references to factual information for instance,) try to make it a practice to link to several corroborating sources. Educational sources and Liberal bastions such as the New York Times are generally to be preferred.
11. Strive for correct spelling and at least reasonable grammar.
We’re the smart ones after all, let's not let the Benighted forget that.
12. Never call a "lectern" a “podium!”
Sorry, it's a pet peeve.