Citizen Journalism: How to Be Non-Confrontational
I'd like to offer a few hints about how to write in a way that expresses your views without challenging the viewpoint of those who disagree with you.
Arguments are meant to be persuasive. Take a moment to think about that. How persuasive is an argument that automatically makes the other person wrong? Are they going to be receptive to your point of view? What are you really trying to accomplish by directly challenging another person?
When you do challenge another person, are you ever satisfied with the outcome? Or do you feel vaguely angry that they didn't "get it?" Isn't it true that the arguments just go on and on and finally move on to another subject?
How do we break out of this cycle?
Mr. Weller then goes on to list appraoches and attitudes that will lead to civil discussion.
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