When do you "lose" an argument on PP?

[Por_sha911]

Please discuss.

[KFC911]

I've got nuthin' to add

[Por_sha911]

Well someone put one star on the post. I guess I lost the moment I spoke?

[Taz's Master]

Grammar seems to play a role.

[Bill Douglas]

I wouldn't know. I've never lost an argument.

[aschen]

when you can't act like an adult and let it go

[legion]

When you claim it was a social experiment.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

I wouldn't know. I've never lost an argument.

[Por_sha911]

[pavulon]

when you begin to see discussions as a competitions.

[MRM]

Usually it happens when your position depends on a single firmly-held belief, which turns out to be objectively incorrect, after further examination.

I only know this from friends of friends who have told me so. I've never experienced such an argument in my life.

[Crowbob]

You guys are all wrong.

And no, I will not do your work for you by looking it up.

[DanielDudley]

I'm thinking it is when the other guy tells you repeatedly over and over again, constantly and inexorably that he is right. This is particularly true in matters of opinion, where there is no subjective right or wrong answer, or in matters of protocol or procedure, where there may in fact be many ways to do something successfully.

It is considered by some that being the last man standing, and conceding no valid points makes one the winner. Clearly, one can determine a winner, just by looking at his post count. I have found however, that losers with low post counts can develop something called a life, where people judge you on your merits, and not by your ability to repeat yourself ad nauseum on the internet, while bringing nothing substantively new to a topic. I will never be a winner by post count alone, therefore to some I will always be the loser for merely stating an opinion without the ridiculous rhetoric that constitutes a ''defense'' of that which is subjective.

SO the next time you find yourself having a discussion on the internet, simply look at the post count of the person you are having the discussion with. If it is four or five ( or 50 ) times higher than your own post count, you might as well go restore a car or get a degree in something, for you have surely already lost.

Sometimes people simply state an opinion so others might see where you stand, or perhaps contemplate a different view. However only losers post opinions, and winners never contemplate. Shame on you for thinking they might.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by aschen

when you can't act like an adult and let it go

At which point you have also, quite obviously, lost at life.

[Tervuren]

I have never lost an argument here.

I've either received a correction to a wrong view of mine, and thus benefited by the correction, which is not a loss, but a gain. Or I just shake my head and enjoy the weather outside as I step away, also not a loss.

I think the only way to genuinely lose an argument on here, is if you make a large bet on a position, and your position fails, then you've lost.

I would also say if you argue with a racist online, you've lost. We have quite a few users here who are racists. I just steer clear as I can.

[fintstone]

When you post in a thread about "when do you "lose" an argument to take a shot a folks you lost an argument to.

When you blame your inability to make a superior argument on the other's higher post count...or anything outside the discussion at hand. When you pretend their number of posts actually makes any difference whatsoever to the argument or even bring it up...as it has never occurred to you that the other poster might have been posting here a lot longer, offered much more help in the technical forums, simply has a lot of time in a commute or travelling where they have nothing else to do...or has a higher post count simply because you had far less intelligent discourse to offer.

When you don't realize that they continue repeat the same response because you have once again repeated the same feeble argument they soundly defeated 20 posts ago, 100 posts ago and 200 posts earlier in the same thread...but you bothered to only read the last three posts before responding or simply expected...that because the same dullard argument came from you, everyone would instantly agree (especially if you threw in a couple personal insults about their honesty, parentage, intelligence or implied they had no life).

When you are losing in an argument and you call for others to come to you aid via PM or post that you argument is better because others have not joined the argument on the other side.

When you make some sort of claim/judgment regarding other's penis size, family life, financial situation, marriage, children or life in general based on an unrelated internet argument or make any attempt at psychoanalysis or some sort of thinly veiled inference that the discussion at hand where you are faring so poorly at is a result of anything other than the poor argument you made.

When you join an argument and post solely about another poster without addressing the argument at hand...because they disagreed in another post and piling on slaves your butthurt.

[fintstone]

I have never won an argument here...but sure like to formulate and make an argument. I have never caught a really big fish either...and hate to clean the darned things...but fishing is still an interesting and enjoyable pastime.

[RF5BPilot]

You lose when you realize that you should never have started the thread and you're tired of responding to posts from those with no actual knowledge but who have plenty of opinions about the subject.

[cairns]

As soon as you start typing.

We have a winner.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by legion

When you claim it was a social experiment.

Haha!