Is is normal to be afraid of the truth?

53 Comments

Whenever I find myself debating the issues with random people on the internet, I always seem to find people that seem to be willfully ignorant. Even when I back up my words with evidence like links, documents, and videos, these "ignorant" people always seem to refuse to even humor my evidence. Then they resort to name calling and then refuse to even continue the debate/argument. Most of the time, it is even these "ignorant" people who start the argument themselves, and not me, but I attempt to see it through, and they don't.

Is this willful ignorance and fear of the truth normal?

Yes, ignorance is bliss. 44
No, truth prevails. 26
Other. 10
TL;DR 6
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Comments ( 53 )
  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    "I always seem to find people that seem to be willfully ignorant. Even when I back up my words with evidence"

    Welcome to my world. Half of the people on here couldn't pass sixth grade, but have huge ego's that won't give in to truth if it fails to land on their side.

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  • dom180
    11 years ago | pl

    I think you've got to make sure you are open-minded to other people if you expect other people to be open-minded to you.

    What I mean is that on this site I see people all the time complaining about how people they are debating with or arguing with simply ignore the evidence given to them. This is often not the case; there is a big difference between ignoring evidence and discrediting it with logic. A lot of people are so focused on persuading other people to see their side that they forget it might be possible that their side is wrong, and can be logically proven wrong. They seem to believe that if someone can't see that they are right then that person must be being deliberately contrary.

    They seem to forget that other people are also capable of logical, complex thought processes, that other people are also intelligent human beings who can form valuable, logical opinions, and that just because their opinion does not agree with yours - even when submitted the same evidence - does not mean that they are wrong or that they are ignoring you.

    You would do well to remember that other people might spot something you haven't. You would also do well not to think of debates as things to be won or lost, and people with opposing positions as targets to be converted or defeated. The point of a debate in my eyes is to get to the "correct", "true" answer. You have some pieces of the puzzle and can see part of the picture, and other people have different pieces and can see a different picture. Instead of arguing about who has the best incomplete picture, why not combine the all the pieces and try to actually solve the puzzle?

    Even talking as if there is some objective "truth", and it is you who has that objective truth and everyone else who disagrees must be wrong because I am capable of logic and they are not shows that you do not debate with the right attitude. At least, not in my opinion of what makes a constructive debate :P

    EDIT: Of course, there are some people like you mentioned in the OP who ignore all evidence they don't agree with. But I think too many people are labeled as doing that who are not.

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    • NeuroNeptunian
      11 years ago

      This is a brilliant.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      I understand EXACTLY what you are saying, and I whole-heartily agree. I never look at a debate as something to "win", and I always try to be as open-minded as possible.

      When I said "willfully ignorant people", I literally meant people who refuse to even look at the evidence I provide to support my argument.

      For example... this is how my most recent argument went. It was so bad, I won't even call it a debate.

      Short version:

      I left a comment on YouTube a long time ago in support of Ron Paul and ending the military industrial complex. Later I got a comment from this guy who trolled, "Well what do you expect from a senile old dick?" I withheld my temper and responded something like, "I'm sorry, do you LIKE the unnecessary wars we are in?"

      Then he sent a private message telling me all about how the terrorists did this or that, but listed no evidence besides a video of Clinton that I DID watch but seemed to have nothing to do with the argument. I responded with my point of view, listing multiple pieces of evidence.

      His response was basically this: "Well you're just a libtard, go read a book, you obviously don't have enough grey matter in your head to debate me so don't bother me any more."

      Bother you?! Really??

      Now I realize he could have been a troll, but he put too much effort into trying to make a good argument to be a troll... I think. But, I never lost my temper or resorted to name calling or link-bashing. :/

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      • shade_ilmaendu
        11 years ago

        I wouldn't expect anything better from someone on youtube to tell you the truth.. :/

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      • dom180
        11 years ago

        I agree, there are people who definitely are like that and definitely don't seem interested in having a constructive debate. Some people are close-minded and don't want to have a debate but only want to rage at people. Those people blur the line between troll and... regular, functioning human :P Not losing your temper is the only thing you can really do for those people :/

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        • [Old Memory]
          11 years ago

          yep

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      • myboyfriendsbitch
        11 years ago

        Don't let it get to you, bro.

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  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago

    Honestly, I lose respect for someone in a debate when they bark for evidence and proof but refuse to even see it or even acknowledge the validity of it.

    I also know that in some debates, people will blatantly say "No, your proof is wrong". It's kind of like debating Evolution with Creationists. What are you supposed to say to people who will just say "Your proof is wrong"? Of course, if you flip the chess board over, I won't be able to win this game.

    Facts are a matter of personal preference and perception. One can be shown undeniable scientific proof of something but if they still deny it's existence, then you're not going to win with them because their perception makes it impossible; it just isn't fact to THEM. Truth can be awfully subjective, hence, why definitions seem to vary.

    We are ALL guilty, in some area of our lives or the other, of believing what we want to believe and denying what we do not wish to accept. Some people just accept this better than others. I wouldn't hold it against them too harshly, we're all absolutely convinced that we are right in some way or the other.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      i do and don't agree with you i don't know why but yeah thats how it is

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    • robbieforgotpw
      11 years ago

      Just like not all people believe the fact that the bible is God's word.

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        it is but did he write it all and did man
        take words out of the bible

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      • GoraIntoDesiGals
        11 years ago

        The fact? There is no evidence to support that claim.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago

      This is exactly what I'm talking about! :D

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  • sega31098
    11 years ago

    Trust me: The day the truth is revealed, everyone will take their fingers, cover their ears and shout in unison "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la".

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    "They seem to refuse to humor my evidence"

    Man is not a creature that's ever cared for the truth. The only truth humanity ever cared about is the terror and pain the law provides. Beyond threatening their self-interest, concern for the truth falls to the wayside.

    You can argue with them all day long and they'll always find a way to justify their beliefs. It's not hard to do.

    People ultimately believe something because they like the idea of it. And to get someone out of something, it's imperative that you first understand how they came into it.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      good words

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  • suckonthis9
    11 years ago

    There can only be one truth.
    This does not mean that the majority of people, or a significant minority of people, or even any people in some instances, actually believe the truth, and / or accept the truth as fact.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      i have many's of times i have and what have i heard the same damn thing over and over again

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      • suckonthis9
        11 years ago

        Then hear this over again.
        Please do not use the term which you used, that refers usually to a nether world, and is factually incorrect. This might be offensive to some people, whether they are religious or whether they are not religious, thus creating division in society.

        Why are you creating division in society?

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    by not listening to others and having that aha moment, that could be thought of as wilfully ignorant too

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  • cantheist
    11 years ago

    Maybe you could be the ignorant one and they think the same of you.

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  • Isthisit
    11 years ago

    Life's not easy when you are young, its crappy when you grown, and old age is not for the weak. Who wants to hear the truth which is generally more bad news.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      yes and no

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  • drumandpickchick
    11 years ago

    Yup. This is why I don't check my bank the last few days before payday.

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  • robbieforgotpw
    11 years ago

    No-one believes in absolute truth? It does exist, just like right and wrong.

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  • anti-hero
    11 years ago

    One man's truth is another man's lie.

    One man's wrong is another man's right.

    One man's taco is another man's burrito.

    ...Please pull around.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      no no i don't fully get it

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      • anti-hero
        11 years ago

        Who does?

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        • [Old Memory]
          11 years ago

          who does what i see i still don't

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          • anti-hero
            11 years ago

            What else do you speak? Maybe I could explain.

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          • MissyLeyneous
            11 years ago

            English skills are off the charts.

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            • [Old Memory]
              11 years ago

              yes like always

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  • GuessWho
    11 years ago

    I voted: "Yes, ignorance is bliss."
    I think many people refuse to face a truth that will take them out of their comfort zone.
    I even know a few people that are like this.

    In my case, though: "No, truth prevails."
    I want to know the truth, even if it's a bad/sad/disappointing one. Just don't try to force your opinion on me as "truth" or start a religious debate.

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  • Wendell
    11 years ago

    At this point I call all of you hippies

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      why

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  • BlueJeansWhiteShirt
    11 years ago

    Maybe they just do not want to believe you?
    Personally, I do not believe in truth. I only believe in perception.

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  • KeddersPrincess
    11 years ago

    I hate when people do that too. I just stop replying to them.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    Most people do this when confronted with a truth they don't like. I could throw racial crime statistics in Liberals faces all day, they just reply with "The US census and you books don't even count cuz ur a NAZI!". It used to annoy me, now my friends and myself just laugh at their stupidity.

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    • myboyfriendsbitch
      11 years ago

      I thought our argument was rather thorough. I did perceive you to be a bit ignorant, though. Did you think the same of me?

      You had a tendency to exaggerate my points until they benefited you. Like when I said "statistics should be taken with a gram of salt," and you assumed I said that every women that says she is raped by a black man is lying about the incident. However, I was posing a theory that some (not all) may lie to gain acceptance from family members or whoever. Hell, there was an incident at my uni recently where a young lady lied about being raped by a white male; it is quite likely that she said this to cover up her own wrongdoing. Things like that, along with other factors can easily influence statistics. For example, statistics may say that city has the most murders in the U.S.without taking into account a less populated city with more murders, proportionately. Statistics can easily misconstrue facts. But overall, good debate. I may not like you much, but at least I understand your perspective better, which is similar to many other people in this world who i must coexist with.

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        Okay well let me put it to you this way, no matter how stretched out statistics may be, black are always A LOT more criminalistic than whites. Are you trying to say that has been just some huge evil white scheme to bring the black man down? I don't understand your logic regarding facts here. I know there are women that lie about rape, it happens all the time. But you can't just discredit such a massive statistic.

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        • myboyfriendsbitch
          11 years ago

          I don't know about that... I honestly have no idea who the most criminal race is. I would think Mexicans, though, off the top of my head. I would also guess that the Chinese are the most ruthless, but that is more likely due to their environment, namely overpopulation, than to their genetics or outward appearance. If they were just a small tribe of people, they would certainly value life more than they currently do.

          I was not trying to say there was a "huge evil white scheme to bring the black man down", but I do think there is quite a bit of resistance to allowing him and her to succeed.

          What would you like to see become of the people of African descent? What about Asians, hispanics, Indians and Jews? What would be an ideal world to you with the coexistence of all of these races?

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          • [Old Memory]
            11 years ago

            My perfect world? All races leave each other the fuck alone, segregate and stay home. Sure visitation or whatever would be okay I guess, but not massive influx of non-native people.

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    • [Old Memory]
      11 years ago

      Well didn't you hear, cracker? Da troof b raycizz n sheet!!

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        Hellz yeah nigguh

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  • davesumba
    11 years ago

    this is how a lot of people are (especially women). you just have to accept that you gave your side of the story, they gave theirs, and just choose to believe what you want and leave it at that. there is no point in trying to persuade someone who is so set on their ways.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    i just did this last week to a friend over on HT and then went to his house and he was pissed off at me and then he took my word and used it in in a different way

    thats how i new he read what i wrote to him and he was mad about it because i was telling the truth about what he hates about what i smoke here's what i said

    (if one would not try to force truth up on another maybe the marijuana and cigarette smoker
    would get along with each other but thats where hate comes in)

    and man that really set his ass on fire what i posted that time because he is always trying to force truth and i get sick and fuckin tired of it

    i shut alot of them motherfuckers up with this one because they all do do that and try to force truth when the person already knows so about it and already told them they know and i know so shut the fuck up about it right i smoke what i like you smoke what you like so shut the fuck up and like it don't keep forcing your hate words up on another because what you hate that they smoke

    but i feel good that i finally got to piss him off good and hard because he always pisses me off from what he says to me about what i smoke and what it might do to me

    and this dude is schizophrenic bad.

    and i do hate people that do do this to
    other people and i wish they would stop and
    think about it what if the other person always
    done it to them would they like to hear the shit all the time i don't think so

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    • robbieforgotpw
      11 years ago

      Hard to follow...

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      • [Old Memory]
        11 years ago

        yes i know

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