The Debate Club discussion

Welcome to The Debate Club! I'm really glad you're here, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts and arguments.

Let me explain how this works, how to make a good argument in a debate, and answer some questions you might have!

FIRST OF ALL, WHY DID I CREATE THIS CLUB?

I love debating with people and sharing my thoughts, and I know others like to as well. I wanted a non-violent, comfortable environment for people to speak up for what they think is right, try to solve important problems, discover new points of view, and maybe even others' change minds. So I decided to create one, and here we are! As I'm writing this, the debate club has been open for three days and already has 50 members!! We have dozens of topics and hundreds of comments. Thank you all!

HOW DOES DEBATING WORK?

Debating is more than just sharing opinions - in fact, an opinion is not a proper argument. An argument is, by definition: "a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true," according to Oxford Languages. An opinion is a "personal belief or judgement". Your opinion can be based on statements you have heard and believe, but cannot be used in place of an argument.
When debating, you cannot just say, "I believe this" and leave it as that. You can say, "I believe this because of this, this, and this," and elaborate. This way, you are stating what you think is correct, giving reasons to back it up, but not implying that this is the ONLY correct answer. The "I think" at the beginning implies that you are open to other possibilities, but this is what you believe is correct now.
In many cases, there is not only one correct answer, but we can work towards understanding other people's beliefs, accepting that we may not be correct, and solving problems while looking at all sides of the story.
To properly debate, everything you state should be backed up by a fact, evidence, or at least solid reasons.
For example, say that the topic is, "Is Soda Bad For Your Teeth." A good answer for this question would be to say yes or no, then state why/why not and cite sources (eg. "Yes, because multiple studies show that the sugar and carbonated water in soda can rot your teeth and lead to long-term issues. Here is where I got this info: verytrustworthysite.com).
When debating, always make sure to cite good sources and not accidentally spread misinformation! Also, always have an open mind and be ready to hear others out. Your argument should be backed up by proof and evidence, and an opinion should not be stated without reasons.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the "General Chat" page!

HOW DO WE MODERATE THIS GROUP?

Moderating can be difficult in a debate club.
All group members should stay calm, respectful, nonviolent, and follow the rules, but if things get out of hand, the moderators will step in and get things under control. We will stop the argument, delete hurtful comments, and encourage the people fighting to work things out. Moderators will remain unbiased if there is a fight. This means that even if we agree with the person who broke the rules, we will still take the right action to stop the fight, resolve the issue, and NOT take sides.
We currently don't need anymore moderators on the group, but thanks to all that offered!
If you have any questions about the moderating of this group, ask them on the Main Chat!

WHAT KINDS OF TOPICS SHOULD WE DISCUSS?

We mostly discuss controversial topics involving religion and American politics, but we can debate anything that people might have differing opinions about! In this debate club, we have topics involving public education, Christianity, American political leaders, laws, LGBTQ-related things, literature, soda flavors, and more!
If you have a topic idea, please post it on the Topic Suggestions chat and we'll consider adding it!
Also, sometimes it's hard to decide which folder a topic should go under, so let me know if I should move a topic somewhere else.

WHAT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE WHO BREAKS THE RULES?

We don't have a lot of rules - I only ask that people stay respectful and level-headed, and never insult someone or disrespect them, even if they have different views than you.

If someone does something REALLY bad, like they immediately come onto the chat and start yelling and saying offensive things, and refuse to stop when asked, they will be immediately blocked from the group.

In the case of a minor rule-break, everyone gets three "strikes". Each time somebody breaks a rule (like if they purposefully say a bad cuss word directed at someone but stop and apologize when asked), they will lose a strike. If they lose all three strikes (if they break the rules three times) they will be removed from the group. I will keep track of everyone's strikes privately, and let them know when they break a rule.

A note moderators: If you discover that someone has broken the rules, please report this to me in the Mod Chat or a PM. If I'm not online, please step in and try to settle the issue as best you can.

These rules and "strikes" are to prevent violent/aggressive fights, and make sure everyone feels safe here. Remember, the point of the club is not to forcefully change others' beliefs or spread hate towards them. The point is to see new perspectives, discuss opinions, and try to solve controversial problems.

WHAT IF I DON'T FEEL RESPECTED?

This group is intended to be a peaceful place for members to debate, not a place for any hate or discrimination. Everyone should respect each other and feel respected - it's in the group rules. But if you feel like someone isn't respecting your opinion, or if they are mocking you or your beliefs, here's what to do:

- Calmly explain that what they said was offensive or disrespectful - they may have said it by accident, or not realized it would offend you. If they apologize and delete/edit their disrespectful comment, leave it at that, but PM me to let me know what happened. I will decide whether they will loose a strike or not.

- If the person does NOT apologize or fix the comments, PM me or let another mod know what's happening. The disrespectful person will loose a strike or be asked to leave the group.

I hope this explains everything well, and you feel safe and comfy here! Ask questions or suggest changes to the rules in the Main Chat.

NOTE: disagreeing, asking questions, calmly challenging someone's statement, and other stuff done in a normal, peaceful debate do NOT count as disrespect. Disrespectful acts include: mocking a person or their beliefs, using slurs, purposefully offending someone in any way, purposefully misunderstanding what someone is trying to say, etc.

WHY AREN'T ALL THE TOPICS SHOWING UP?

Assuming you're on the Goodreads website (rather than the app), you'll see debate topics organized under Folders on the front page. Examples of some of the folders are "Politics", "Religion", "Random", etc. Often, I've added a lot of different topics under a folder, but they don't always show up under the front page. To see all of the topics, look next to the Folder title to where it says "showing 5 of 6 topics" or something like that. Click that, and you should be able to view all of the existing topics under that folder.

Hope this cleared up any confusion!