Dear Mr. Reading Comprehension Guy*,
Just in case you aren’t sure if this letter is meant for you, allow me to explain a few characteristics of Mr. Reading Comprehension Guy. You’ve had your fair share of internet debates. In your mind they probably aren’t debates; you’re just defending the truth and answering fools according to their folly so that they don’t go around thinking that they are actually wise. Most of your debates go the same way. It follows the same pattern:
Step One: Some chap says something ludicrous on the internet.
Step Two: You point out his/her flaw using logic, reason, and Scripture.
Step Three: That dude that is clearly wrong keeps arguing. He ignores most of what you said—tramples your logic, ignores your proof texts, and throws back at you some unrelated question that is deeply frustrating.
Step Four: You answer unrelated question and try to pull him back to your well-reasoned, logical, and biblically sound points.
Step Five: He ignores again; failing to read what you wrote and continuing with his argument as if you aren’t even there. You’ve discovered this is not really a dialogue. You are just arguing with a guy that is probably cutting and pasting comments that he’s made in other similar arguments on other blogs. The sick cycle is just continuing at your expense.
Step Six: You get frustrated. You try again to answer his asinine questions. You throw in a few jabs about his reading comprehension. And let him know that you are going to cut off debate unless he answers your questions.
Step Seven: He tells you that his reading comprehension is fine and he gives you another question.
Step Eight: To this, you answer his question and the carousel goes on and on and on and on as if the carnival operator that is supposed to hit the stop button has gotten himself drunk and passed out in a ditch somewhere.
You need to stop
If you are debating a guy that lacks basic reading comprehension skills, and you hope that your well-reasoned logic will change things, then there is more than one fool in this argument.
If you are debating a guy that has perfect reading comprehension skills but fails to actually listen to what you are saying, you are free to point that out, but if you continue on this carousel, then there is more than one fool in this argument.
Listen, I know that you are commanded by Scripture to answer a fool according to his folly so that he doesn’t seem wise in his own eyes. But the Scriptures also say that we are “not to answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” By continuing on this merry-go-round you are playing the fools game. If you feel the need to point out a person’s reading comprehension skills you need to ask yourself what your place in this debate should be.
Thank you for being so passionate for the truth. Just be careful that you aren’t spending your time foolishly answering a fool in his folly.
That is all. Carry on…
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*This could just as easily be Ms. Reading Comprehension Gal. But it’s been my experience that women more easily move on to a different carnival ride instead of just riding this same one over and over again.
