Author Topic: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com  (Read 13160 times)

Offline nweber

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #30 on: August 04, 2018, 02:02:36 PM »
I think a live debate is a highly risky operation, especially if the debater is not used to speaking in front of the camera.  It is incredibly easy to screw up and say something stupid, and once you do, it's out there, with your name on it.  A great opportunity to look like an idiot on YouTube forever.  It's also incredibly easy to say things in a way that makes it easy to change their meaning by taking them out of context, which can be done deliberately, or just out of carelessness by the producer.

A prepared statement or video shoot, with the opportunity to redo it if you stuff it up, is in my opinion the much safer option.  There's a reason why politicians who are trailing in the polls want to have debates, and politicians who are leading prefer to avoid them - the debate is an amazing opportunity to stuff things up.

I recall watching an American news presenter "debating" someone who (while the South African government still had apartheid) wanted to partition South Africa along racial lines.  The American, as nearly as I can tell, seemed to have assumed that his opponent was going to have horns growing out of his head and talk like a raving lunatic.  Unprepared, underestimating his opponent, who turned out to be quite smooth and well-spoken, the American made several extremely foolish mistakes during the debate and ended up looking like a complete idiot.

Debates are risky.  When you have the facts on your side, it's best to have a controlled environment to the extent possible.  When all you've got is bull****, the chaos and volatility of a live debate are your friends.

Offline gwiz

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #31 on: August 05, 2018, 05:51:22 AM »
is there anybody here from the UK (I know Jason is) who would be up for a TV show on ITV debating this.

Count me out. Firstly, there is no 'debate' to be had: these clowns are simply wrong. I'm not about to put myself on to a TV show that will inevitably present it as some even-handed, two-sided issue. Secondly, I wouldn't trust the editors. Thirdly, as the discussions here show, their side is based on asking questions and sowing doubt, and fixing that is much harder in a live TV debate than sitting here with plenty of material to debunk them at my fingertips. The format doesn't support a sensible conclusion.
I'm in full agreement with Jason on this.
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Offline benparry

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #32 on: August 05, 2018, 07:19:04 AM »
is there anybody here from the UK (I know Jason is) who would be up for a TV show on ITV debating this.

Count me out. Firstly, there is no 'debate' to be had: these clowns are simply wrong. I'm not about to put myself on to a TV show that will inevitably present it as some even-handed, two-sided issue. Secondly, I wouldn't trust the editors. Thirdly, as the discussions here show, their side is based on asking questions and sowing doubt, and fixing that is much harder in a live TV debate than sitting here with plenty of material to debunk them at my fingertips. The format doesn't support a sensible conclusion.
I'm in full agreement with Jason on this.


no that's cool. I just thought it was both a bit risky having these people on there pushing their side and also what worried me Is that ITV didn't seem to be allowing the other side of the story to be pushed very well.

Offline Abaddon

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #33 on: August 05, 2018, 07:58:28 AM »
is there anybody here from the UK (I know Jason is) who would be up for a TV show on ITV debating this.

Count me out. Firstly, there is no 'debate' to be had: these clowns are simply wrong. I'm not about to put myself on to a TV show that will inevitably present it as some even-handed, two-sided issue. Secondly, I wouldn't trust the editors. Thirdly, as the discussions here show, their side is based on asking questions and sowing doubt, and fixing that is much harder in a live TV debate than sitting here with plenty of material to debunk them at my fingertips. The format doesn't support a sensible conclusion.
I'm in full agreement with Jason on this.


no that's cool. I just thought it was both a bit risky having these people on there pushing their side and also what worried me Is that ITV didn't seem to be allowing the other side of the story to be pushed very well.
ITV would trade it's soul for ratings.

Offline Zakalwe

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #34 on: August 05, 2018, 09:18:53 AM »
what worried me Is that ITV didn't seem to be allowing the other side of the story to be pushed very well.

ITV is the UK equivalent of FOX. You don't have to be a moron to watch it, but it sure helps.
"The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' " - Isaac Asimov

Offline Abaddon

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #35 on: August 05, 2018, 08:31:28 PM »
LOL, it's on my toxic list like Aulis.

Offline bknight

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #36 on: August 05, 2018, 09:22:10 PM »
LOL, it's on my toxic list like Aulis.

Being across the pond, I've never heard of ITV.  Nor Have I watched any programming from it., so its new to me.
Truth needs no defense.  Nobody can take those footsteps I made on the surface of the moon away from me.
Eugene Cernan

Offline benparry

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #37 on: August 06, 2018, 03:16:36 AM »
I agree a lot of it is nonsense but there are still a lot of people who watch it and the post on FB has had a few thousand posts to it. most saying what crap it is but still if you throw enough you know what some of it sticks.

Offline Zakalwe

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #38 on: August 06, 2018, 03:40:44 AM »
most saying what crap it is but still if you throw enough you know what some of it sticks.

Indeed. See: Brexit and the Trump presidency.
"The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' " - Isaac Asimov

Offline bknight

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Re: Xavier Pascal (“hunchedbacked”) ruins Quora.com
« Reply #39 on: August 15, 2018, 02:22:21 PM »
ka9q posted a wonderful thought, just report Pascal's post as being factually incorrect.  When you do, if you haven't already, the forum gives you the opportunity to enter why Pascal's posts are incorrect.
Truth needs no defense.  Nobody can take those footsteps I made on the surface of the moon away from me.
Eugene Cernan