You’re 100% correct when you say that changing venues and having the arguing parties work together had changed the tone and flow of the debate experience but I can’t agree that changing context will ultimately improve an argument. I would like to discuss some things I believe to be at play here, but not mentioned.
The difference between arguing online and arguing in person can be of significant importance to how the two parties interact (argue). I will go ahead and propose that if the two parties had instantly (after your request to speak in person) transported them selves to a room and sat right in front of each other without the cookies or you even being present, even then their tone and ferocity would change from what it was online. I believe that when we are online we are no longer bound by the effects of communication between body and mind (similarly time depending on the online medium). When we are online we do not read the body language of those we are speaking with and we all know that body language makes up for a very large portion of how communication plays out.
When the two parties are instantaneously transported from their chairs to being right in front of each other they are subjected to a larger portion of their emotional consciousness then they were online. Their expectations of people and how they communicate in person becomes in affect. Those attributes of the arguing parties personalities weren’t all at play when the conversation was happening online.
Their characteristics while the argument was online could even be considered as dissociative to their true personality traits. Which means, yes… Changing context will effect arguments, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it will improve one. Who knows… Maybe one of your guests had a sexual desire for cookies and so became aroused which made them care less about the topic being argued and so didn’t fight back as hard as they might have online.
You’re 100% correct when you say that changing venues and having the arguing parties work together had changed the tone and flow of the debate experience but I can’t agree that changing context will ultimately improve an argument. I would like to discuss some things I believe to be at play here, but not mentioned.
The difference between arguing online and arguing in person can be of significant importance to how the two parties interact (argue). I will go ahead and propose that if the two parties had instantly (after your request to speak in person) transported them selves to a room and sat right in front of each other without the cookies or you even being present, even then their tone and ferocity would change from what it was online. I believe that when we are online we are no longer bound by the effects of communication between body and mind (similarly time depending on the online medium). When we are online we do not read the body language of those we are speaking with and we all know that body language makes up for a very large portion of how communication plays out.
When the two parties are instantaneously transported from their chairs to being right in front of each other they are subjected to a larger portion of their emotional consciousness then they were online. Their expectations of people and how they communicate in person becomes in affect. Those attributes of the arguing parties personalities weren’t all at play when the conversation was happening online.
Their characteristics while the argument was online could even be considered as dissociative to their true personality traits. Which means, yes… Changing context will effect arguments, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it will improve one. Who knows… Maybe one of your guests had a sexual desire for cookies and so became aroused which made them care less about the topic being argued and so didn’t fight back as hard as they might have online.