On avoiding cheapshots -- easy advice

It is easy advice since this type of argument is a personal failing of mine.

I'm going to start with an example involving beards.





The classic example is someone who would like to see their husband wear a beard. They start with the argument that the beards looked so good on the old prophets.

The response, is to say "don't you respect the modern, beardless prophets?"

The counter response is "don't you respect Christ's beard?"

You can see in that example that a cheap shot pretty much closes off communication or invites another one in response.

Neither gets to the reasons someone might have for wearing a beard or not wearing one. Beards have gone from a standard for men and pioneers to old fashioned and patriarchial to reactionary to revolutionary and counter-culture to (currently, with short beards) the new mainstream/corporate look (as people wear beards in order to look a little older, a little more mature and to pick up some gravitas).

But none of that is captured in an exchange of cheap shots.

Which is why, in spite of my own weaknesses, I advise others to avoid them -- and feel strongly that any institution should make a serious effort to avoid allowing them as a method of discourse or instruction on anything that matters.