Why do people lose in debates when they get angry/lose their temper/use insults?

[Powerboy]

But can't the same be said for the left though (if not a bit more these days)? Again the main point of this thread is to discuss why being overemotive and getting angry, hostile, or passive-aggressively insulting or smearing others in a debate makes you lose or get humiliated?

I'll give you that the Left does the same thing. I guess what I am saying is that I'm not convinced that getting angry or at least pretending to be angry/ hostile, insulting, smearing, etc., does cause people to lose real debates. Sometimes, it causes them to win the debate. Oh I'm not saying they won in some clinical objective evaluation but on the level of convincing the most people, especially the ones they want to convince.

If we are only talking about how many people that started with no opinion are swayed one way or the other, maybe.

[Adrian Fomble]

I'll give you that the Left does the same thing. I guess what I am saying is that I'm not convinced that getting angry or at least pretending to be angry/ hostile, insulting, smearing, etc., does cause people to lose real debates. Sometimes, it causes them to win the debate. Oh I'm not saying they won in some clinical objective evaluation but on the level of convincing the most people, especially the ones they want to convince.

If we are only talking about how many people that started with no opinion are swayed one way or the other, maybe.

Once again, nice point. But again refer to the article I just posted. If all you do is attack and insult your analytical opponents in anger and hatred and use nothing but curse words at them like a male teenager who's just gotten into high school, even if your arguments are valid and correct, how badly does that reflect on you?

[ed2962]

It depends on what you mean by "lose". There's some pundits out there who purposely do those things they know it'll play well with the audience they are trying to reach

[The Darknight Detective]

Once again, nice point. But again refer to the article I just posted. If all you do is attack and insult your analytical opponents in anger and hatred and use nothing but curse words at them like a male teenager who's just gotten into high school, even if your arguments are valid and correct, how badly does that reflect on you?

Well, some people use those type of tactics to intimidate the other side, so it can be potentially effective (if still infantile).

[Adrian Fomble]

Well, some people use those type of tactics to intimidate the other side, so it can be potentially effective (if still infantile).

Yet why does it end up make them look like angry stupid fools with intelligent to say and that they easily get upset by the other calmer debater's points so much?