#140 — How to Turn an Argument into a Fight

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The difference between an argument and a fight is the difference between a border skirmish and a full-on invasion. An argument is the sort of impassioned discussion you see in the U.S Congress when it comes to hot-button topics like Bioethics, Campaign Finance Reform, and whose turn it is to pick up the check in the Senate cafeteria. A fight is the kind of no-holds-barred brawl that breaks out in third-world parliaments and is usually seen on the “News of the Weird” segment sandwiched between the story about the dog in the tutu and the water-skiing squirrel. An argument can strain your relationships, a fight can completely destroy them.

Turning an argument into a fight is easy if you know what you’re doing. Sadly, many people only manage to start fights by accident. They get into arguments and stumble about inefficiently trying to see the other person’s point-of-view, offering compromise solutions, and generally dragging things out far longer than necessary. With a few simple skills and a little planning, you can go from discussing the weather to permanently parting company with someone in less time than it takes the average burger joint to get an order right.

Let’s be honest, a lot of your arguments are going to wind up as fights anyway, so why not learn to be as efficient as possible? In the interest of public service, let me tell you how to turn an argument into a fight.

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Notes:

• I’m thrilled to be part of the Farpoint Media family of podcasts.  You can find more great shows at the Farpoint Media home page at:
  http://www.farpointmedia.net
• You can experience Konrad’s comic A Quartz Bead at:
  http://kokoart.net/quartz/index2.php?comic_ang=1