To think we need to learn how to debate again

I hope that the far left will in fact realise that they are marginalising themselves with their aggressiveness. They seem to have a misplaced superiority complex.

I was in the debate team at achool. Did a few competitions.

Think it really helped with my public speaking.

Not sure if they do them anymore.

Well it rather depends on whether the 'purposely placed point' was in fact deliberate. To understand your motives, and whether or not this is actually true, I'd need to know you in real life.

If it was indeed purposely placed, then why haven't you debated with those who have reacted, rather than attempt to simply shut down those who have pointed out your hypocrisy.

If they've fallen down a rabbit hole you skillfully and knowingly placed for them, surely you cannot be surprised that they stumbled down it and reacted in an entirely predictable manner? What's your real view on how The Left debate vs The Right?

Also, the posts haven't addressed it 'in full'. Or was your attempt to shut me down by referring me to previous posts another trap?

I agree op and it’s not just the ‘big’ topics like immigration, Gaza climate change etc, people don’t seem to tolerate anyone having a different opinion to them on anything.
eg a friend said she was watching a series and it was the best thing she had ever seen. I mildly remarked that I had started watching it but found it a bit disjointed. Rather than explain that it got better etc she got all huffy with me and said ‘well I like it’.
Seems like you are no longer able to disagree with anyone.

That's a pretty extreme example, though. We spend large parts of our lives at work and with colleagues. The diversity of thought, opinions and backgrounds is what I enjoy about work because socially, my friends and family largely share my values and therefore my opinions. I understand that there are those who go to work to, well.... work - and that is all. But in most places I've worked there has been quite a healthy culture and a balance between working and getting to know the people you spend 5 days a week with.

I never get why people think workplaces need to facilitate debate.

If your colleague is getting married at the weekend and you think marriage is a social construct that harms women for e.g., being at work with them isn't an opportunity to have a great debate about it.

It's actually an opportunity for you to get on with your work and leave them to get on with theirs.

We already have this - there are laws against incitement to violence so (using your topic as an example) discussing the place, contributions and challenges of migrants in society should be fine but instructing others to burn down migrant hotels should attract Police attention.

Unfortunately at the moment the reading of this is deeply skewed and always in the same political direction. Trans activists literally threaten violence, rape and death against women online, posing with blood soaked T shirts with no action taken against them, a trans woman convicted of torture and attempted murder while out on licence incites a crowd to punch a Terf which the courts say is a joke. But when a woman posts a photo of a suffragette ribbon online she is arrested because (somehow) it is threatening and when the comedian Graham Linehan posts online that people should punch an aggressive trans woman in the balls (advice the Queen would presumably concur with) he is arrested by five armed Police. You couldn’t make it up.

Personally I would send the Police out after those issuing death and rape threats but I would want a nice reassuring desk sergeant explaining to complainants that being rude or having different opinions isn’t actually illegal and that saying punch them in the balls doesn’t actually meet the bar for legal action unless they can demonstrate serious injury happened as a result.

We need to be able to talk about difficult topics without being threatened, shot or excommunicated from social circles. We also need to address the purity spirals in some groups (goodness knows how).

I was with you, op, until this:

It is largely the far Left who seem to dislike reasoned debate

Don't you see the hypocrisy in what you have written there? 'Othering' is a common tactic employed by both extremes in order to shut down reasoned debate. You have lost the argument at this point I think.

Who do you think are the far left?

You mention media, schools, etc in your post. Do you think the BBC represents the far left?

I actually agree with your sentiments OP but I disagree that what @DashboardConfession said is an opinion.

Stating that migrant hotels 'should' be set on fire is an opinion. A horrific, unjustifiable one, but an opinion. A viewpoint and should create nothing more than the debate and the merits and inverse of said viewpoint.

What @DashboardConfession said of calling for migrant hotels to be set on fire is a call to action and effectively an incitement of violence. This has been covered under law for years.

What we seem to have lost is the distinction between the two

I think you are flogging a dead horse with this one OP. I do agree with you though. Unfortunately some people aren’t capable of taking part in a reasoned debate, unless it follows their approved narrative - the same people who think someone should be cancelled for voicing an opinion they don’t approve of.

No political leaning has the monopoly on reacting angrily to dissent or disagreement.

However I personally come up against it far more with left leaning people, despite having thought of myself as quite far left for most of my life.

I don't recall being insulted in the same way for the many times I disagreed with those on the right.

No the bias and nonsense was evident from that point. I’ll leave it there.

My 16 year old is in a debating team that reached the national final of a debating competition last year, (yes some schools do teach it actually), he would think you tripped yourself up big time in your OP, and he would be straight on it! It's you that needs to learn how to debate properly I think.

My dinner break isn't that long