How not to read a screenplay

There are way too many readers in the film and television business that are mediocre or who are amateurs. It is practically a wild, wild west within the industry and a writer has to struggle to find any quality help for him to make any improvements to his writing. It is a shame that the producers are so heavily invested in these somewhat illiterate guys and gals. This isn't hyperbole. If anything that my experience in the industry has taught me is the fact that readers are constantly looking for problems within a writer's script or are looking for any reason to say no to the writer.

Also, readers do not need any formal qualifications to be hired by a producer or any show runner in the industry.

Readers are constantly looking for problems with a screenplay, but that doesn't mean that the writer should ignore any helpful notes or feedback that comes his way. It simply means that the writer and or the producer hiring the readers should be careful who they hire. It is true that a writer needs thick skin to survive in the industry and improve the quality of his work, but how do you know that the feedback you are getting is helpful or not? This is where I come in and say: "let me segregate the good, the bad and the really ugly ones for you, so you don't have to work twice as hard".

First, let's discuss the problems with the readers of today. This list excludes the professional ones that charge an arm and a leg to critique someone's screenplay and or treatment:

1. Their reading and comprehension skills are a dismal mess.
2.  They lack the understanding of all genres and the elements of a chosen genre.
3.  They apply their own biases or knowledge when critiquing a screenplay.
4. They lack the imagination or the understanding of what makes a screenplay creative.
5.  They do not offer helpful suggestions after pointing out the problems.
6. The condescending attitude of: "I have told the writer to do 'x', and he/she still hasn't done it" and remarks are unacceptable behavior on their part.

Let's start with the first item on the list. It is the first item on the list because it plays a major role into the quality of the film.

Their reading and comprehension skills are a dismal mess:

This has been my experience for the most part. This was confirmed by an experiment that I conducted to verify my findings. When a reader reads your screenplay, one of the things he/she needs to focus on is attention to detail. Meaning that the reader shouldn't miss anything that is important. This is where their reading and comprehension skills come in handy - you know the ones that they've been taught in high school, or community college even. A lot of them tend to miss key bits of information that has already been provided to them. This can be for a couple of different reasons: a) They are too lazy to invest the time needed to pay any attention to the details in the script, or b) they are simply incompetent. I would suggest a combination of both. Whatever material you are reading, the information you need has already been provided to you. You just need to seek it out. It is obvious to me that the schools and or community colleges are doing a poor job of improving these readers' reading and comprehension skills in the first place. Also, they (the readers) need to be putting a bit more effort learning the skills rather than slacking around in class.

They lack the understanding of all genres and the elements of that chosen genre:

Every genre that you have ever come across has elements that make up that genre and make it unique in its own way. The incompetent readers will usually have come from reading screenplays that deal with one genre, but when they receive a screenplay where the genre is different or imaginative, they lack the understanding of the genre they are reading. They need to get themselves familiar with all the genres and or the combination of genres the movies are made in and get with it.

They apply their own biases or knowledge when critiquing a screenplay:

When a reader reads a screenplay and responds with: "this doesn't make any sense", it means that they cannot or do not understand the writer's mind and what is written on the page. This saga of not being able to understand comes from their own biases, knowledge and or what they know about the subject at hand. For example, if you were to create an imaginative world with characters and rules different to ours and what we know to be true and familiar with, they are incapable of shifting their thinking. They apply what they know and use the "doesn't make any sense" excuse as a valid objection to the material. They can't seem to understand that it is a make believe world and the rules are different.

They lack the imagination or the understanding of what makes a screenplay creative:

There is a reason why we want to go watch movies or want to write something: it is imaginative, creative and above all, interesting. With these incompetent losers, they lack the understanding and the imaginative mind and associate this with anything in a make believe world as being realistic. Nothing in a film is realistic. Films are made because they carry the what if scenario. It's about time someone understood that concept.

They do not offer helpful suggestions after pointing out the problems:

I have had this happen on a few different occasions. A reader reads my script, points out the problems, but doesn't not offer any helpful suggestions. It is up to the writer to figure this out. But what if the writer himself doesn't know what the best solution is to fix a problem that has been pointed out? What if said writer has tried everything he/she can possibly think of but is stumped and has come to you the reader for help? Ever think about that, dear reader? It would be helpful to offer some guidance to the writer so he can try someone else's suggestion for a change.

The condescending attitude of: "I have told the writer to do 'x', and he/she still hasn't done it:

I call this condescending and arrogant because it simply goes to show you that they (the readers) have a mindset that the writer has to implement or needs to implement whatever it is they have suggested in the notes that they provide and they expect this. They are disappointed that it doesn't happen and then complain that the writer didn't implement their suggestion(s). To be quite frank, this is totally narcissistic behavior and is both unprofessional and unacceptable.

They forget that this is the writer's story, not theirs, so they should get over it and stop being such a hungry Jack, and throw a hissy fit when a writer doesn't do exactly what the readers have suggested.

So, the obvious solution(s) are self evident:

1. Get better at reading and comprehension. It will do you a world of good in the screenwriting or film business.
2. Take time and understand the genres and the unique elements that make up the genre you are reading the script for. If it is unclear, take a wild guess by referring to the different elements that make up a genre.
3. You really should be objective rather than subjective when you read the screenplay. Doesn't matter what you feel about the topic or theme the movie or the story is trying to convey.
4. Use your imagination and practice using your imagination when you read a screenplay.
5. Offer helpful feedback when pointing out problems. We want solutions. If you are not able to give solutions to a problem in the script, don't even mention the problem - this isn't even an issue of free speech anymore.
6. Don't expect that the writer will automatically implement your suggestion(s) and be disappointed when the writer doesn't do 'as they are told'. You have no business dictating where the story goes - that job goes to the producer and the screenwriter ultimately, and last but not least...
7. Smarten up.

Once it is evident that you are being helpful, the writer can forge ahead and take away what is the most helpful feedback for him/her and greatly improve their work. If need be, learn from the professional readers and emulate what they do best to help the writer with the quality of their work. This is one of the major ways we can improve the quality of the movies in the film business globally.

How to become a good/great screenwriter...

I kept coming across this question quite regularly from supposedly people who wanted to get into the business of screenwriting. I have answered a few of them with differing answers. As the same question kept getting asked of me in a multitude of ways and times, I decided to answer this question in one of two ways:

1. What a good screenwriter does when writing and or practicing the art of screenwriting, and
2. What are the qualities that makes a good/great screenwriter.

What a good screenwriter does when writing and or practicing the art of screenwriting:

A good/great screenwriter:

1. Understands that the essence of writing is rewriting,
2. Accepts constructive criticism and prioritises them according to their usefulness in order to better his/her script or story,
3. Fully understands his/her characters and researches them thoroughly if and when needed,
4. Writes what the audience knows and applies his/her creativity when presenting it to the decision makers (producers and or the financiers of the film or the show runners of a television show),
5. Avoids all clichés, predictable storylines and anything that will cause a reader or producer to reject the screenplay or script.
6. Comes up with quality ideas instead of just coming up with run of the mill, mediocre ideas just for the heck of it.
7. Does not glorify things in his/her script that happen in everyday life.

What are the qualities that makes a good/great screenwriter - the 4 'p's and one A:

1. Practice: A good and or great screenwriter practices their craft so that the writer can get better at it.
2. Passion: A good or great screenwriter is passionate about what he/she does and has a voice. They nurture their inner writer in ways that allow them to stand out from the mediocre crowd, and they have their passion in the right place.
3. Patience: It takes time to see the idea morph from concept to the final draft of the script - i.e. to develop the script from idea to a fully flushed out screenplay that is commercially viable and salable.
4. Problem solving: Readers are always looking for flaws with any screenplay that they read. This is done through the notes that they provide to the writer. For this reason, the writer needs to be skilled at problem solving. The writer needs to find solutions to address and fix the flaws and problems pointed out by the reader and or the producer.
5. Adaptable: A good or great screenwriter is adaptable. They adapt to change and they will change their story accordingly to make it better. This enables them to make their work marketable.

When other non-professional screenwriters or people who aren't screenwriters attempt to answer a question like this, their answers range from how a writer should read scripts and other literary works to how the writer should write stuff he/she knows or is familiar with. What they don't get is that when a writer writes things that he/she already knows, there are other writers who are doing exactly the same thing as this writer already is doing. This causes the writer to be lazy or take the easy way out and have a false belief that what he/she is writing is what people want and expect - which is not true. It may be competitive out there in the film and television business, but this competition isn't fiercely competitive. It also causes the writer to not challenge him/herself to his/her fullest potential.

A good/great writer does not allow him/herself to be narcissistic or self centered because of the fact that the writer needs to constantly be accepting of constructive feedback and adapt to change and challenges him/herself to his/her fullest potential.

My ideal social media platform

Social Media has come a long way since its inception during the early days of the Internet. However, with the exploded competition of social media sites that cater to the differing user needs, thereby competing for a user's business, a lot of them have come to a stage where they would either censor or delete certain users from sharing or voicing their opinions on certain topics, be it controversial or not for no apparent reason for doing so, it is increasing obvious that either a complete overhaul or accountability needs to be on the proverbial table that is truly fair, balanced and or neutral. In their EULAs, the mainstream social media sites tout that they are indeed fair and balanced, but it is evidently clear that it is anything but.

A perfect example to get the conversation going is what happened to me recently on Quora: I came across a question related to the controversial topic of immunization and when I tried to initiate a discussion with the lady I was responding to, she was responding in a way that suggested that I was somehow offending her, when the written words suggested anything but. However, she reported me because I was asking her questions that she (possibly) couldn't answer or didn't have the answers to and then proceeded to delete every single one of my comments to her, even though there was nothing derogatory to speak of.

I then appealed to Quora, hoping that they would see reason, but they didn't. All they could have done is looked at the entire conversation leading up to the comments I made and then decided, but no. They were adamant that there was something in the comments that apparently violated their "be nice, be respectful" policy. I asked for evidence of this so called 'violation' and received no response after that. They kept saying that it did violate their BNBR (Be Nice Be Respectful) policy while offering no justifiable reason for the finding.

After this experience, it made me think about the hypocrisy and special treatment that some people get over the rest of us who think objectively.

This blog is a wish list for if and when some entrepreneur out there decides to design and introduce a completely different and or revamped version of the sad state of the social media platforms these days.

So, here is my wishlist and or requirements for social media platforms:

1. Allow all speech openly and freely, regardless of how offensive it may seem - in accordance with the free speech laws in any country,
2. When looking at reported comments or posts, analyze all comments or posts leading up to said reported comment or post to determine if the user was truly and surely violating any community guidelines set out by the social media site or company,
3. Identify any individuals who are actively approving or stifling the free speech of other users just because they believe that they are right or because they believe their opinion is the only opinion that matters,
4. Discredit or discourage the 'trial by social media' mentality that some users have and encourage them to be not so judgmental (social media ain't high school),
5. Remind users that they will be judged accordingly if they judged anything or anyone unfairly in the first place,
6. Choose advertisers more wisely and who are not politically motivated, and those who do not dictate the type or nature of the content we consume or are influenced by,
7. Allow all viewpoints including those that aren't adopted by mainstream believers in all areas or topics of discussion, 
8. Identify trolls and paid shills and take steps to analyze how these entities behave on said social media platform and take aggressive action against them to curb any ridiculousness that the real users of the social media platform have to deal with,
9. Have a solid verification process that will not allow trolls, paid shills and scammers onto the platform in the first place,
10. No marketing messages or advertising that deploys fear mongering tactics that will take away the content consumer's (of social media) choice to choose the best option for him/her,
11. Hold all moderators working for the company that operates the social media platform accountable for any and all unjustified removal, stifling or censorship of content, user comments and or posts, and
12. Allow all forms of education, no matter how discredited or unorthodox they may be and no matter how many people believe it is discredited or dangerous - because ultimately, the onus is on the user for believing or disbelieving anything he/she comes across and the repercussions that arise from that belief.

The entire premise or consensus of social media is to bring people together, not use it as a weapon of mass division where people's political believes dictates what kind of people they interact with in the end. It is a shame that it is come to a stage where people are being persecuted by social media and not by the legal court system. It is shameful and deplorable to say the least. If we return to just the sharing of ideas and not mocking each other for having them, or for our political believes for that matter, the user base wouldn't be as crazy and all ideas and choices can and would be welcomed.

We need to move away from the 'guilt by association' and or the 'guilty until proven innocent' mentality and encourage the 'innocent until proven guilty' premise or mentality.

Also, no special treatment given to anyone on social media, no matter their status and no matter what their position in the world of social media.

What more could you possibly want?

I have always being taught to look at the other person's point of view no matter how objectionable it may seem. The same goes for putting myself in the shoes of the other person to understand what he/she is going through. I make it a habit to extend this courtesy to fellow humans (or muggles if you prefer to call them that), and I do wish that others will follow suit or are following suit in some way, shape or form.

let me know your thoughts or whether you agree or disagree with anything I have discussed in this article.

Why video CVs and cover letters trump traditional ones

Before I even considered the possibility of me completing my education and earning my degree in the great US of A, I attended a short course back in 2003 that interestingly introduced students to radio and small screen production as well as interactive media using computers and animation and graphics design software.

During the last month of the course, we were tasked with a project that required us to record a video of our referees and include it as part of an interactive CV/Resume package. I thought it was a wonderful idea and I tried to capitalise on the idea and make it into a business, but that failed miserably for reasons that only Zeus knows why. I did ask around and while most told me it wasn't a viable option, a few encouraged me to follow suit, but it ended up in the pooper anyways.

However, as time went by and while I was studying at the New York Film Academy, I started doing a little bit of research whenever I got the chance to do so. I found quite a few videos on YouTube that talked about how to put together a video resume or a video CV. I have also had a look at a few examples and decided to take a crack at one myself. The video CV was to be a maximum of 3 minutes long and I almost succeeded.

Having given a backstory of the idea behind video CVs and resumes, let me tell you why I now believe that they will or ought to replace traditional CVs and resumes and can be a better option for formulating cover letters:


THE APPLICANT(S) CAN USE WHATEVER EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS HE/SHE HAS TO PRODUCE THE VIDEO CV/RESUME OR COVER LETTER AND TAILOR IT TOWARDS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB

Video technology today is a lot more advanced to the point where anyone can simply grab a camera, record themselves and use any available video editing program that will yield professional results. There should be no reason why any job applicant couldn't afford to produce a video CV, resume or cover letter on the cheap. It doesn't have to be a video camera with all the bells and whistles that a professional camera can offer. You can use any DSLR camera with video capabilities or any camcorder that is able to produce the professional grade videos for the purposes of recording the video CVs and cover letters.

THE EMPLOYER GETS TO SEE THE APPLICANT IN PERSON WITHOUT THE APPLICANT NEEDING TO BE THERE

Because the applicant is recording himself or herself selling themselves with their skills and experience, the prospective employer gets to see the applicant's face and how sincere or how serious the applicant is about the position that the applicant is targeting.

THE EMPLOYER CAN SEE HOW TRUTHFUL THE APPLICANT IS BEING IN THE VIDEO CV OR COVER LETTER

Unlike a traditional CV or cover letter, where the applicant can fabricate facts or their credentials, a video CV and cover letter will show the employer how truthful the applicant is being regarding the information that is being provided using the body language cues and the eye contact projected or given out by the applicant.

THE EMPLOYER CAN SEE HOW WELL PRESENTED OR PROFESSIONAL THE APPLICANT IS IN THE VIDEO CV OR COVER LETTER

They say that you always need to dress to impress and dress for success. When the applicant includes a video CV or cover letter, right off the get go the employer can see how well presented or professional the applicant is as supposed to claiming on a traditional CV.resume or cover letter.

THE EMPLOYER IS ABLE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT HE/SHE IS DEALING WITH A PSYCHOPATH OR A SOCIOPATH IN AN APPLICANT

Based on the demeanor and the body language, the potential employer is able to determine whether or not the applicant in question is a natural born psychopath or a sociopath just by looking at their eyes and of course the body language and the swag the applicant possesses and exudes. Apparently, the psychopaths know exactly how to get the job and how to get the HR department or the hiring manager to hire them into the company. In his book titled: "Working with Monsters", psychologist Dr. John Clarke not only identifies and discusses the character traits of all the different types of psychopaths and the type of psychological wounds that they tend inflict on their victims.

THE DEVELOPERS OF THE APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEM THAT THE BIG NAME EMPLOYERS USE WILL NEED IMPROVEMENTS AND AN UPGRADE

When I was applying for jobs, I had no idea that the big name employers were using a flawed system known as the ATS or the Applicant Tracking System, which automatically tracks job applications, and also selects the ideal applicants for the job based on the employer's requirements, no matter how reasonable or unreasonable they may be. Given the nature of the video Cvs, resumes and the cover letters, the ATS will need to be upgraded or tweaked to identify facial features and the voice to capture any key selection criteria the employer has specified. The ATS will also need to be smart enough to determine the sincerity and the honesty of the job applicant and whether or not the applicant is in fact a psychopath.

THERE MAY NOT BE AN INTERVIEW PROCESS THAT THE EMPLOYER NEEDS TO GO THROUGH

Because the employer or the hiring manager can see the applicant, the next logical step would be for the employer or hiring manager to do a video chat or a video call if he/she needs to ask any further questions of the applicants before making that final decision to hire the right candidate for the job.

No matter how you look at it, this could be either a revolutionary or an evolutionary step for the recruitment industry and everyone involved in recruitment. It is an only matter of time before this concept catches on and propagates around the world. Until such time approaches, I guess we all would still be contending with the traditional methods of recruitment and all the generic rejection emails and letters, and the generic excuses that the employer gives to applicants that do not make the cut.

EXAMPLES OF VIDEO CVs (YouTube links):

1. Video CV - Animated CV
2. Best Video CV by Mark Leruste
3. How to make an effective CV
4. Professional Video CV - 2017

From fairytale land to Hollywood Boulevard

Have you ever wondered why Hollywood has released adult versions of fairy tales like Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty (Maleficent)? Have you also wondered why we are seeing cartoons like the classical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Aladdin being made into live action movies for the adult fanbase. If you guessed money was being the primary objective, you'd be right, but that's not what this blog is all about. This blog will introduce you to the concept of adapting fairy tales into real life situation movies and or any fantasy movie that you write.

So, what do fairy tales offer besides teaching young children about good and evil and about having a high moral compass? They all have a central controlling idea or a universal theme followed by a message that adds to the profoundness of the story. If you look at today's society, where evil is practically running around unchecked and unchallenged, where radicals are committing all sorts of crimes under the guise of "a greater good" (a utilitarian stance or view of things), or in the name of God underneath the facade they would usually project to the rest of the world. You can practically see the evil on this planet growing at an exponential rate.

So, without getting all religious or having one of those hollier than thou stance or attitude towards something or someone, how do you not so obviously communicate this in mediums like film and television? You look to fairy tales that do not mention religious, but carry a religious theme. For example, the epic star wars trilogy of films released in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, carries a christian theme without a mention of any religion or religious texts when George Lucas introduced "the force". It is subtle, but effective. With movies or screenplays of a religious nature, focus should be on the message and the profoundness of the movie rather than that of the religious nature of the movie or the characters in the movie.

I can affirm this by further saying that I have come across a lot of scripts as a reader and the ones that didn't simply make the cut. This is because they were either blunt or made a declaration of religious affiliation through one of the characters (through the main character mostly). Because we are talking about film and television, a visual media unto itself, a lot of these screenwriters cannot seem to grasp the concept of "show, don't tell" axiom that all professional screenwriters abide by.

Keep in mind that the adaptation of fairy tales that I am talking about in this blog involves writing for science fiction and fantasy movies and television shows - a genre of screenwriting that I subscribe to.

So, how did I go about figuring this out all by myself? Well, I didn't. I had a little help when I purchased and read about genre screenwriting. In this book, the author explained how fairy tales can easily be adapted into the film or television show writing effectively and he takes us through the process of how to go about doing it. I will include a link to the book right now:

Genre screenwriting by Stephen V Duncan

I'd highly recommend this book, because it is an easy read and has examples of how the author adapted fairy tales to his screenplays in similar genres.

The only thing you need to adapt fairy tales into a screenplay or any piece of fantasy work that you are involved in, you need to create a storyline with elements of a particular fairy tale that you are planning to include in the movie or television show. As far as structuring the film or television show goes, you will notice that every single one of these fairy tales, including films like the ones in the Harry Potter franchise, the Narnia franchise as well as The Shannara Chronicles (a Netflix offering), they all follow the hero's journey described and prescribed by the Joseph Campbell in his book: The Hero with a thousand faces.

You may want to study the fairy tale that you want to use in your film or television show to figure out what that fairy tale did right and what was it about that fairy tale that you like so much about. Once you have identified what it was that made that fairy tale appeal to you in the first place that made it your all time childhood favorite, figure out a way to adapt it to the screenplay, keeping in mind the audience for the film and or the television show.

So, whatever story idea you are working on and whichever fairy tale you are thinking about adapting to that story idea, write it in such a way that those elements of the fairy tale aren't so obvious that the audience finds it easy to spot and find it boring. Keep in mind that the critics will pounce at any chance to destroy your work when they find something wrong with the script.

Good luck with your venture.

How not to debate someone

When you enter into a debate with someone, it usually means that you and the other party in question have disagreeing views regarding a particular topic or subject. However, you and the other party sit down and have a civil discussion and this is what a debate is. You both have opinions contrary to one another's and have agreed to have a civil discussion as to why you believe that way - to walk a mile in the other person's shoes so to speak.

In today's Internet based society however, it is a different story, where you cannot classify the arguments, the outraged responses and the: "I don't care what you say to me, but I ain't changing my mind" mindset as a debate on the most controversial topics and subjects that are plaguing even the civilised society in any country.

The basic elements of the 'debates' or 'discussions' that are prevalent in today's Internet based society comes mostly from trolls and paid shills employed by PR firms and big corporations to take down legitimate opponents are:

1. Name calling,
2. Strawman arguments,
3. Hypocrisy,
4. Getting emotional or knee jerk reactions even towards the most objective criticisms offered or presented,
5. Hostile or condescending attitude and behaviour towards any opposing or dissenting viewpoints presented or proposed,
6. Using the: "You're not a <insert profession here>" argument to shut down or neutralise the opponent, and
7. Fearmogering tactics used instead of accentuating the positives of the arguments being presented.

I will now expound on each one of the above elements. A lot of this stuff springs from the paid shills and the trolls on the Internet who are nothing more than armchair bloggers or attention grabbers:

Name Calling

One of the easiest and the most convenient way of shutting down your opponent who has a dissenting opinion on a topic or subject at hand. I find it hypocritical that the platforms delete any comments or posts that use specific words that their automated system identifies and goes in for the kill almost immediately, and the person whose comments and or posts have been deleted or restricted has to fight the system and try their darndest to get themselves reinstated, where as there are others out there who use similar words and aren't dealt with promptly and nothing happens to them.

Strawman arguments

A strawman argument is basically a type of argument that doesn't address the original argument. Instead, the arguer puts forth counter arguments to arguments that is completely unrelated to the original set of arguments put forth by the other party and starts attacking the other party.

For example: If someone suggests an alternative solution towards a given problem, issue or epidemic at hand, the person responding would respond to this by going completely off course or off track, leading to not even addressing the original argument at hand. Berating the opponent is also part of this dirty game.

Hypocrisy

This is extremely common place when it comes to arguments and responses to arguments. For instance, radicals, televangelists and or evangelists engage in hypocrisy. Hypocrisy simply means you say one thing and you end up doing the exact opposite of what you have said or claimed. You may not be able to recognise it or spot it right away, but it is prevalent and it happens one too many times. It is a demon that can be subtle.

Getting emotional or knee jerk reactions even towards the most objective criticism offered or presented

Happens all the time on the Internet and has slowly migrated into real life arguments. When you offer a viewpoint or a criticism, often the response is either a knee jerk reaction instead of addressing the original criticism or viewpoint being acknowledged. One of the most effective ways to shut down arguments or dissenting opinions by getting super emotional about it at times when the name calling doesn't work as expected.

Hostile or condescending attitude and behaviour towards any opposing or dissenting viewpoint

Things can get a little hostile when the responder to criticisms and arguments sees that his/her arguments are either not being acknowledged or when someone wants to shut you down because you hold an opposing viewpoint. This is uncivil and another sure fire way of shutting down a debate or an opponent. It is also childish especially when the hostile behaviour results in the responder behaving like an 8 year old baby: throwing temper tantrums that is.

Using the: "You're not a <insert profession here>" argument to shut down or neutralise your opponent

I see this way too many times and it is quite frankly laughable. It also adds to the childish attitude and behaviour mentioned in the previous point at hand. If something is well researched and reported on, sometimes the debater or the responder to the claim will often resort to using this line of counter argument. It has nothing to do with the professionalism of the claim when you don't consider the fact that the researcher may have asked experts in the field or professionals in the field and then is reporting this. This is the kind of stuff that college essays and reports do. The essay writer researches and reports on it.

I also see journalists use this excuse when it comes to celebrities and other people reporting on or talking about a particular topic. The two examples that I can think of springs from the use of equipment in a profession (filmmaking) and health. This has got to stop or at least the mentality needs to dissolve in some way, shape or form.

Fearmongering tactics used instead of accentuating the positives of the arguments being presented

This usually happens when controversial topics and or subjects are debated about. For example, when Australian, New Zealand and the US supreme courts where considering legalizing same sex marriages, the naysayers immediately switched to fearmongering mode, trying to tell us that the world was going to come to an end and how that was going to lead to the other and a whole bunch of other stuff that the naysayers were arguing against the issue. They even had the stinking audacity to bring up the children and use them as a shield. They argued how a kid deserved a mother and a father instead of addressing how a kid is better off in a two parent household than in a one parent household.

So bottom line is that is how you don't have a debate. I was taught to always look at or consider another perspective or another point of view so long as the opposing point of view doesn't take extreme measures to try and implement a given opposing viewpoint as law of the land.

When you shut down a debate, you are in effect demonstrating your uncivil side or are revealing your extreme bias towards the situation. If the debate involves actual data to support a set of arguments for a given topic or subject, understand that this information can change and you can say things like: "based on available data at the present time, I have concluded that <insert conclusion here>, which is subject to change as the data changes overtime." This line of thinking and responding is healthy and will promote your acknowledgement of another person's viewpoint.

So, whatever topic you are debating on, make it a good civil one.