Not eating crow is a good thing

I enjoy a good argument. I also enjoy a bad argument. Maybe the latter more than the former. I never took debate class while in school, though. It seemed too formal, too restrictive, too controlled to be something I would like. I mean they had rules in that class as to how you could argue. Imagine that!

You got a set number of minutes to make your initial presentation. Then you got a set amount of time to rebut your opponent's opening statement. And then to rebut his rebuttal. Not once did you get to lay out a sneaky, underhanded insult, much less a punch. That is not debate, not in the neighborhoods I grew up in. You try being that polite and you'll find the waistband of your underwear in your armpits.

I learned two important things from arguing. The first is know the facts. The second is know when to run. It's not hard to know the facts and, in the places I grew up, facts gave you a head start when you had to run. Your best chance to get away is while your opponent is stunned. Even when you won an argument, it was best to not stick around too long. Maybe especially when you won the argument.

The ability to recite facts and argue convincingly has always served me well. It helped me when the police stopped and questioned me about something that I might, or might not have, done. It helped keep me employed. It helped me avoid being sent to the brig when in the Navy. And it has helped me avoid the occasional street or bar fight.

Oddly, though, it didn't help me in my first marriage.