"You're kidding, right? You propose that the rest of us are too stupid to know fact from fiction? That we are easily "fooled' by "manipulative".........."mud-slinging" candidates and their "strategists"?!"
I'm not proposing that anyone is stupid. That is your word, not mine. Please do not put words into my mouth. And please realize when I said "most people", that includes me. I am not exempt. My point was that emotional appeals are prevalent in virtually all human discussions, including politics (
which was an easy example because of the present primaries in our social context, but certainly not the only example I could have chosen).
And emotional appeals are not legitimate grounds for closing informative, debate-stimulating threads. Emotional appeals are everywhere, and if we were to ban all emotional appeals then we would have to ban nearly all advertising in the USA. And that includes advertising for corporate entities and potential political leaders.
Emotional appeals are not legitimate grounds for closing a thread!
"I did. You brought politics into the discussion."
Again, as an example, not as a point of contention. I could have chosen to point out emotional appeals of advertising (of cars, shampoo, or computers) or of finances (banks, credit unions, lenders, or investment angencies), or even entertainment (movies, music, television).
I chose the current political climate and the primaries because of its immediate influence on the gun issue. It was not only convenient, it was relevant in our context of responsible gun usage. I could have chosen anything, from overclocked computers to preferences in the different styles of Karate.
"I was talking about emotions about killing."
Then you should have clearly stated that. But you didn't. You vaguely mentioned something about this thread being "now driven by emotion", as if it was ever driven by anything else. Whether you (or others) wish to admit that this topic of shooting cats (feral or otherwise) with various calibers of firearms was ever based on an emotional foundation of feline hatred or not is moot. The fact is that these discussions are emotionally driven by both sides, so you should stop asking the mods to close the thread. IF you want them to close it, then do it based on something legitimate: Thread is Off-Topic, Thread is Vulgar, Thread is Somehow in Violation of Terms of Service. But after reading through the posting guidelines (of which I was recently reminded by an admin), there is nothing wrong with making posts of an emotional, on-topic nature. Because of that, it should not be closed simply because you, sir, wish it to be closed. Emotions are an everyday fact of life, and they are no reason to close a thread.
There is a term for your method of argument, and it is called RED HERRING. Others might even call it STRAW MAN, but I'm not one of them.
Cat's often (but not always) love fish.
Tyrajam: Thank you. If I can reach one person, then I consider my efforts successful.