But I'm Right, Dammit!

[Dirty Apple]

I'm a know-it-all. I've comes to terms with this long ago. Having come to terms with it, I try to keep it reigned in and reasonably inoffensive. That being said, there have been times that I knew I was right about something, and no amount of arguing could change my opponents mind.

There are three episodes in particular that still burn my ass. The first one involved a teamate on the bus ride back from a game noticing that the moon was a deep shade of orange. This, I told him, was called a harvest moon. He didn't believe me. The next one happened years later in college with a friend of a friend that insisted that the well-known Gypsy Kings song was called "Jambalaya." I tried to correct him, and he disagreed. The final one was only a couple years ago, when a temporary guy at work adamantly declared that St John was the capitol of New Brunswick.

Now before I get flamed for not moving on with my life, the reason these moments still burn my ass years later is not because I couldn't change their minds, but because they also called me an idiot for disagreeing with them. And just to clarify, the first to times happened before the advent of Google, and the last time no computer was available.

Ok that's my story. Am I a freak for still being pissed off about these incidents and have any of you ever felt the same way?

 

[Labyrinth]

I find myself in a similar position a lot. Anyone who's read my posts can likely tell you that I exercise a broad general knowledge as much as possible. Know-it-all? Not so much, I was long ago disillusioned to that. As such I like to think I can admit when I've made a mistake, it's just a pity that I have this obscene habit of meeting people who don't. Or can't. Or something.

 

[Erana]

Well, if you think you're right, you're right. The best thing you can do is to provide a logical argument for your side, then let it be. (and, if need be, go and be smug about being right on the inside.)

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I find myself in a similar position a lot. Anyone who's read my posts can likely tell you that I exercise a broad general knowledge as much as possible. Know-it-all? Not so much, I was long ago disillusioned to that. As such I like to think I can admit when I've made a mistake, it's just a pity that I have this obscene habit of meeting people who don't. Or can't. Or something.

No comment. That is all.

 

[Raven's Nest]

I can see why you find it annoying. But some people just can't accept that they may be wrong. You can argue with logic, fact, undisputed truth but nothing will sway their mind. These are the kind of people who only argue back because they can see you in distress.

The only thing your doing by getting worked up about it, is letting them win.

 

[Arntor]

If people won't admit their biases there's little you can do about it, just as long as you're constantly re-evaluating your own position. If they can't be arsed to challenge their own belief system then let their ignorance undo them when the time comes.

 

[GRoXERs]

Hmm..

This thread has my name written all over it.

Actually, you know what?

Whenever you think you're right but other people disagree with you, just rub Wikipedia in their face. It's rather fun.

I tend to be too pedantic on my arguments because I really love philosophy and as such, if I don't see logic or a fallacy on my "opponent's" argument, I call him out on it and bust his balls.

I do commit mistakes on my own though, admitting them however is hard.

This.

What's even more fun than admitting you're wrong is to check wikipedia first and to edit it so that it will agree with you if necessary.
Someone at my university actually did that while arguing with me.
Didn't work out for him, though. (As I remember the question was about the spelling of "Westley," a character from The Princess Bride.)

 

[Crystal Cuckoo]

To me, often what happens is that I usually lose the argument (since I am usually outnumbered in my argument), get home, wiki the subject, and find out that I am actually right.
It infuriates me... But meh. They can be wrong if they want. They'll only look more idiotic in the end. =]

 

[Lord Krunk]

Maybe it's more of a case of people just not believing everything you say.

I myself like to tell people a variety of weird and mostly useless information and most of the time, I get a 'yeah, right'.

For example, I told my parents once that Ringworm isn't actually a worm, but a fungus known by many as Tinea. No one believed me, but the truth is there.

 

[dijital101]

I've argued with a friend for 4 years now because he believes pineapples grow in the ground. I mean he believes they literally grow "in the ground" like carrots. His only argument is that he went to the Bahamas and saw a pineapple plantation and since all he saw were the green tops that meant they grew underground.

I also used to have a female roommate that didn't believe in evolution because she thought that it meant a chimpanzee gave birth to a human baby.

 

[bjj hero]

Know it all huh? You do know in an discussion the other party isnt an opponent?

When you and someone else have a disagreement, over what appears to be minor trivia, why should they take your word as fact with no other evidence to back it up? If you pointed it out in an encyclopedia etc, and they still wouldnt believe you then more fool them. Other wise there is no reason to assume youre right, unless you are some sort of specialist in that field of knowledge.

 

[WilliamWhite1]

I know how you feel, but I can also see how some arguments can sometimes get out of hand.
Not that yours did; it sounds like you posed your answer, they disagreed, and then proceeded to call you an...idiot.

To put things into perspective, I usually don't have /as much/ respect for people who call others idiots, and for no apparent reason than to believe they are right. Sometimes feelings in situations like those don't go away; but you must do what you can to remind yourself: they're probably the idiots.

Must make sure you're right. >:]

 

[dijital101]

Know it all huh? You do know in an discussion the other party isnt an opponent?

When you and someone else have a disagreement, over what appears to be minor trivia, why should they take your word as fact with no other evidence to back it up? If you pointed it out in an encyclopedia etc, and they still wouldnt believe you then more fool them. Other wise there is no reason to assume youre right, unless you are some sort of specialist in that field of knowledge.

You don't have to be a specialist to know something is correct. Just like I'm not an English teacher but I know that you use "a" before words that start with consonants and "an" before words that start with vowels.

 

[Arrers]

I'm usually one the other side of this. Whenever I think I know somthing or have an opinion, someone inevatably swoops in to prove that whatever I though was wrong. I kind of annoying.

 

[Silver]

I've encountered it a few times, yes. I usually manage to prove that I'm right one way or another though.

The only example I can think of is that two of my friends (studying advanced mathematics, btw) argued that when flipping 2 coins there's a 50% chance to get one heads and one tails, there's a 50% chance of getting two heads, and a 50% chance of getting two tails.

This was AFTER they decided that it couldn't possibly be a 33% chance of each. (For the record, both alternatives are wrong.)

When I realised a logic argument wasn't going to work, I went downstairs to get a piece of paper, a pen and enough coins to prove that I was right. Not that it mattered much, they hardly admitted they'd been wrong.

 

[bjj hero]

You don't have to be a specialist to know something is correct. Just like I'm not an English teacher but I know that you use "a" before words that start with consonants and "an" before words that start with vowels.

A typing error, shit happens, I was in a hurry. My point is you dont offer evidence, just "Im right".

Without supporting evidence theres no reason to believe you are right over someone with a conflicting opinion. I was saying that if you were an expert or specialist it may give you more weight, not that youd have to be right.

Im sure there have been times youre wrong and without evidence you wouldnt believe it. If youve never been wrong then youre delusional.

 

[rossatdi]

Me and my friends regularly attend a pub quiz which is more or less ritualized "I told you so".

 

[P1p3s]

i love this thread because this is basically my whole life, I especially like the line

I try to keep it reigned in and reasonably inoffensive

Because I feel like that most days, this is why I am so grateful for things like 3g mobiles coz then when I have that "only men can have haemophilia - women carry it but don't actually suffer from it" arguement one more time I'm just heading straight for wiki or a medical dictionary and they can eat my mobile internetz!

Come on people think about it, if a woman was born with haemophilia she would DIE as soon as she hit puberty!!!!

/rant - i'm really ok now

 

[Spacelord]

the moon was a deep shade of orange. This, I told him, was called a harvest moon.

I didn't know that.

 

[Acaroid]

No the worse one is, when you have a point, argue everything and prove best you can (with google and what not) and then they turbn around and say "yes your right, completley, I just dont agree and/or I dont believe you"... That is when I just stare at them and go "well im going to go because... well... yeah pointless much"