winning an argument when you are right?

[young Ed]

right ho, after almost a bit of life advice here i guess!
how do you go about winning an argument when you know you are definitely right?

such as today in my geography class we had a cover teacher and as things always do things got a bit out of hand and somehow i managed to get onto the topic of KNIFE LAW and as to what i can carry in public and what i can't, before i knew it i was in a full blown argument with the teacher and half the class!

so there i was trying to quote section 139 of the law which relates to carrying a bladed article in public basically and in the end i googled it on the teachers i thingy and proved the teacher wrong but everyone one else was still trying to tell me thier version of the law where i was some how breaking the law by always carrying 4 uk carry legal knives on me anywhere but school and that i needed to give the police good reasoning


so the long and short of it is what would you do? i was incredibly close to giving a lad i hate as it is a firm blow round the head but i realised this was only going to land my self in s**t
Cheers Ed

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Stab him.

 

[MontyVeda]

you carry 4 knives?

are you a ninja?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Well, he'd have to walk very carefully with that many knives, or she'd regret it .

 

[TVC]

Just let it go, you have to pick your fights carefully. If you do manage to show how everyone else is wrong then they are not going to say so, and they will just decide you are a nobber - possibly quite publically.

 

[Lilliburlero]

I just do the Moon Walk.... Never fails

 

[400bhp]

You won the argument - no need to publicly show you've won it.

There's probably a clever Chinese proverb about that.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

right ho, after almost a bit of life advice here i guess!
how do you go about winning an argument when you know you are definitely right?

You have to do the 'Told You So' dance.


GC

 

[Ganymede]

I carry a Swiss Army knife and the reception staff wanted to take it off me when I was going in to sit and watch at a Magistrate's Court. Luckily I had somewhere I could leave it elsewhere. They said: "you shouldn't be carrying one of those anyway", which I mildly but firmly contested, pointing out that it was endlessly useful and I had a perfect right. They wouldn't even take it off me and keep it for me during my visit - they would only post it back to me for a fee. (Going into Parliament I have had the knife and my knitting taken away and returned as I left.)

Although you may be right, @The Velvet Curtain has hit the nail on the head. Just bask privately in your superior knowledge of the law and don't make yourself unpopular. Also, frankly, carrying 4 knives is a tad excessive, even for a young farmer - after all, they can't be locking knives so that gives you limited use with duplication. (I realise you might be carrying a fixed/lockable blade if it's immediately relevant to your work/studies but you've got to be very careful about that - you can't just carry those habitually, they have to be connected to direct usage.)

 

[fossyant]

Why do you carry knives farm boy

 

[Ganymede]

You have to do the 'Told You So' dance.


GC

 

[KneesUp]

You won the argument - no need to publicly show you've won it.

There's probably a clever Chinese proverb about that.

A wise man once said nothing

 

[welsh dragon]

As long as you know your right does it matter? Sometimes you will never win. And are you trying to just prove to everyone that you're right? Sometimes you just have to let it go. Its not important.

 

[Fnaar]

... everyone one else was still trying to tell me there version of the law
Cheers Ed

While you're at it, get the teacher to explain spelling

 

[Tin Pot]

Being right is easy, bringing others round to your way of thinking is another matter entirely.

I've been doing this for decades, it's probably what I'm paid for, ultimately.

First, you need to understand what it means to them, why do they care if it's one answer or the other?

Second, look at the problem in the light of that - can you challenge the assumptions? Does the answer they don't like really have the impact they wish to avoid?

Third, watch for the emotional indicators - is simply fear of being embarrassed stopping them from progressing rationally?

And so on.

Being logically right is fundamental, but the rest is politics...plus, people don't like to think hard