Delicious LiveJournal Links for 8-18-2011

On a recent episode of South Park, the kids got all excited about reading The Catcher in the Rye, the supposedly scandalous novel that's been offending teachers and parents for generations. They were, of course, horribly disappointed: As Kyle says, it's "just some whiny annoying teenager talking about how lame he is."

1. One is entitled to one’s own opinions, but not one’s own facts. 2. If you make an assertion that implies a factual basis, it is entirely proper that others may ask you to back up these assertions with facts. 3. If you cannot bolster said assertion with facts beyond the anecdotal, others may not find your general argument persuasive. 4. people asking for facts is in itself non-partisan; implications otherwise are a form of ad hominem argument. 5. If you offer evidence and assert it as fact, you may reasonably expect others to examine such information and to rebut you if they find it wanting.