citation needed (Photo credit: Dan4th) |
If you are anything like me, you pause for a moment upon hearing this. Something like the following runs through your mind:
Does this individual truly expect me to provide them with a list of scholarly references to show them that they are mistaken? With some effort, I could do so. But how much time and effort do I really want to expend attempting to show this person that he or she is wrong? For all I know, this is not even a serious request and would be nothing more than a waste of my time.I have fallen for this on a couple of occasions, taking the time to do research and provide the requested citations, only to have the person refuse to even acknowledge that I've done so. I am not terribly inclined to do so now unless I truly believe that the party in question genuinely wants to learn something rather than just argue. And I must say, this genuine desire to learn is not something I see very often from others I encounter on social media. There are certainly exceptions, but most of the time continued argument appears to be the goal. And that seems like a waste of time.