We prepared ourselves by promising each other to try and be as unbiased and objective as possible, and to acknowledge that if the other 'side' presented a logical and reasonable argument that challenged our view we would accept the most rational perspective regardless of how we might feel personally.
We needn't have worried.
Deedat was so incompetent and his polemic so irrational that McDowell ceased to argue and switched to presenting a more anecdotal perspective based on personal testimony, hoping to 'convict' rather than reason with Deedat, because the mans rantings were plainly incomprehensible. It was an embarrassment, satisfying for our worldview but cringe-worthy for the hapless opponent...or so we thought.
By Monday morning the Islamic propagation centre in Durban had copied and distributed hundreds (if not thousands) of cassette tapes of the 'debate' edited in such a way as to provide the Islamic 'scholar' Deedat with a significant win.
I knew this because Helenmary worked with a company whose many factory workers were 'crowing' about the 'decisive victory' achieved by Deedat. We were astonished.
We needn't have worried.
Deedat was so incompetent and his polemic so irrational that McDowell ceased to argue and switched to presenting a more anecdotal perspective based on personal testimony, hoping to 'convict' rather than reason with Deedat, because the mans rantings were plainly incomprehensible. It was an embarrassment, satisfying for our worldview but cringe-worthy for the hapless opponent...or so we thought.
By Monday morning the Islamic propagation centre in Durban had copied and distributed hundreds (if not thousands) of cassette tapes of the 'debate' edited in such a way as to provide the Islamic 'scholar' Deedat with a significant win.
I knew this because Helenmary worked with a company whose many factory workers were 'crowing' about the 'decisive victory' achieved by Deedat. We were astonished.
We were astonished at how diligent the propagation centre had been in working through what must have constituted a mountain of data as well as displaying a technological sleight-of-hand that was, for the time, impressive to say the least.
But this experience also provided us with prima facie evidence of how technology in the hands of an ideologue can completely subvert truth.
That knowledge provided me with what the brilliant social commentator Neil Postman called; a working 'crap detector'(CD) and it has been invaluable in viewing the world of news, opinions and gossip ever since.
It is of particular efficacy in this post truth, Post Modern world where the bells and whistles of my CD are sounding loud and cacophonic (please forgive my word invention)
...or perhaps it is merely my tinnitus screaming!
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