Questions and the Questioning Questioners Who Ask Them
"Why do you always answer a question with a question?" asks the straight man. "Why not?" says his funny man. We laugh, but in real life, this technique of sidestepping debate and accountability is annoying.
I hear this frequently on radio and television, when hosts ask questions that callers and guests obviously would rather not answer, at least not directly. As we head toward Election Day in these oh so challenging times, it's time to call a halt to this. Some do at times, like Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto. No wonder John Cusack wishes for the "Satanic death" of Fox News.
But even within what appears civil debate, all that is really happening is a volley of questions. Take for example, Patsy Green's response to a Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial urging that we voters test school aid requests i.e., referendums this fall. Ms. Green is the new Chair of the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. You may remember I endorsed her for re-election in 2009, certainly the doyen of the Robbinsdale (281) School Board and former Chair. I use her submission only to illustrate my point on debate, not school policy which can wait until my August Recess ends next week.
Green does correct a statistic in that Editorial and engages some of the points it raised. But then come four rebuttal questions to place the need for referendums on someone else, rather than stay on point. I could do the same to her but how does that move the debate forward?
For example, when she asks, "Why did Minnesota's per-pupil spending fall from 8 percent above the national average in 1997 to 1.3 percent below the national average in 2007?" I could rejoin by asking "How then has Minnesota ranked number one in ACT scores the past six years?" Both of these factoids are anecdotal without substantial context. Trading one-liners gets us nowhere. Again, this is for illustration only.
As we begin the various campaigns in earnest next week, let's all work harder at answering the questions we can answer and not questioning the questions we cannot, at least at the moment. And if we find we can't answer a question to our satisfaction, it's time to question our own premises and reasoning, not the motives and ancestry of those who ask.
Cross-posted and comments welcome at Speed Gibson.
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