I get particularly irritated when in the middle of an argument or debate with someone, they suddenly say “Read xyz book and then get back to me!”. Oh yeah? Take my time for granted much? Look, I read a lot. I don’t deny that. But I have a huge reading list and I have my hands full. A book is a pretty big commitment. Hours and hours of dedicated attention. A pretty heavy burden to saddle someone you’re talking to for the first time no?
Now I don’t mind people recommending something to me that they think I’ll like. So if a friend says “I read this awesome book. You should too! You’ll be blown away”, I’ll be curious and I might even add it to my reading list. But to suggest that I read something to prep for a discussion on the Internet? You must be nuts.
This doesn’t mean you can’t refer to books in the discussion. You just need to provide a summary of your point in addition to giving the book reference. If you can’t put the entire argument into your own words and summarize it then and there, then I question your understanding of the point you’re trying to get across. Leave a book reference if you have to. Who know? I might even decide to look it up if I find it beneficial.
Well said Bhagwad. I feel the same way about links that are shared during discussions – a summary should be provided along with the link, because it may not be possible for everybody to read or even to click on the link.