I volunteer to be the Christopher Guest character!
This has become an exquisite discussion. My metaphor for argument is the hockey fight. Non-hockey fans see the cliche’d “went to a hockey game and a fight broke out” side of the game, but true hockey fans see the deeper beauty. You have two guys on two teams who serve a very specific role. That role is to protect the skilled players, or get the crowd back in the game, by any means necessary.
At the end of the fight, the crowd cheers, and the warriors get sent to the “sin bin.” But what people on TV don’t see, is the gamesmanship and sportsmanship between the two warriors.
You see, these guys both have to do their best to support their team. They don’t hate their opponent, they simply have to “take care of business” and then be on their way. There is a mutual respect between the warriors, and while their job is to smash your face, it’s just business, no hard feelings. It is because of this that you’ll see the same two warriors in the bar after the game buying each other beers, reminiscing about their encounter on ice a few hours before.
That, to me, is a gentlemanly battle worthy of duplicating, and a perfect metaphor for intellectual debate.
