It's on them.
The other day, I was having a (civil) discussion on a hot-button topic that’s been making the rounds for a while now. I won’t get into the topic itself because it’s not germane to this entry, but I will say that people are pretty worked up about it.
Anyway, the person I was talking to demanded that I provide sources to support my position on an issue pushed by those on the other side of this topic. I did. I gave him lots of sources and proved my point definitively. And that felt good. But…
I thought about it and realized it wasn’t my responsibility to provide those sources. It was his responsibility because he was making the assertion. The burden of proof is on the person making the claim, not the person making a counterpoint.
There are many arguments on many subjects being made in bad faith. I don’t know when people forgot how to have a debate, but it sure seems like that understanding has left the building. As a result, you either have someone making a point based on shaky evidence, often simply somebody else making an unsubstantiated claim, or someone making wild claims with no basis in objective reality.
This applies no matter which end of the political spectrum you come from, by the way. You’re not exempt if you’re on my “team.” So the next time someone makes a demand of you, turn it around on them.