shadexiii wrote:
JakeG wrote:
Saying you don't like somebodies behaviour is different from calling them a nasty name. Disparagement can refer to things other then people; as you quoted from your dictionary; there is a concept of speaking disparagingly of 'things' as well.
e.g. Saying that you find someone's behaviour displeasing and just outright calling them a 'dick' or an 'a**hole' are two different things; the former not being name-calling whilst the latter is.
We can only be judged by our actions. How is attacking the action not attacking the person?
I already know this could continue all night, so I'm considering it done. Feel free to nitpick further. Nitpicking being an action ...so that's not insulting or inflammatory, right?
With regard to your last comment, no I don't feel insulted and I hope you don't either...I thought we were just having a normal discussion...I don't have a problem conducting a discussion that starts off with two people having differing viewpoints.
I'll sum up my feelings and attempt to explain: the main difference I want to draw is the difference between expressing displeasure with someone elses actions and calling them a name.
Saying to someone 'you are a dick', 'you are an a**hole', 'you are a <name>' etc. is a vacuous comment which only really displays aggression, dislike of someone and th lack of intelligence to constructively say why or what you don't like about them. Calling somebody a name is what I would consider an attack.
However, on the other hand, saying you don't like a particular behaviour is just an expression of displeasure. I don't consider it a personal attack to say 'I find that something you did is not something I agree with' or 'I think that your behaviour was hapless/pathetic/misguided/maladvised etc.' but just a piece of constructive criticism rather than an outright attempt to offend.
Your last comment is a good example 'Feel free to nitpick further'. This is obviously a criticism of the fact that I am behaving pedantically, which is ok; I respect your opinion. However, if instead of mentioning that you didn't like my pedantry and had just said 'Oh god, you are a dickhead' etc. etc. I would have taken it as an insult.
27 Apr 2007, 5:51 pm
