tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post4005463217591935245..comments2024-03-27T03:00:27.024-04:00Comments on Facts & other stubborn things: Is insulting people behind their back better than insulting them to their face?Evanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12259004160963531720noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-36709104705572691432012-07-18T21:23:33.176-04:002012-07-18T21:23:33.176-04:00Daniel I think you are generalizing incorrectly fr...Daniel I think you are generalizing incorrectly from what my principle was. (I'm not saying you did it intentionally; I didn't write out a treatise in a quick blog comment.)<br /><br />Does anybody here want to argue with me in the analogy I chose? I.e. is anybody going to say it's ruder to call Obama a socialist at a dinner party, versus insulting the people who are literally standing right there at the dinner party?<br /><br />OK, assuming you're all with me, then I claim that is a lot closer to what happened at the EconLog thread, versus Daniel's more generic "should I insult someone to his face or to his back?" principle. I'm not saying if you and your friends are going to mock friend X, is it ruder to do it to his face or back. I'm saying, if you are going to mock friend X to his face, versus mock public figure Y when he's not there, the former is way worse.Bob Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001108408649311528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-6138567718067738592012-07-18T17:14:33.533-04:002012-07-18T17:14:33.533-04:00I tend to agree. If the person you're insultin...I tend to agree. If the person you're insulting ultimately finds out, it may be worse (more likely if you care about their opinion). That being said, in the short-term and generally, I think it is better to insult people behind their back rather to their face.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00720722626969395929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-65752116135698953942012-07-18T11:14:40.176-04:002012-07-18T11:14:40.176-04:00I think insulting people who are present at the pa...I think insulting people who are present at the party is more disruptive and so in that sense more worthy of moderation. No matter how many times I call Obama a socialist in your comment threads, he's unlikely to show up here to defend his honor. On the other hand, if I call Blue Aurora a hack, we might get into a shouting match which would inconvenience everyone. That's rude to everyone.PrometheeFeuhttp://prometheefeu.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-32397504314925663262012-07-18T09:21:06.059-04:002012-07-18T09:21:06.059-04:00Ha! Well, I thought "don't talk about peo...Ha! Well, I thought "don't talk about people behind their backs" was settled long ago too, which was why I found Bob's comment so interesting.<br /><br />I was not exceptionally popular, but I wasn't picked on either. I was a good grades type, but I don't think a particularly nerdy type. I spent most of my time at crew practice and on the river, which I hope avoided some of the nerd stereotype.Daniel Kuehnhttp://www.factsandotherstubbornthings.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1740670447258719504.post-1640837743758272882012-07-18T09:10:11.874-04:002012-07-18T09:10:11.874-04:00No offence Daniel, but what kind of high school ex...No offence Daniel, but what kind of high school experience did you have? This seems like more of a question that one would ask in high school (even though it's human nature to be duplicitous and to act differently in different situations and contexts at all stages of life). Were you picked on, or no?Blue Aurorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02044362251868221897noreply@blogger.com