Which words do you consider to be just Boorish and which are attacks?

What comes to my mind when I read this question is how many times I have wanted to write something is ridiculous, and how often I change the word for somethng not so dismissive. I have used the word, but hesitate whenever I first write it.

Any response that brings a persons intelligence into question is an attack.

If they said “Your _______ is no better than belief in the Tooth Fairy” would you feel they were respectful of your position, being Boorish, or condescending?

Brutally accurate?

@FutureMemory If it was your belief in Global Warming per se and they said how you or what you thought about it was equal to belief in the Tooth Fairy you’d believe they were accurate? Would that not make you wrong?

I don’t think I can give any answer that will satisfy you on this topic. I find the belief in deities to be as silly as believing in the tooth faery, so to me it is a very accurate comparison.

@FutureMemory It isn’t a faith question, it is a question on how you want to be communicated by. I don’t know what your passion is but should someone equate your desire, passion, belief, or whatever in is, to being pathetic, futile, made up etc. would you believe they were communicating with you respectfully or belittling you?

If they’re being honest about how they feel, how could that belittle me?

I got annoyed the other night when a dinner companion was complaining about a co worker´s lack of intelligence. He brought up that she must be going through menopause because she behaved like such a moron… I saw RED! Basically, I reached down his throat and grabbed out the words and jammed them back down his neck. I don´t know the woman he was talking about, but the fact he used menopause as a reason for her perceived short comings pissed me off.

It is not an attack unless somebody says “I intend to harm you, the people you value, your property etc.
Everything else is just some level of bad manners.

I don’t think it’s possible to come up with specific words. It’s not the words themselves that define an attack, but the intention in which they are spoken.

I think anyone who likens another’s belief system to something known not to exist is insensitive. I think anyone who thinks I must share their system of belief or will be found unworthy is equally insensitive.

I love learning about the belief traditions of others and can listen with an open mind (even if I am not convert material). I think a great deal of exploration can happen in a conversation when both parties accept that while they may have found the right answer for themselves, they don’t have the only right answer for other people.

Are we making an assumption about what the proclaimer thinks about the Tooth Fairy?
That could be a very high standard to a Fairyist.

But that’s pretty lame conversation, and too general to challenge so it’s kind of cowardly, or lazy. Let’s hope they follow with something more interesting.