When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Should you think about your duty, or about the consequences of your actions? Or should you concentrate on becoming a good person?

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surreptitious57
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by surreptitious57 »

I have thick skin and so do not get angry with anything anyone says online regardless of whether or not it is directed
at me personally. I rarely get attacked anyway but if some one wishes to abuse me I fully defend their right to do so
Belinda
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Belinda »

If there is any reason in what a rude person is saying that element of reason can be a way of connecting with them. If you can connect with the rude person you can alleviate the discomfort they cause and maybe even be of use to them.

In any case the rudeness of someone posting on a forum is no great loss, as they don't know me well enough to judge me.The internet troll is powerless.

For instance the rudeness of Donald Trump towards all women is more frightening than any internet troll, as Donald Trump might one day have a lot of control over the lives of many women.
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Dontaskme
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Dontaskme »

Beauty wrote:When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be? I'm sure practically all of us somewhere or another have been through that, so what would you say would be an appropriate response to being bashed at? What's your view?
Firstly: No one can bash you without your permission.

Secondly: You need to grow a pair and think for yourself, stand by the truth of your own convictions without the fear of rebuttal. No other one is living you, only you live you and know you. Don't take any prisoners. Be the captain of your own ship. Don't live your life through the actions of others. There not your actions. Don't try to be liked, or envy others. Only you can like you. Don't try to be like others, they're already taken.

Accept things as they are, not what you wish them to be.

Take what you want for your own evolution and leave the rest. Ignore what's not relevant for you. Don't play the victim.And never play the abuser. Always walk away.

It's that simple.
Beauty wrote:I'm curious as to your response, for we all have our own way of thinking/feeling/imagination/understanding etc.
The thinking is that if we understand that things and events, feelings and thoughts, are merely constructions dependent on our mental concepts and inner narrative, including our own thoughts about others, they may exert less power over us.
Beauty
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Beauty »

I like your line - Don't try to be liked.
osgart
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by osgart »

they just want people to bow to their intellectual superiority. Its the same gerbels always quoting and citing because they have no thoughts of their own. Validity is in having a long memory of a single narrow viewpoint. They seek submission to it and lose their minds when people question things for themselves. Pseudo intellectualism is all it is. They despise free thought. Philosophy grads kiss ass and are brainwashed and have a circular reasoning doting upon useless musings about reality.
osgart
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by osgart »

my reply is make your own assertions and back it up with your own reasoning basis and quit being gerbels.
Belinda
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Belinda »

osgart wrote:my reply is make your own assertions and back it up with your own reasoning basis and quit being gerbels.
But if you limit your responses to your "own reasoning" you would take nothing on trust or on other people's evidence and you would for instance take a very long time to decide whether or not some substance is good for you or whether it's going to poison you. The accumulation of knowledge in a society is called 'culture'. Nobody limits their knowledge to "their own assertions".

What are gerbels?
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Harbal
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Harbal »

Beauty wrote:I like your line - Don't try to be liked.
And he practises what he preaches. Not only does he not try to be liked, he also succeeds at it admirably.
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Greta
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Greta »

Nobody is "bashed" on a forum without justification, only reasons with which they disagree.

There's a number of unbalanced members on philosophy forums who seem drawn to a kind of martyrdom and they won't stop pushing until someone smacks them. On this unmoderated forum it usually takes about two seconds. On my other forum it can take longer before someone snaps.

Inevitably these kinds of contributors will be convinced that they have found the answer to life. They preach their ways even as their obvious mental and emotional dysfunctions makes clear to most that they have simply fallen down one of the many "enlightenment" or "salvation" cul-de-sacs. I cannot overstress the importance of this. Anyone who is actually "enlightened" is going to be a delight to deal with even when views are in conflict. An enlightened person would not slam another on a web forum. They would remain calm. After all, it's only a forum, nothing for a "serious person" to get steamed about.

The "enlightenment" paradigm error comes from seeking short cuts, which is understandable because life difficult to understand and control. I spent my life looking for such short cuts and none worked. The only thing that ever worked for me, even modestly, was paying attention (admittedly, occasionally), daily effort (admittedly, when trapped like a rat in a trap) and, most importantly, finding useful things I could do in my areas of interest.

Ideally, the "I'm enlightened and you're not" game would not be played on philosophy forums. However, "bashing" those who do play that game doesn't work because then they enjoy the martyrdom.

I know it's dull, but if one feels compelled to correct the wrong information provided by "preachers", the best option IMO is to write the correction and, if their response is weak and inviting a fight, simply ignore it. Trust that others will see the weak response and similarly ignore it. That way the "enlightened one" will either be forced to construct solid arguments that deserve discussion or be a voice in a wilderness making unacknowledged interjections.
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vegetariantaxidermy
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by vegetariantaxidermy »

Greta wrote:Nobody is "bashed" on a forum without justification, only reasons with which they disagree.

There's a number of unbalanced members on philosophy forums who seem drawn to a kind of martyrdom and they won't stop pushing until someone smacks them. On this unmoderated forum it usually takes about two seconds. On my other forum it can take longer before someone snaps.

Inevitably these kinds of contributors will be convinced that they have found the answer to life. They preach their ways even as their obvious mental and emotional dysfunctions makes clear to most that they have simply fallen down one of the many "enlightenment" or "salvation" cul-de-sacs. I cannot overstress the importance of this. Anyone who is actually "enlightened" is going to be a delight to deal with even when views are in conflict. An enlightened person would not slam another on a web forum. They would remain calm. After all, it's only a forum, nothing for a "serious person" to get steamed about.

The "enlightenment" paradigm error comes from seeking short cuts, which is understandable because life difficult to understand and control. I spent my life looking for such short cuts and none worked. The only thing that ever worked for me, even modestly, was paying attention (admittedly, occasionally), daily effort (admittedly, when trapped like a rat in a trap) and, most importantly, finding useful things I could do in my areas of interest.

Ideally, the "I'm enlightened and you're not" game would not be played on philosophy forums. However, "bashing" those who do play that game doesn't work because then they enjoy the martyrdom.

I know it's dull, but if one feels compelled to correct the wrong information provided by "preachers", the best option IMO is to write the correction and, if their response is weak and inviting a fight, simply ignore it. Trust that others will see the weak response and similarly ignore it. That way the "enlightened one" will either be forced to construct solid arguments that deserve discussion or be a voice in a wilderness making unacknowledged interjections.
Calmness and enlightenment are two different things. Plenty of lunatics remain calm. Extreme frustration can cause anyone to become agitated.
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Greta
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Greta »

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:Calmness and enlightenment are two different things. Plenty of lunatics remain calm. Extreme frustration can cause anyone to become agitated.
Anyone who has found the Holy Grail (barring the Monty Python crew) is not going to suffer extreme frustration in a web forum. It's such small potatoes.

I get agitated but that is only one of a suite of personality and character flaws I have that lets me know that the Grail is not in my grasp :) The good thing about our flaws, limitations and ignorance is they give us clear paths towards self improvement. The hard part is prioritising.

But what if I became enlightened? What if I had the answer? Does that mean I'd keep parrotting the same "true" message incessantly, disregarding all other "wrong" views on principle? I don't think there is "an answer". There is only daily effort. Getting through one's mundane, but necessary, responsibilities as gracefully as possible. Preferably with a decent amount of time to spare to goof off :)
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vegetariantaxidermy
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by vegetariantaxidermy »

Greta wrote:
vegetariantaxidermy wrote:Calmness and enlightenment are two different things. Plenty of lunatics remain calm. Extreme frustration can cause anyone to become agitated.
Anyone who has found the Holy Grail (barring the Monty Python crew) is not going to suffer extreme frustration in a web forum. It's such small potatoes.

I get agitated but that is only one of a suite of personality and character flaws I have that lets me know that the Grail is not in my grasp :) The good thing about our flaws, limitations and ignorance is they give us clear paths towards self improvement. The hard part is prioritising.

But what if I became enlightened? What if I had the answer? Does that mean I'd keep parrotting the same "true" message incessantly, disregarding all other "wrong" views on principle? I don't think there is "an answer". There is only daily effort. Getting through one's mundane, but necessary, responsibilities as gracefully as possible. Preferably with a decent amount of time to spare to goof off :)
We are all different. For example I can't understand people who get 'road rage' and turn into homocidal monsters behind the wheel, not willing to give an inch or have a little patience, whereas when the council comes to butcher the trees in my street I become apoplectic. :)
Plus, it's a lot easier to see extreme stupidity on the internet, while in everyday life people spend most of their time talking about the weather. It's hard to know what they really think, or how deeply ignorant they might be.
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Greta
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Greta »

vegetariantaxidermy wrote:Plus, it's a lot easier to see extreme stupidity on the internet, while in everyday life people spend most of their time talking about the weather. It's hard to know what they really think, or how deeply ignorant they might be.
I don't think of it so much as stupidity because some can argue off-beam points with great aplomb. I have the impression of skill in social game playing but shortfalls in logic.

I'd like to believe in life after death too, but I'd rather not convince myself of things I'm unsure about. Some have no qualms there and would probably posit that that was the point - to show faith. However, it seems to me that the point of the ancient advocacy of faith was to inspire optimism and confidence during difficult times (heaven?) - not to unlock some "cheat" that allows one eternal salvation.
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Belinda »

Greta wrote:
I'd like to believe in life after death too, but I'd rather not convince myself of things I'm unsure about. Some have no qualms there and would probably posit that that was the point - to show faith. However, it seems to me that the point of the ancient advocacy of faith was to inspire optimism and confidence during difficult times (heaven?) - not to unlock some "cheat" that allows one eternal salvation.
When I die I'd like to meet all my dogs who have passed away.What a welcome that would be! I also agree about" the point of faith", and I'd like to add that those magic and superstitious sorts of faiths which bargain with deities are also for inspiring confidence and optimism during difficult times.

It's not necessary to do a big philosophical hoohah about the existence of God and gods. Belief is not what religion is for , except for people who want to politicise it.
Walker
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Re: When people bash us on forums without any justification, then what and how should our response be?

Post by Walker »

Belinda wrote:Greta wrote:
I'd like to believe in life after death too, but I'd rather not convince myself of things I'm unsure about. Some have no qualms there and would probably posit that that was the point - to show faith. However, it seems to me that the point of the ancient advocacy of faith was to inspire optimism and confidence during difficult times (heaven?) - not to unlock some "cheat" that allows one eternal salvation.
When I die I'd like to meet all my dogs who have passed away.What a welcome that would be! I also agree about" the point of faith", and I'd like to add that those magic and superstitious sorts of faiths which bargain with deities are also for inspiring confidence and optimism during difficult times.

It's not necessary to do a big philosophical hoohah about the existence of God and gods. Belief is not what religion is for , except for people who want to politicise it.
No belief, no religion. Christ did not believe, did he? He knew, didn't he? Others founded Christianity, though he inspired the founding.

In the face of deliberate and obstinate obtuseness (not you, but in general relating to the thread topic), turning to ever-present beauty recovers the heart in time, if not immediately.
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