Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat • Hacker News Board

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#31

Post by scarface74 » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:53 PM UTC

jeroenhd wrote: post #3

He didn't get banned for saying the earth was not flat, he was banned for calling people morons and idiots. I'm as much opposed to flat earthers as any person here, but calling people with questionable beliefs idiots and morons only serves to make you feel better about yourself. You can explain the ridiculousness of flat earth conspiracy without resorting to insults and you won't get banned as easily.

They are idiots. Why tip toe around and try to spare someone’s feelings who express statements that are provably false and should be known by someone who has enough of an education to read?

It’s not like a difference of opinion between supply side and demand side economics.

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#32

Post by IgorPartola » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:53 PM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #24

_1qd4 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're in strange times if you can't call a flat-earther an idiot and a moron. What's next, I can't call a Nazi a piece of shit? There are objectively correct times to use insults, this is definitely one of them.

I disagree I think personal abuse is always wrong. You can deal with even the most extreme situations and even the worst people while still being respectful.

Honest question: do you believe everyone deserves respect no matter what they do?

I am all for keeping things civil as much as possible and keeping conversations polite. But to me respect is earned, not a given.

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#33

Post by eplanit » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:53 PM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #24

_1qd4 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're in strange times if you can't call a flat-earther an idiot and a moron. What's next, I can't call a Nazi a piece of shit? There are objectively correct times to use insults, this is definitely one of them.

I disagree I think personal abuse is always wrong. You can deal with even the most extreme situations and even the worst people while still being respectful.

Meh. When a person identifies with a stupid idea (i.e. "I'm a flat earther"), then the person is stupid along with the idea, and it's okay to say so (IMHO). It's good for evolution to give such "corrections".

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#34

Post by giantDinosaur » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:55 PM UTC

TeaDrunk wrote: post #27

giantDinosaur wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Politeness doesn't mean you aren't insulting them. 'Moronic fools' is a fairly polite insult.

In this case he was already warned for calling people morons, then he called people moronic fools. Surprised pikachu face?

I find it far more insulting, despite being perfectly polite, for people to insist the Earth is flat, than for someone to dismiss them with what is, essentially, an accurate descriptor. I am utterly insulted at the waste of intellectual space and the energy expended in these useless debates when people who lived two thousand years ago had pretty much settled it.

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#35

Post by IgorPartola » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:55 PM UTC

maxlybbert wrote: post #28

fthssht wrote: post #15

Too rude for Quora? There will always be a place for you here. Welcome home.

It’s been years, so I know I’ll get the details wrong, but I vaguely remember a dating website that had an entry survey to help match people to whoever had the best compatibility score. But, for whatever reason, they got far more women applicants than men, and started turning particular women away. And some other dating site tried to advertise to those women (not good enough for ___? Try us instead!).

What dating website managed to get more women than men? Isn’t that like the unachievable holy grail of dating websites?

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#36

Post by chrisseaton » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:57 PM UTC

IgorPartola wrote: post #32

chrisseaton wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree I think personal abuse is always wrong. You can deal with even the most extreme situations and even the worst people while still being respectful.

Honest question: do you believe everyone deserves respect no matter what they do? I am all for keeping things civil as much as possible and keeping conversations polite. But to me respect is earned, not a given.

A basic standard of respect, yes. You can think someone isn't good at their job, or that they're mistaken, or that they make bad choices. But there's never any reason to resort to using personal abuse.

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#37

Post by jeroenhd » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:57 PM UTC

scarface74 wrote: post #31

jeroenhd wrote: post #3

He didn't get banned for saying the earth was not flat, he was banned for calling people morons and idiots. I'm as much opposed to flat earthers as any person here, but calling people with questionable beliefs idiots and morons only serves to make you feel better about yourself. You can explain the ridiculousness of flat earth conspiracy without resorting to insults and you won't get banned as easily.

They are idiots. Why tip toe around and try to spare someone’s feelings who express statements that are provably false and should be known by someone who has enough of an education to read? It’s not like a difference of opinion between supply side and demand side economics.

Nobody will listen to you if you call people morons, no matter how dumb they act. If you want to convince people not to believe these conspiracy theories, you need to come across as intelligent.

You can call their theories moronic and idiotic (with some proper scientific backup), but when you call people that, you only reduce your credibility.

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#38

Post by TeaDrunk » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 12:57 PM UTC

chrisseaton wrote: post #24

_1qd4 wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're in strange times if you can't call a flat-earther an idiot and a moron. What's next, I can't call a Nazi a piece of shit? There are objectively correct times to use insults, this is definitely one of them.

I disagree I think personal abuse is always wrong. You can deal with even the most extreme situations and even the worst people while still being respectful.

I think it’s possible to approach all situations respectfully but that the difficulty bound to do so varies depending on the parties and position being discussed. At some point and some edge cases it’s extremely unfair to expect polite responses. (Eg. Blaming a Black person for responding “fuck off” to a white person who says “lynching was good actually it keeps blacks in their place” is distinctly unfair to the black person as they are then expected to take and accept dehumanization and abusive language without responding as if they’ve been dehumanized or abused).

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#39

Post by minikites » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 1:01 PM UTC

jeroenhd wrote: post #37

scarface74 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are idiots. Why tip toe around and try to spare someone’s feelings who express statements that are provably false and should be known by someone who has enough of an education to read? It’s not like a difference of opinion between supply side and demand side economics.

Nobody will listen to you if you call people morons, no matter how dumb they act. If you want to convince people not to believe these conspiracy theories, you need to come across as intelligent. You can call their theories moronic and idiotic (with some proper scientific backup), but when you call people that, you only reduce your credibility.

And how well does it work when we're nice to them? How many people can be reasoned away from an unreasonable belief?

Re: Quora Bans Me for Saying the Earth Isn’t Flat

#40

Post by jfk13 » Thu, Jul 23, 2020, 1:03 PM UTC

IgorPartola wrote: post #35

maxlybbert wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s been years, so I know I’ll get the details wrong, but I vaguely remember a dating website that had an entry survey to help match people to whoever had the best compatibility score. But, for whatever reason, they got far more women applicants than men, and started turning particular women away. And some other dating site tried to advertise to those women (not good enough for ___? Try us instead!).

What dating website managed to get more women than men? Isn’t that like the unachievable holy grail of dating websites?

What percentage of the women were real?