sjw Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 http://www.objectivistliving.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11341&view=findpost&p=145799George H. Smith has explicitly admitted that his sole purpose in engaging me is to provoke me, that he purposefully refuses to engage in any discussion of ideas with me. For example, he uses his stature as a noteworthy author (well, somewhat noteworthy; his Wikipedia page has been under threat of deletion) to declare me to be a "crank," as opposed to substantively analyzing whether or not that epithet is well deserved or not. If I criticize this behavior, he accuses me of being a "whiner" or "squealing like a stuck pig." Since this post is also critical of him, I'm sure that it will be called "whining" too.But can anything be more subversive to a rational, healthy discussion ideas than George's bad faith behavior here? Is there any line at all that should not be crossed at a forum that is devoted to reason? Is George H. Smith's behavior merely immoral, or does it cross the line into psychopathy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy)? Should an explicit admission of a purpose of relentlessly attacking, not bad or wrong ideas, but a person as such, constitute grounds for at least a warning from the moderator?Given that George has not actually physically threatened me, what he's doing is not harassment per se, but clearly what he is doing could be called intellectual harassment, and I think he should be banned from doing it. He should either be engaging in terms of true and false, right and wrong, or not be engaging at all.Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George H. Smith Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 http://www.objectivi...ndpost&p=145799George H. Smith has explicitly admitted that his sole purpose in engaging me is to provoke me, that he purposefully refuses to engage in any discussion of ideas with me. For example, he uses his stature as a noteworthy author (well, somewhat noteworthy; his Wikipedia page has been under threat of deletion) to declare me to be a "crank," as opposed to substantively analyzing whether or not that epithet is well deserved or not. If I criticize this behavior, he accuses me of being a "whiner" or "squealing like a stuck pig." Since this post is also critical of him, I'm sure that it will be called "whining" too.But can anything be more subversive to a rational, healthy discussion ideas than George's bad faith behavior here? Is there any line at all that should not be crossed at a forum that is devoted to reason? Is George H. Smith's behavior merely immoral, or does it cross the line into psychopathy (http://en.wikipedia....iki/Psychopathy)? Should an explicit admission of a purpose of relentlessly attacking, not bad or wrong ideas, but a person as such, constitute grounds for at least a warning from the moderator?Given that George has not actually physically threatened me, what he's doing is not harassment per se, but clearly what he is doing could be called intellectual harassment, and I think he should be banned from doing it. He should either be engaging in terms of true and false, right and wrong, or not be engaging at all.ShayneAh, poor little Shayne. GhsJeez, that is one annoying baby. So is the kid the in the video. Ghs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'm sorry this thread got started.It's now in the Garbage Pile where it belongs.Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 I appreciate George giving us a sample of what I'm talking about.We liberty-oriented folk can't live in the kind of world we prefer at the moment, at least not politically-socially, so what we are left with is creating the kind of world we'd like to see in the intellectual sphere, such as in this forum. Does George's behavior exemplify what we are after?Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'm sorry this thread got started.It's now in the Garbage Pile where it belongs.MichaelInteresting. So a discussion of what constitutes proper forum etiquette violates the etiquette of this forum.Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Shayne,I'm not going to discuss this.Opening a spat thread with a direct insult title crosses the line of flexibility.So it's time to stop the crap.Take a deep breath, clear you mind and try to relax.Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 So, a title describing what George is very clearly doing to me is bad, but his doing it is OK.George has told you that if you moderate him in any way, shape, or form, he'll leave. Am I to understand that if I don't stop calling a spade a spade in this thread, then I'll be moderated/censored?Incidentally, my mind is quite clear.Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 An interesting phenomenon I've noticed in some circles is that if someone does something untoward, then it's considered uncouth to identify it. The attention is directed to the messenger, not to the original behavior the messenger is describing.If anything defines "bad faith", it is a purposeful avoidance of a discussion of ideas, and instead a purposeful provocation of the person. George admits it. And yet, he provoked me to the point of creating this thread, and that's bad. How so? It's exactly what he was aiming at. He himself admits that he wants that.Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjw Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 George, given how sternly you warn Michael about not moderating you, are you going to be coming to my defense if I am moderated? I'm only doing what you want -- I was provoked by you into creating this thread. It seems that you should be quite pleased with yourself.Shayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Stuart Kelly Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 This thread is closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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