# Do you have to be offended by personal insults for them to count

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-be-offended-by-personal-insults-for-them-to-count/546229>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [July 10, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-be-offended-by-personal-insults-for-them-to-count/546229 "2010-07-10T17:16:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 12

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**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-have-to-be-offended-by-personal-insults-for-them-to-count/546229/12 "2010-07-10T21:30:18Z")

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> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> Why does everyone assume a statement like mine has to be malicious? Its no different than saying ‘hey, me and these hookers are all going to go shoot heroin and worship the devil, want to come?’ to a religious fundamentalist.

An important difference, though, is that you didn’t say it to him in the context of an ongoing debate. You called him out by name in a thread where he had not even participated.

Instead of:

> [@Pros and cons of raising the retirement age](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pros-and-cons-of-raising-the-retirement-age/545587/1):
>
> I think the best idea is to raise Rand Rover’s taxes and spend it on ourselves. One man one vote.

why not write:

> [@](#):
>
> I think the best idea is to raise taxes on the wealthy and spend it on ourselves. One man one vote.

??

It doesn’t change the substance of your argument, and it has the benefit of not poisoning the well by taking a direct jab at another poster.

As breaches of etiquette go, it’s not the worst thing in the world, and **Rand Rover** has demonstrated time and again that his skin is thick enough to take it, as well as dish it out in return. But i just don’t see the point of needling someone like that in the OP of a GD thread.

Just MHO.

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