So my perusings of the Pit have revealed that “Liar!” is the latest insult du jour. Where does this come from? Should I blame Al Franken?
I just want to say…well…it’s admirable how many of you have suddenly become fearless seekers of truth. It really is. And I’m sure screaming “Liar!” serves to raise the quality of the debate. However, using “liar” as a slur lost a lot of its impact back on the playgrounds of third grade. How about you pick another word? Or at least add “Pants on fire” to the end, so we can mark the seriousness of your accusations.
well, what’s wrong to me is that it’s being used as a synonym for “you’re mistaken” or “you’re wrong”. And it predates the bruhaha over Franken’s book, IMHO. there’s certain posters who seem to use it frequently, especially in the manner I"ve described.
GMRyujin, they’re not just being called liars, they are also “truth haters,” have “loathesome contempt for simple honesty,” post “contemptibly dishonest rants that are beneath contempt,” and proclaim “stupid, laughably delusionary calumnies.” Liar is the basic gist, but the more colorful descriptions get layered on top of it for further delineation.