# No direct personal insults or "flaming" in great debates

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-direct-personal-insults-or-flaming-in-great-debates/210240>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [October 29, 2003, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-direct-personal-insults-or-flaming-in-great-debates/210240 "2003-10-29T15:21:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 5

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2007, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-direct-personal-insults-or-flaming-in-great-debates/210240/5 "2007-12-21T06:50:06Z")

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The misunderstood, (and perhaps, misapplied) rule that the phrase “You are a liar” may be treated as the equivalent of “Your statement is a lie” is hereby suspended.

“You are a Liar” will be treated, henceforth, as a personal insult subject to the normal sanctions of insult in Great Debates.

[Should “Liar” Be Permissible In GD?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=447653)

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