Perhaps someone can clarify something for me: why do people call other people names and making fun of them?
I always thought that this (name-calling and fun-making):
was impolite, uncouth, unmannered, immature, and childish;
was what people resort to when they have no arguments (or no arguments left) to back their negative feelings towards someone;
implied that the person does not deserve the basic respect that supposedly every human being deserves.
I have noticed that some posters, such as Tamerlane and Polycarp (and I may be wrong, and there may be others who would apply as well) never engage in such name-calling or mocking - this makes them sort of stand out. Otherwise, it seems that people all over the place - here and in the real world - see nothing amiss about name-calling and fun-making. (A few examples off the top of my head of who seem to be victims of such name-calling - perhaps getting to the point of libel - are former President Clinton, Ann Coulter, President Bush, and His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.)
I am asking with regard to name-calling and fun-making in settings where the victim/recipient cannot respond or may not be aware of being victimized in such a manner. Examples: newspapers, radio shows, message boards (this one included), conversations, etc.
I know I do it when I can’t think. In my case, because I’m too angry to reason.
For other people it seems to be a way of life, but these are the ones whose brains are at room temperature for Alaska about January 15th, so you know, they’re still not thinking much. And many of them would do it to the person’s face as well.
I’ve never seen what was so funny about turning Mariluz (lit. Mother of Light) into MaryLightbulb, but those who do it whine like babies when I turn it around with their names - and stop doing it, at least for a while. So I guess they weren’t thinking about how their little joke felt to the recipient, either.
Anger is one cause, certainly. When it’s done with a cool head, I assume vanity is generally the reason. The lower the other guy is, the higher you are.
Yeah, I always thought this was kind of shitty myself. Except anybody in the media is fair game to me. What gets my goat, is how people can talk such garbage about their supposed friends. (behind their backs I mean)
I can never take anyone seriously when they use “President Shrub” or “Senator Scary” or “Billery”. It’s so childish I have a hard time respecting anything else they may say.
Very seldom are these names unique or new. They are usually a rehash of something someone else said first. The users are trying to look cool/funny/witty without having to work at it.
kidchameleon’s post contain good examples. If I call George W Bush “President Shrub” I don’t have have to actually put together a coherent statement of why I object to President Bush. I just sit back and look drool.
[QUOTE=WeRSauron]
Perhaps someone can clarify something for me: why do people call other people names and making fun of them?
What the hell do you care, you smelly un-lettered fat, idiot twit. And you’re horrendously ugly, too. Oh, and your mother’s a crack whore, and your father’s a sewer dweller to escape both of you. You make me ill and everyone else says the same thing.
[sup]Still, I kinda like ya.[/sup]
Who cares about celebrities and politicians? Paris Hilton and Rick Santorum don’t wake up every day crying because people don’t like them. Real people often do.
I agree that someone should have a more cogent argument than “Shrub” or “Billary.” But I don’t think you should waste your time worrying about the hurt feelings of the Pope. Charity begins at home.
