Ignorance - Some People's Drug

[Cynthia]

Well, I was posting away on another site, and a friend of mine made a comment, that I responded to in his profile. We posted back and forth a few times until another user posted a comment responding to mine claiming that what I said was "gay".

This of course shows his own ignorance as "gay" is not an insult. It only means "homosexual," which is not an insult it's a lifestyle that people have. (Not necessarily born into or chosen.)

So I was kind enough to point that out to the interloper as it wasn't even his business being there in the first place, however he then proceeded to call me a "Narutard," which is just a name that means you like the show "Naruto." Which I do, however he has no way of determining that.

I decide it was time to make my own follow up statement, that being, "I can make statements without logic, common sense, or supporting facts behind them too.

The fact that I like Naruto, which by the way you had no way of knowing I did or not, means nothing, and it's not an insult at all, so you really need to go back to English class, because you are misusing words, and even making some up as you go along."

That set him off like a kettle on a stove.

The disgruntled person responded by calling me a "Feggit."

I was almost positive he meant to say "Fagot," which is the proper spelling, so I pointed out first and foremost he had misspelled the word, thus deteriorating the impact of the insult, as no one feels insulted if the person insulting them looks like a blathering idiot as they do so.

I then point out that "Fagot," is not an insult at all, as it only means homosexual, and there is nothing insulting about being a homosexual, so I begin to explain to him that he is radiating ignorance because he feels the need to belittle people that are different than him, and the method he uses for belittling them has no logic, as it's simply stating what they already know. I also take not that his screen name which contained the word "Bastard," in it, insinuated that he was a bastard child, and he was belittling other people to compensate for his own shame. I then tell him, he needs to grow up and get educated.

He responds with the simple "You're only a year older than me and your replies are worth a minute of lulz," excuse.

I retaliate with, "I was clearly referring to your intelligence and maturity, but apparently that is too complicated for you as well. You're spreading your ignorance all over, and claim that it makes you laugh when I respond.

The reason you laugh is because you can't argue with the logic that has been presented to you, so you need to push it off and act like you're still on top, when really you're confused and puzzled. You are unable to use facts to combat what has been presented, so you resort to simply being random and ignorant.

The old saying goes, "if you can't confuse them with the facts, baffle them with bullshit." Which is exactly what you are doing.

All you've amounted to doing is wasting two people's time, by getting involved in a conversation that did not even concern you, nor asked for your input. Don't bother replying anymore, I don't wish to waste anymore of my time with you, I won't be reading anything you put down until you educate yourself some more."

With that statement he vanished, and I'm sure he'll return sooner or later, as ignorance always shines through, and some never learn.

The important thing would have to be the lesson I gave him by saying I wouldn't reply, and of course plan on holding onto.

That lesson to him would be, "never battle with an idiot, their only tactic is to bring you to their level and pelt you with stupidity. Always leave before then."

Anyway I suppose this story was to give an example of what this topic is supposed to be about, and it's about ignorance. It's about ignorance and ignorant people, and how it makes one sound, look, or act.

Have you ever met someone with so much ignorance that you feel just listening to them will lower your own intelligence? I'm sure we all have.

Discuss, but please keep it appropriate.

[Mufasa]

The world is full of stupid people like that. I have one friend who's the stupidest, most childish thing on two legs. I mean, I love him, and I've known him for over ten years, but sometimes he can just be an idiot.

And, while intolerance is important, there's a difference between tolerance and acceptance.

Like, you can tolerate a crying baby on a plane. That doesn't mean it doesn't piss you off.

So, I think it's okay to have something that pisses you off, but you shouldn't condem something to hell, just because you don't like it.

Sorry if I went a bit off subject there.

[Judge Judy]

At school and college I have met many arrogant students who always tried to make fun of me. I am generally a quiet person, so I just ignored them.

They couldn't take it ;)

People who I dislike, I just tend to ignore them. Simple.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Dark Sage

[Cynthia]

I have to agree Dark Sage, I do the same thing mostly. A few occasions I'll try and educate people on what they are saying.

The success rate is about 50% however, as half the time they learn, the other half they don't.

It's like I always say:

Ignorance is like a drug, one day it'll kill you.

[Rehab]

You took this guy way too seriously. Why make a huge, well thought out statement when you're just going to tell him not to talk to you any more?

[Judge Judy]

Ignorance is like a drug, one day it'll kill you.

That is so true. Many teens are blinded by ignorance until they leave school and face the really world.

[Cynthia]

You took this guy way too seriously. Why make a huge, well thought out statement when you're just going to tell him not to talk to you any more?

Read my previous post.

There's always the off chance he realizes the stupidity of what he's saying, as it DOES happen, and has before. One less to deal with in the world.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Cynthia

[Leonri]

Impressive rant ;)

Eh, reading the first bit here (Ireland) "gay" as an adjective actually is an insult. We use it like some people say "sucks".

eg. "We got a ton of homework tonight." " Really? That's gay...."

Weird, huh? Then again, here the word cat means weird or strange. ^_^

Aaaaanyway, you should probably tell a mod or something. Noobs like this are annoying.

Though it is kind of funny, you correcting the spelling of an insult thrown at you. Nice touch.

No shame in being a bastard child.....

Haven't seen anyone like this guy around. Maybe I'm lucky

[Rehab]

You tried to educate him on what he was saying? So? He obviously doesn't care. They never do, and the odds are they know perfectly well what they're saying and do it anyway. He was probably looking for a reaction, and he got it.

[DeSu]

Faggot - Bundle of sticks

Gay - Happy/merry

You should have told him to learn before he used a word. That tends to leave a good effect.

[Cynthia]

Impressive rant ;)

Eh, reading the first bit here (Ireland) "gay" as an adjective actually is an insult. We use it like some people say "sucks".

eg. "We got a ton of homework tonight." " Really? That's gay...."

Weird, huh? Then again, here the word cat means weird or strange. ^_^

Aaaaanyway, you should probably tell a mod or something. Noobs like this are annoying.

Though it is kind of funny, you correcting the spelling of an insult thrown at you. Nice touch.

No shame in being a bastard child.....

Haven't seen anyone like this guy around. Maybe I'm lucky

Well you are referring to the slang meaning, which isn't the proper English meaning, the proper meaning is "happy," and has more recently been accepted as "homosexual," however it did not ALWAYS mean homosexual, the dictionary amended it to this when the homosexual population increased.

Gay isn't an adjective unless it's being used as happy. Such as in the sentence "The boy was gay and gleeful that his father would bring him candy."

Since the other meaning of gay is "homosexual," it's a noun, because a homosexual is a thing, and you don't describe things as homosexual. You say they ARE homosexual, for example you wouldn't say "This is Tim, he's very homosexual." That's improper, because you are either homosexual or you're not homosexual, you can't be a degree of homosexual. The proper way of saying it would be "This is Tim, he is a homosexual." Thus making the word a noun.

As a slang term, yes I suppose it could be an insult, but that's what I'm getting at, the fact that it was made into a slang term from the improper usage of a real word, and that is part of what inspires people to be hateful towards homosexuals.

[Cynthia]

You tried to educate him on what he was saying? So? He obviously doesn't care. They never do, and the odds are they know perfectly well what they're saying and do it anyway. He was probably looking for a reaction, and he got it.

As you can see, it's clearly not the one he was hoping for.

Secondly there really is no way to avoid something like that, that's like saying to ignore anyone trying to get a reaction, it can not be done.

Say someone blows up half the country, and continues killing more and more each day just to get a reaction, because that's what terrorism pretty much is. You just sit there and ignore it?

Some cases yes it's best to ignore it, but to each his own, and choose your battles.

As I said before, some people actually DO learn, if no one tells them how ignorant they are, how do you propose they ever try and change it? Some people are completely blind to their own ignorance. There ARE people who DO change.

Edit: I apologize, double post, I could have sworn I clicked edit on the first one. If there is a mod near by they can merge these 2 posts for me.

Edited September 23, 2008 by Cynthia

[Leonri]

Well you are referring to the slang meaning, which isn't the proper English meaning, the proper meaning is "happy," and has more recently been accepted as "homosexual," however it did not ALWAYS mean homosexual, the dictionary amended it to this when the homosexual population increased.

Gay isn't an adjective unless it's being used as happy. Such as in the sentence "The boy was gay and gleeful that his father would bring him candy."

Since the other meaning of gay is "homosexual," it's a noun, because a homosexual is a thing, and you don't describe things as homosexual. You say they ARE homosexual, for example you wouldn't say "This is Tim, he's very homosexual." That's improper, because you are either homosexual or you're not homosexual, you can't be a degree of homosexual. The proper way of saying it would be "This is Tim, he is a homosexual." Thus making the word a noun.

As a slang term, yes I suppose it could be an insult, but that's what I'm getting at, the fact that it was made into a slang term from the improper usage of a real word, and that is part of what inspires people to be hateful towards homosexuals.

I hardly think an improper use of slang has affected the amount of homphobic reactions in the world. People are always afraid of the unusual and the different. It's the same with blacks, Jews and other various persecuted minorites. Though, like these groups, homosexuals are becoming more accepted in society as a whole. A good thing of course. ^_^

Edited September 23, 2008 by Leonri

[Cynthia]

I'm actually quite glad that they have become more accepted, however not as much as they deserve to be, as a lot of them had to be in hiding for so long.

[Rehab]

Secondly there really is no way to avoid something like that, that's like saying to ignore anyone trying to get a reaction, it can not be done.

Say someone blows up half the country, and continues killing more and more each day just to get a reaction, because that's what terrorism pretty much is. You just sit there and ignore it?

In before Godwin. That's entirely different from one twerp trolling somebody online. And you can ignore that guy pretty easy. You don't have to care what this guy thinks, and he's not going to care about one person giving him a more detailed response that he's used to. They really never do.

[Cynthia]

In before Godwin. That's entirely different from one twerp trolling somebody online. And you can ignore that guy pretty easy. You don't have to care what this guy thinks, and he's not going to care about one person giving him a more detailed response that he's used to. They really never do.

I disagree, however you're entitled to your opinion.

[Kintenbo]

Yeah, it gets annoying when people seem to use only gay as an insult. It doesn't help that they use stupid things to determine whether a person is gay or not. Smiling is proof of being the homosexual type of gay? Looking slightly feminine is proof of being homosexually gay? I think not.

Oh yeah, isn't the term Narutard used for only people who are all "Naruto is the best anime ever, even though it's the only one I've ever seen". I have nothing personal against Naruto, it's just that it's rediculously overhyped.

[Cynthia]

Yeah, it gets annoying when people seem to use only gay as an insult. It doesn't help that they use stupid things to determine whether a person is gay or not. Smiling is proof of being the homosexual type of gay? Looking slightly feminine is proof of being homosexually gay? I think not.

Oh yeah, isn't the term Narutard used for only people who are all "Naruto is the best anime ever, even though it's the only one I've ever seen". I have nothing personal against Naruto, it's just that it's rediculously overhyped.

Agreed, I'm also not a huge fan of Naturo, I watch it occasionally. I also enjoy many other animes more than it.

[Serene]

Yeah I agree, I both me and Kira have a friend like that. Kira I'm talking about Davis.

Well anyways. He always says "you should do (insert what he want's you to do)" and if you don't he'll say "your gay"

He also does that with his standard "Nintendo is gay" line and tells me that me still liking nintendo is gay.

I being the type of person that finds more fun in agreeing with him Just goes with it

[Fireman]

Calling something/someone 'gay' is just plain ignorant and for a long while now, I have absolutely loathed responses in an argument along the lines of "Ha! That's funny!" when they're obviously just trying to make themselves seem all high and mighty, which I must say, never works.

Anyway, ignore people like that. Giving them a response is like sticking your hand into the "idiot's cage".

Edited September 24, 2008 by Fireman

[Cynthia]

Calling something/someone 'gay' is just plain ignorant and for a long while now, I have absolutely loathed responses in an argument along the lines of "Ha! That's funny!" when they're obviously just trying to make themselves seem all high and mighty, which I must say: It never works.

Anyway, ignore people like that. Giving them a response is like sticking your hand into the "idiot's cage".

That is quite stupid. They do it more around friend too, like if you actually say something that is really insulting and their friends are laughing at them, they play along with it like it was their intention all along. Very sad that people need to have the handicap of having 2+ people on their side to outsmart one person.

[Doom103]

Were is Sevensins he hates when people say your gay or something like that

I wold comment, but I use that all the time so I'm not really in the right to debate

[Wist]

It is very difficult to judge one's knowledge and intelligence on-line. Gay and fagot are often used colloquially in jest or as insults. Languages change all the time and English is especially notable for its vast array words with multiple definitions. His responses, if represented accurately, appear immature, but thy don't necessarily mean that your friend is ignorant or stupid. A number of people with whom I communicate on various forums neglect standardized spelling, punctuation, and grammar, or react to provocations differently than I would, but from previous discussions and experience with their writing I know that they some of them are much cleverer than I am.

As a broad example topic, some theists and atheists look down on each other for supporting views they respectively believe to be ridiculous or fallacious. To assume a person from a different camp of thought is ignorant or blind because of their perspective is unfruitful. Stereotyping a person in such a way completely neglects his or her individual merits; there are educated and uneducated theists and atheists both. In the same vein, some people choose to use language less strictly than others, whether for personal preference, typing speed, familiarity with those with whom the person is communicating, or because of the environment in which they were raised.

One cannot obtain a solid understanding of a person from his or her behavior on-line, and I think it's too presumptuous to label others as ignorant or unintelligent because of it. It could very well have been your attempt to educate him that inspired an angry retaliation, most people know how to define the word gay and he may have felt insulted. He may have been angry that your post implied that you believe you are his intellectual superior and he wasn't going to bother trying to argue you out of that perceived mindset. He may have been playing around for his own amusement and does not have a personal care for forum discussions. There are many viable explanations, none of which one can automatically assume to be true.

Whether or not anyone here finds it agreeable, the word gay now has an additional connotation, as happened when the word was expanded to describe homosexuals. It is an individuals choice whether or not to use the word as such (I personally do not, and evidently some of you do not either), but not everyone who doesn't uphold your preferred manner of writing is intellectually inferior.

[Cynthia]

It is very difficult to judge one's knowledge and intelligence on-line. Gay and fagot are often used colloquially in jest or as insults. Languages change all the time and English is especially notable for its vast array words with multiple definitions. His responses, if represented accurately, appear immature, but thy don't necessarily mean that your friend is ignorant or stupid. A number of people with whom I communicate on various forums neglect standardized spelling, punctuation, and grammar, or react to provocations differently than I would, but from previous discussions and experience with their writing I know that they some of them are much cleverer than I am.

As a broad example topic, some theists and atheists look down on each other for supporting views they respectively believe to be ridiculous or fallacious. To assume a person from a different camp of thought is ignorant or blind because of their perspective is unfruitful. Stereotyping a person in such a way completely neglects his or her individual merits; there are educated and uneducated theists and atheists both. In the same vein, some people choose to use language less strictly than others, whether for personal preference, typing speed, familiarity with those with whom the person is communicating, or because of the environment in which they were raised.

One cannot obtain a solid understanding of a person from his or her behavior on-line, and I think it's too presumptuous to label others as ignorant or unintelligent because of it. It could very well have been your attempt to educate him that inspired an angry retaliation, most people know how to define the word gay and he may have felt insulted. He may have been angry that your post implied that you believe you are his intellectual superior and he wasn't going to bother trying to argue you out of that perceived mindset. He may have been playing around for his own amusement and does not have a personal care for forum discussions. There are many viable explanations, none of which one can automatically assume to be true.

Whether or not anyone here finds it agreeable, the word gay now has an additional connotation, as happened when the word was expanded to describe homosexuals. It is an individuals choice whether or not to use the word as such (I personally do not, and evidently some of you do not either), but not everyone who doesn't uphold your preferred manner of writing is intellectually inferior.

The bottom line is there is NO way to use gay as an insult, as it shouldn't be an insult, it'd make about as much sense as me poking fun at someone for being straight, it's ignorant to say such things because it's not the way the word is supposed to be used, and you're belittling people for the sake of looking "cool", or "ownage" online.

An online personality mostly differs from a persons regular one, I agree, however people show their true colors more when they think no one they know sees them, and that makes some sense.

[Leonri]

The bottom line is there is NO way to use gay as an insult, as it shouldn't be an insult, it'd make about as much sense as me poking fun at someone for being straight, it's ignorant to say such things because it's not the way the word is supposed to be used, and you're belittling people for the sake of looking "cool", or "ownage" online.

An online personality mostly differs from a persons regular one, I agree, however people show their true colors more when they think no one they know sees them, and that makes some sense.

Being cat, ragged, thick, luidir or eejit are all insults where I'm from. ;) Are these being used "correctly"? Slang for a word is just as valid as the dictioanry defined meanings. Languages change constantly, and some of the slang will be "proper" words in 20 years. A person choice of words indicates little about their intelligence, merely their place of upbringing.