"YellowHoods" wrote:OK. Drawing attention to the typo was a cheap shot, but dress up your opinions how you like, they are elitist
No they're not. They're about as elitist as a public library. They require nothing from anybody more than thought. And if "thought" is elitist, then God help us.
It's true that I'm not a populist. I loathe and despise the too-common approach of exalting what is ignorant and thoughtless merely because a lot of people like it. I do not think that one opinion is as good as another, nor that one means of expressing it is as good as another. This is not a function of how much education anybody has. It's a function of whether or not they think it's a good idea to behave like a jerk.
"YellowHoods" wrote: and certainly give the impression that you look down on TiU posters because you consider their style and substance to be beneath you.
No, I dislike certain styles of posting because of their effect. This is what I said, and you know that it is what I said. Try not to pretend that people hold opinions that they have not expressed - it's a popular manouevre, but it is not an admirable one.
"YellowHoods" wrote:I am not debating the above points. That's exactly how it seems to me, and I assume on a democratic forum I am entitled to an opinion
The assumption that this is a democratic forum is not really to be squared with the refusal to debate your points, is it?
You are of course entitled to an opinion. But you're not entitled to have it respected merely because it is an opinion.
"YellowHoods" wrote:Why not just ignore the "shouty and thoughtless"? You don't have to engage them
For the reasons explained, more than once, above. Still, I'll give it another go, shall I?
Because they're destructive to the debate overall. This is so even if this or that individual should choose to try and ignore them.
For this reason, debates in public tend to have structures, and both written and unwritten expectations of those who participate in them. People who do not like that are asking for the triumph of the biggest and loudest mouth. I think this is something to be avoided.