4 ms·

[deleted]

by CoastalCoder 5y ago

[deleted]

threatofrain 5y ago
And what is the moral wisdom in contemplating this scenario if you've already rejected the means as unworthy?
- CoastalCoder 5y ago
  > And what is the moral wisdom in contemplating this scenario if you've already rejected the means as unworthy? A fair question. I guess there are several answers: (1) I was concerned that just because I mentioned being curious how that approach would play out, some readers would assume that I was advocating violence, and respond accordingly. I wanted to be very clear that that's not the case, because that would end all discussion. (2) I was mostly just wondering aloud how that would play out, because I'd like to understand human behavior better. I.e., I was doing a thought experiment, and realized that I didn't have any good guess for what the actual aftermath would be. So I was hoping to get other people's thoughts on the matter. EDIT: It seems I chose the wrong forum for the question, or made some other error. I'll delete the post, as it seems to not be contributing to meaningful discussion.
jgwil2 5y ago
I mean, have you ever punched somebody in the face? I'll admit the thought occurred to me as well but in practice, I think most people have a strong aversion to violence, not to mention the potential criminal liability.
- xyzzyz 5y ago
  Not to mention the fact that you might also end up getting beaten up by the person you assaulted, which would make you even worse off.
- mikelevins 5y ago
  I've punched many people in the face many times, and been punched in the face and in other body parts many times, too. Hard-contact martial arts was once one of my favorite hobbies, and I owned a martial arts studio for some years. Like other commenters, I do not generally advocate punching someone in the face for saying something rude or cruel, especially if you're well-adapted to fights and they aren't. It's probably unethical and definitely likely to cause you legal grief. I will say this, though: in twenty years or more of a hobby that involved punching people in the face, kicking them hard enough to knock outlines of their bodies into the drywall, and choking them to the edge of unconsciousness, I never saw the kind of thoughtless cruelty and bullying that is described here. Mostly I saw a lot of mutual courtesy and respect, with exceptions on rare occasions. I will say that people who like to punch down seem to lose their enthusiasm when they discover unexpectedly that they're actually punching up. Perhaps it will amuse you, as it did me, to hear about a fellow I know who is large and strong and skilled who dropped by to visit in person someone who had been bullying and abusing him online. No violence ensued, but the bully experienced an epiphany about the value of courtesy and discretion.
velcrovan 5y ago
That would have been deeply silly and accomplished nothing.
mikestew 5y ago
Another commenter asks, "have you ever punched someone in the face?" Well, I have, and on more than one occasion (no, I don't advocate it, either). This would not have been one of those occasions. It's not going to take him down a notch, it's not going to make him rethink his position. At best, your hand will hurt more than you thought it would, and you might even get arrested. But, hey, you won't have to worry about contributing to Racket anymore. In this instance, I would have told Professor Ivory Tower to piss off until he wants to climb down to do some real work with the rest of us. Because some of us don't have all day to sit on our ass and pontificate about the failings of others. But that's me. Because all that stuff Professor Asshole said is stuff he's afraid people are saying about him. And that's going to sting more than a fist to the face.

[deleted]

threatofrain 5y ago

And what is the moral wisdom in contemplating this scenario if you've already rejected the means as unworthy?

CoastalCoder 5y ago
> And what is the moral wisdom in contemplating this scenario if you've already rejected the means as unworthy? A fair question. I guess there are several answers: (1) I was concerned that just because I mentioned being curious how that approach would play out, some readers would assume that I was advocating violence, and respond accordingly. I wanted to be very clear that that's not the case, because that would end all discussion. (2) I was mostly just wondering aloud how that would play out, because I'd like to understand human behavior better. I.e., I was doing a thought experiment, and realized that I didn't have any good guess for what the actual aftermath would be. So I was hoping to get other people's thoughts on the matter. EDIT: It seems I chose the wrong forum for the question, or made some other error. I'll delete the post, as it seems to not be contributing to meaningful discussion.

jgwil2 5y ago

I mean, have you ever punched somebody in the face? I'll admit the thought occurred to me as well but in practice, I think most people have a strong aversion to violence, not to mention the potential criminal liability.

xyzzyz 5y ago
Not to mention the fact that you might also end up getting beaten up by the person you assaulted, which would make you even worse off.
mikelevins 5y ago
I've punched many people in the face many times, and been punched in the face and in other body parts many times, too. Hard-contact martial arts was once one of my favorite hobbies, and I owned a martial arts studio for some years. Like other commenters, I do not generally advocate punching someone in the face for saying something rude or cruel, especially if you're well-adapted to fights and they aren't. It's probably unethical and definitely likely to cause you legal grief. I will say this, though: in twenty years or more of a hobby that involved punching people in the face, kicking them hard enough to knock outlines of their bodies into the drywall, and choking them to the edge of unconsciousness, I never saw the kind of thoughtless cruelty and bullying that is described here. Mostly I saw a lot of mutual courtesy and respect, with exceptions on rare occasions. I will say that people who like to punch down seem to lose their enthusiasm when they discover unexpectedly that they're actually punching up. Perhaps it will amuse you, as it did me, to hear about a fellow I know who is large and strong and skilled who dropped by to visit in person someone who had been bullying and abusing him online. No violence ensued, but the bully experienced an epiphany about the value of courtesy and discretion.

velcrovan 5y ago

That would have been deeply silly and accomplished nothing.

mikestew 5y ago

Another commenter asks, "have you ever punched someone in the face?" Well, I have, and on more than one occasion (no, I don't advocate it, either). This would not have been one of those occasions. It's not going to take him down a notch, it's not going to make him rethink his position. At best, your hand will hurt more than you thought it would, and you might even get arrested. But, hey, you won't have to worry about contributing to Racket anymore. In this instance, I would have told Professor Ivory Tower to piss off until he wants to climb down to do some real work with the rest of us. Because some of us don't have all day to sit on our ass and pontificate about the failings of others. But that's me. Because all that stuff Professor Asshole said is stuff he's afraid people are saying about him. And that's going to sting more than a fist to the face.