I love freedom and liberty, but recognize it also has its limits and demands corresponding duties to your fellow man in a functioning society.
Why do you hate civility and politeness?
Why do you hate civility and politeness?
Trick or treat?
- Thread starter Homicidal_Squirrel
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Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
I usually invent my responses, as I do not quote or link that often when I give a response.Heh.
I feel the old levels of snark rising up inside me.
Ahem. Here it comes:
Yes. You can. You can help me not like what you wrote, because what you wrote assumed I said something I did not, and so you did help in my dislike thereof. You also can help me be snarky and avoid answering anything you ask, and in fact you are doing so right now with the way you yourself are avoiding responding to what I actually said.
In a conversation you follow what the other person is saying and then you respond to it. You do not invent responses and then act like those happened. Quoting me and then playing it as a response to something different that I didn't say anything at all about is not a conversation, it is baiting and it is rude.
As for your feeling of insatisfaction, you can always write something that betters reflects your thoughts and I could write another response. Maybe you'll find it more satisfactory.
Kramodlog
Naked and living in a barrel
Those have no bearing on the case here. The lady's letter was both civil and polite. As for duty of Halloween, let me laugh. /laughs
This just asking conformity for conformity's sake. Because you do not like what she is doing. And it really is just a double standard when you think about it. In a similar case of feelings getting hurt (football match ending 91-0) you had no problem with it and defended it.
The woman has all the right to do what she did in a liberal democracy. What is wrong in a liberal democracy is bullying and intimidation, like some people in this thread suggested should happen. Unless you find those to be civil, polite and a duty?
It was neither, according to the standards proffered by Ms. Manners, and I'll take her view on matters like these more seriously than yours, based in what I've read of the writings of the two of you.
As stated above, I've yet to encounter a parent in this area who thought that these letters were anything but bullying.
Homicidal_Squirrel
Adventurer
Sure, she could have done that, but there is no requirement that she does it. If a pair of Mormon missionaries knock on your door, you could open the door and be polite to them (invite them in or say no thank you), or you could just say "What the f do you want?" If some kid goes to her house begging for candy, she can give them candy, give them nothing, or give them the letter. It's her choice what she does. It may not be the kosher thing to do, but it's her choice.
Sure, there are other ways in which she can express her concern about obesity in children, like your neighbors who don't participate in the candy giveaway, but it's her choice how she expresses her thoughts on that. I mean, it's not as if she is going out of her way to find fat kids to five these letters to. She isn't walking around the streets looking for fat kids to give this to. She is giving it to kids who show up at her door.
...in full view of the other children, in a breach of the expectations of the holiday celebration.
My guess is she's already "popular" in the neighborhood, though. Misanthropy like this doesn't manifest itself only once per year.
Homicidal_Squirrel
Adventurer
So what? There are times when you will be humiliated in front of other people. Also, it's not as if fat people don't get humiliated in front of their friends, co-workers, family members, and complete strangers. The kid learns a lesson, and they'll be able to handle things in the future. Also, it's not as if this lady is reading the letter to the kid and his friends at her door.
Very true, which means that you already know the type of person you are sending your kids to go interact with when you let them knock on her door. You should have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
People do get humiliated in all kinds of situations, and lif will provide them. Which means there's not much point in doing so intentionally unless you've got a sadistic streak.
She's just illustrating one of my favorite maxims: "There's no situation so bad that people can't make it worse."
Homicidal_Squirrel
Adventurer
You're assuming her intent is to humiliate them. As I mentioned previously in my conversation with Umbran, that isn't always the result. Some kids may find the letter to be aversive. Others may not. They may or may not follow the advice she is giving them in the letter.
No, all I'm assuming is that she has the intent to distribute said letters- that someone will be humiliated is a reasonably foreseeable consequence.
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