Replies

There's nothing wrong with telling someone they're wrong. How you do it separates the men from the boys.

You do seem to have to have difficulty, as I said, differentiating between intelligent discourse and a shouting match. The former gives some semblance of civility. The latter is something you seem to excel at and enjoy.

Now, it's entirely possible you've not been schooled in these finer elements of civilization. That's OK. There's nothing wrong with ignorance. It is especially well for your development when you recognize the shortcoming as such, and make honest attempts to assimilate your new learning experience. We hold out great hope for you!

Why should I have butt in in the first place? Well, first off, I didn't realize it was your forum. My apologies. Secondly, I admit - I responded in a moment of weakness. You threw out the bait with your Neanderthal attacks, and I brazenly, albeit unconsciously, took that bait and engaged you in what has become quite uncivil discourse.

It should also be mentioned that nowhere did I take a stand your, or your opponent's, "facts", thereby rendering the "ignorance" angle from you moot. My ax to grind with you is your demeanor in this thread, or what passes for it. Not content to insult this guy, belittle him, and try and pass yourself off as something superior, you play the aggrieved party when someone calls you on it. Yeah, I'm real impressed with you.

I'll give you back your board, but not before I mention that not only are tact and diplomacy not your strong suits, but they're quite apparently not even in your lexicon.

I'll admit - this "debate", such as it is, has been a waste of time, and I'm a poorer man for having wasted my time on you.

Have a nice day tomorrow!

CA....

I'll give you back your board, but not before I mention that not only are tact and diplomacy not your strong suits, but they're quite apparently not even in your lexicon.

So... Where are your posts taking creationists to task for behaving like complete asses, and arrogantly insulting entire branches of science, the professionals who practice them, and the people who appreciate these fields?

Why are you ripping WildHorseCrash a new one for responding with admirable restraint to someone who posted an insulting mischaracterization of an entire well-established field? Why are you ignoring the past history of that poster, who has said even worse and refuses to revise his attitude when called on it? Why are you ignoring the wider behavior of creationists in general?

In short, why are you barging in berating one poster for a post that was hardly way out of line, without a clue about the context in which it was said?

Just for the record, here's the original "shouting match".

That was what I thought. A few teeth and jaw fragments and they know all this from 37 million years ago? A leap of faith.
Only to the ignorant. Teeth and jaw fragments can tell a knowledgeable person a lot about the owner of that tooth or jaw fragment. Dentition can be signature features in identifying evolutionary relationships because certain dental features and certain combinations of features arise and are preserved in some lineages and not in others.
Further, by examining the surrounding structures, the combinations of teeth, their placement, etc., knowledgeable people can learn a lot about the behaviors and diet of these creatures, because certain features are consistent across lineages, depending on these dietary or behavioral factors.
You guys really excel at attempting to make those who disagree with you look stupid. I'm ignorant - oh, well. By the way, that isn't going to win you any converts.
First, I never implied you were stupid (i.e., slow to learn or lacking intelligence), but merely ignorant (i.e., lacking knowledge). There is no shame in being ignorant; it simply describes the state of having a lack of knowledge. That can be remedied. There is no shame, that is, so long as one does not shut out the knowledge when it is provided. It is only at that point that ignorance becomes stupidity.
So if, in fact, you feel you look stupid, it is perhaps because you are rejecting knowledge that is provided to you. That is on you.
Oh, and I am not in the game of winning "converts." That's for religious hucksters and politicians. If someone wants to wallow in ignorance, practicing voluntary stupidity... what can I say, it's a free country; he can do what he wants.

And here is an example of "civilized discourse"

Well, my, my, my, don't we have a rather high opinion of ourself today?

Interesting.