Coggins7 wrote:Pointing out what I discern to be sloppy, simplistic, incoherent, and immature thinking is, to my mind, a far cry from calling you a commie, a fascist, a bigot, or a disgusting little worm, all of which I have called you and all of which I am trying to avoid in these kinds of forums from now on. pointing out and criticizing the poor quality of arguments or thought processes is incumbent upon any serious intellectual dealing with serious questions. Insults and personal slurs irrelevant to that task or the substance of the argument are not.
All you want Scratch, is a double standard by which you get to call me names but I don't get to fire back. No go.
You know, Loran, I have reflected upon this for a while. I tried to think back, to where all of this really started, and I realize that it basically stems from two things. Firstly, it has to do the fact that I defeated you in a number of debates, from which you always "retreated" for a "cooling off period." Second, it has to do with your postings down in the Telestial Kingdom---i.e., the stuff which I have really felt was quite racist. (You have since posted other material which is racist, which was called to your [and everyone's] attention by Jersey Girl.) What I have noticed is that the adolescent stuff does not send you packing. When you are dealt with in a calm, reasonable way, you always leave in a huff. So: that alone is reason enough to end the namecalling.
But I think the real reason that I kept badgering you was on a more personal and ethical level. The fact that you simply cannot comprehend how and why this stuff is racist is beyond me, Loran. I do not get it, but it sickens me. (Yeah, yeah, go ahead and chime in with your ridiculing of my "moral high horse" stuff.) Something like six months ago, I was engaged in similar sniping with Pahoran, and while it is fun on a certain visceral level, it really does tend to go south in a hurry. I was wiser about cutting things short back then. This time around, I "indulged" for a bit too long.
In any case, the bottom line is that I do not see how I can continue interacting with someone who is not only as rude, obnoxious, and arrogant as you, but further, someone who so completely lacks a moral and ethical compass to the extent that he cannot even recognize his own racism. (And in fact tries to make excuses for it.) Believe me: I am quite ready for your de rigueur charges:
---"This is all Scratch has to offer!"
---"Such a typical, typical Leftist."
---"Move along. Nothing to see here."
---"Go ahead, dig in your heels."
None of this absolves you of your repellent racism, and indeed of many quite appalling views you apparently hold towards gays, women, and so forth (yep, let's here your usual chime, "So typically Leftist. Cannot handle opposing views. Etc. It's really no different from Pahoran's chant of,
As you perfectly well know!!!. So: that's it. I just cannot, in good conscience, continue to interact with you, Loran. I hope you learn why your views are racist, and why they ought to be gotten rid of. Other than that, you join Pahoran---whose behavior put a man's life in jeopardy---on my "do not notice" list. Truly, I do not know what came over me, and cannot for the life of me figure out why I ever bothered to give you the time of day. Your racism places you so low on the totem pole of moral human beings that...well, I will leave it at that. Perhaps if you decide to apologize for your racism, we can have a conversation. Otherwise, have a nice life. Also, as Pahoran can tell you, unlike you, I can actually be held to my word.