BREAKING Multiple people stabbed at far-right rally, and counter protest

It's not a straw man.

From a physics point of view, what are the consequences of speaking and writing words?

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I think I'm going to start trying to organize "responsibility-free-zones" for racists who want to stand and spew their hate, and they can be protected and safe from experiencing consequences.

I think Westboro Baptist Church thought of that already. Give them a call and I'm sure they'll be happy to help you.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

It isn't a physics topic. It's a humanities topic.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
It's not a straw man.

From a physics point of view, what are the consequences of speaking and writing words?

Sure is. So is bringing physics into it.

a reply to: daskakik

No it isn't. You're attributing causal relationships to things and events which cannot be justified by observation. Magical thinking.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

So you have never seen someone say something and have those words set off a chain of events?

I have. No magic there.

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
It's not a straw man.

From a physics point of view, what are the consequences of speaking and writing words?

That depends completely on the listener or reader...

a reply to: daskakik

Sure I have. When someone speaks, the vocal chords vibrate, breath is expelled and air is moved around a bit. When writing words a pen is often pressed to a piece of parchment and ink forms various combinations of symbols. That is the extent of any chain of events for saying something or writing something.

originally posted by: MystikMushroom

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
It's not a straw man.

From a physics point of view, what are the consequences of speaking and writing words?

That depends completely on the listener or reader...

Exactly right. The fault is with the leader or listener.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

So you have never ordered food or asked a question and got an answer?

This post was caused by your post. You are not seeing that?

a reply to: daskakik

You're the cause of your post, not me.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Dude. Give it a rest. Hate speech is harmful. It is emotionally and psychologically harmful. It causes people to become murdering sh!theads.

So stop. Words can be devastating. And you damn well know it. Otherwise ATS wouldn't have mods and have to shut down repeat offenders of ignorant hate speech and rudeness.
Civility and decorum is part of the human society's glue. Vocabulary matters.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

No. The fault is with the speaker to make sure he is understood. The listener or reader will interpret as they will. If a speaker is not understood correctly, it is ON THE SPEAKER to make himself understood.

You're really grasping here. Language is one of the most volatile tools that humans have developed. Stop acting like it's immaterial to the conditions in which we find ourselves.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

The reason words hurt you is because of this very thinking, your emotional and intellectual capacities, your education, all of which are yours and yours only, and instead of blaming yourself, you ban and censor speech and writers and burn books. I'm sorry, but scouring the annals of medicine proves that no one has been harmed by speech, whereas those harmed for speaking is a thousand fold.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Many things are the cause of my post. You trying to simplify things so that the phrase "words have consequenses" fits into your pet theory doesn't make it true.

Interesting that most people seem to understand that the phrase "words have consequenses" doesn't mean that the words themselves manipulate matter.

You are the cause of your confusion. Everyone else seems to grasp its meaning just fine.

a reply to: daskakik

I'm not confused. But projection is to be expected.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Words can hurt accidentally, but they hurt even more WHEN THEY ARE MEANT TO. And emotional damage and psychological damage are every bit as injurious as a hammer to the head or acid to the face. Just because you can't "see" the scars and the person isn't bleeding doesn't mean you haven't wrought severe harm.

If you don't know this then you really are not a fit writer or speaker for public audiences.

originally posted by: Dumbass
What is that called when some use violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims?

Hillary Clinton campaign??? Did I win??

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: LesMisanthrope

Words hurt because they are meant to. And emotional damage and psychological damage are every bit as injurious as a hammer to the head or acid to the face. Just because you can't "see" the scars and the person isn't bleeding doesn't mean you haven't wrought severe harm.

If you don't know this then you really are not a fit writer or speaker for public audiences.

And you are not fit to be a listener to speakers or a reader to writers. If you cannot control yourself around words and sentences, then you are not fit to hear them.

a reply to: LesMisanthrope

My thinking, education, profession, and personality make me acutely aware of words and their usage.

You are wrong. You are callously, unspeakably, alarmingly wrong and insensitive to how others receive your missives and remarks. That's on you. It's often a trait of those with personality disorders. Oblivious to the way they come across and/or uncaring about it.

Be nice. Don't be a dick. If you can't say something productive, don't speak.