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In a public forum, maybe to convince others who won't be taken in by the pigeons "struting". Your refusal to argue on the basis that they're too "dumb" to play the game, on the other hand, will be much more damaging to your position.

Trying to convince one single individual of something is a mugs game anyway, you can only "sow the seeds." Even if they seem change their mind, they probably only do so to appease you in that moment.

It's very unlikely you'll change another's POV, regardless of their intellect, whereas arguing in front of others, including online, is a very good way of convincing other people, witnesses, of your view.

Even if such a person does not follow your points well, such an interaction can have a benefit to you.

Mark Twains quote about not arguing with people who drag you down to their level and beat you with experience (I'm butchering that quote a little bit) is admittedly relevant here and bias will always exist in the minds of all people even the most rigorous, which is why the market place of ideas has flaws but possibly the worst thing you can do is to refuse an argument on the grounds that they are some kind of name you have designated to them.

In the case above that name is "dumb". Even though that post was probably an attempt at humour, the point still remains, in the minds of those you would like to convince, I.e. Not people who already share your views (that is an echo chamber), you will be perceived as the inferior of the two parties. If you resort to name calling of any sort and refuse argument, your views will take hits for this (why would you not defend your views if a person's misunderstanding of them is "dumb"? Looks like you "can't" defend them.)

Remember kids, whether we like it or not; optics are important. The art of rhetoric has been used for centuries by unscrupulous folks to trick people into certain views, sometimes these have been conscious tricks, sometimes unconscious on the part of the speaker (for instance, it's easy to fool yourself with the use of logical fallacies).

This is why it is important for a person who does not wish to fool people or obfuscate to also present their arguments with good optics. Simply refusing an argument with an "unworthy" opponent because they're "bad people" or "unintelligent" and therefore will not change their mind and use their experience of ignorance to obfuscate, willingly or not is actually bad optics on your part.

First of all, value judgements don't often move witnesses of your conversation. You may be trying to convince them of your values, even in that case you must provide a reason why they should follow. Secondly highly judgemental views towards an individual such as they are "dumb" will also, in most cases, look bad on your part, unless you are arguing against somebody extremely obnoxious and ignorant but it rare, on the Internet, to find non-troll who will be this extreme.

Sure in some instances name calling can have a positive impact. For instance, H.L. Mencken once wrote, what is regarded by some as the greatest anti-religious polemic of all time, that all those who believed what methodists were telling them were not being fooled but rather that they are fools. Notice though how this was against a group of people holding a belief and not against an individual in mid-argument. Name calling often fails in that context.

All of the above doesn't merely have to apply to high end arguments about philosophical or political views. For instance if you are a customer in a dispute with a company and the worker who is disputing your claim is "rude" or "dumb" these same rules apply in an argument such as that. It also works from the workers perspective. People witnessing your dispute will have more consideration for your side of the argument, if you don't act superior or resort to name calling thus refusing to speak further.

Lastly, maybe you're not trying to convince anyone of anything, however one has to wonder why you would want to consider arguing any points in the first place. The only conceivable view (aside from just liking to argue) is that you wish to signal your virtue to those who share your opinions, which all in all is a very self-serving approach, not a respectable one and if you want to actually see change in the world, not a useful one.

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Just Sleep

I wake up at this time in the morning and I feel like this, full of dread and anxiety, I shouldn't be feeling like this not now. I feel so alone.

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Friendship

Is everything but somewhere a long the way I have forgotten how to make myself happy

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Life

Is hard right now, god dammit, why do I get feelings like these. 

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Random Quiz

Birthday

2nd July

Age

26

Astrological sign

Technically Gemini, I am traditionally seen as a cancer (wow, that phrasing). No idea why this is important and surely this could be figured out by reading the first answer

Middle name

Conway

Parents' names

Linda/Ross

Names of sibling(s), if any

Only child

Birth order

N/A

Name of their first pet, if any

I had fish and a stick insect but they didn’t really do much. I count a pet as an animal that interacts with you in some way, so my first ‘real’ pet was a rabbit and his name was Bramwell

The name of current pet(s), if any

None

Favorite movie

Movie’s’* one is hard to do

>Children of Men

>Amélie

>There Will Be Blood

 Favorite TV show

Not gonna lie its probs GoT but South Park is up there and I religiously watched Friends in my teenage years

Favorite book

The Fall by Albert Camus, I still haven’t fully comprehended it but that is part of the fun, the bits I understand ring true for me and I find Camus’s absurdist approach to philosophy exhilarating

Favorite band

In terms of bands Blur and the Smiths are probably the top two but my top five favorite artists are; 1.Björk (the empress herself) 2.Tom Waits 3.Atmosphere 4.St. Vincent 5.FKA Twigs

Favorite food

Tuna pasta bake (particularly if its made by the mother :D)

Least favorite food

Tinned tomatoes, beetroot and most vegetables if they are on their own

Preferred pizza toppings

PINEAPPLE ALL DAY, yes I am one of those and if you’re not, then fuck you. I kid of course, dislike whatever you want, just keep your inferior tastes away from me (;D)

Favorite soda

Not really a fan of sodas to be honest, water will do or some kind of chocolate drink if I am feeling adventurous 

Favorite alcoholic drink

Spirits mainly, Pimms with lemonade hits the spot. Won’t say no to a good ol’ cider once in a while

Their eye color

Blue

Where I grew up

Sandwell, no I am not from Birmingham for those who insist the black country and Brum are the same thing, you’re wrong, thx 4 askin tho

Cat person or a Dog person or both or neither

I gravitate towards cats but dogs do seem to love me though

Best friend

Bo 4eva

How I take my coffee

I shot espressos 

Favorite season

Autumn Favorite sexual position

Wouldn’t you like to know... Probably not actually :( xD

Dream job

At this point probably a writer. During college and university I would have told you something to do with film, to quote a Twenty One Pilots lyric;

And since we know all dreams are dead/And life turns plans up on their head/I will plan to be a bum/So I just might become someone

The worst job I ever had

I got on with the people there but working as a waiter at mecca bingo was soul destroying, however I don’t regret it, precisely because the struggle was real and I see value in it, plus I have some fun memories of the people I worked with

Favorite sports team

West Bromwich Albion, honestly never get into football. You don’t have a favorite team, you have a passion that will crush you week in, week out despite the few moments of elation along the way. Honesty I don’t think I even enjoy football anymore, it feels more like a necessity and a very expensive one too!!!

Allergies are

Once I had a server allergy to Brazil nuts but I grew out of that one, now I have less harmful allergies such as pesto and some cats and dogs (but not all weirdly)

Biggest celebrity crush

My crush one Jennifer Lawrence was pretty immense not gonna lie, these days celebrities bug me, I do have a small crush on Carey Mulligan though, looks, personalty plus I love almost all the characters she portrays

Whether I can roll my tongue

Yes :S

The name of my first love

I’d rather not share that here

The name of my favorite coworker

I work with one of my closest friends now, so definitely not them! Just kidding its PJ

If I’m left-handed or right-handed

Righty

Nickname

Scizzle (now out of use) ( I was a grime kid, don’t judge me)

Scooter

Parents' jobs 

My dad is basically a mechanic (long story short)

My mom chose not to go back to work after giving birth to me, although tiding the house, looking after my nan before she passed, often making the dinner are all jobs in their own right and shouldn’t be undermined 

Favorite school subject

History, a piss poor standard of teaching, not necessarily our teachers fault but those of us on the back row always had a laugh and the field trips were legendary 

Least favorite school subject

Maths, poor teaching meant I never progressed much, the class itself was a nightmare though, uncontrollable, sympathies for the teacher 

Biggest fear

>Being inherently and innately inadequate

>Lack of consciousness, irrational though that is

>Time

What year I graduated high school

2007... I think? God it feels so long ago

What year I graduated college

Now I understand this is an American centric quiz, so if you mean by college ‘University’ that was 2013, in Britain college is a different level of education, I graduated college in 2009 (again, I think, cut me some slack it was a long time ago) 

Do I like camping

Probably more as an idea than in practice. I have camped at festivals, all great experiences. The camping itself was less desirable Favorite ice cream flavor Chocolate fudge

Ice cream in a cone or a cup

Cone

Do I like spicy food

Hell yeah

Am I vegan or vegetarian

Hell no. I kid of course, whilst I am neither, I would prefer to be a vegan for ethical reasons (although not the stereotypical judgmental moralistic type that people rightly dislike) and there are a few vegan alternatives I love. In truth, I wouldn’t have much of a diet if I was a vegan. That being said I haven’t made any big steps towards becoming one and researching a way I could function with that diet so the fault lies with me, the contradictions are on my head alone  

Cake or pie

Cake? No pie. Actually Cake! Or pie. Nope cake, final answer. Next question, hurry please

If I prefer the sheets to be tucked in or untucked at the end of the bed

Untucked purely because of ease of entry/exit and movement

Favorite swear word

Swear words are overrated, but if I have to... The most offensive one that isn’t discriminatory is cunt so I’ll go with that (XD)

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The say a new years resolution is bound to fail

However, despite this common (and often accurate) assumption, I have some goals I want to achieve. Perhaps that is the wrong word, as “goals” require an ending (or at least imply one) and what I have in mind are more permanent practices. They are as follows;

1. Exercise more often, coupled with healthier eating

2. Read more books. Even if I can only read 30 minutes a day, that will be enough

3. Practice meditation, starting small, 10 minutes a day at least

Overall I am looking forward to the new year, times with friends, deepening my understanding and maybe even expanding my experience. There is always a worry about loss as we venture into an unforeseen future but all in all the new year should be good. Here is to hoping it is and wishing everyone else a happy new year too!

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Libreria Acqua Alta, Venice, Italy

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Some questions

1. What activity in your life lights you up with joy? Creating and spending joyous times with friends 2. What is something you always love doing, even when you are tired or rushed? Why? See above (Why?) Because I value friendship highly, as the greatest form of love 3. If a relationship or job makes you unhappy, do you choose to stay or leave? Depends on the situation, there is always unhappy times in a relationship or job. In a job I feel more pressure to stay. In a relationship I'd be more inclined to leave if unhappiness was continuous 4. What do you fear about leaving a bad job or a bad relationship? Job: Lack of money, could lead to me not pursuing personal interests in my own life such as visiting places with friends Relationship: Fear of making a mistake, bad times do not always last 5. What do you believe is possible for you? I'm pretty negative on the self, so not a lot but honestly I don't know 6. What have you done in your life that you are most proud of? Graduating University, most probably, but I'm also proud that I have a group of loyal friends 7. What is the thing that you are second most proud of? Two examples above 8. What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind? Kids, who think for themselves, open minded, compassionate and understanding of others Hopefully I might be remembered that way also 9. How does your being here in the universe change humanity for the better? I don't think it's better or worse for me being here. I am just a small water molecule in entire sea. Humans are great in number, the cosmos is dizzyingly vast, I am one small blip. I do, however, try to do some good 10. If you could have one single wish granted, what would it be? Self interested wish: That I could be accepted in the ways I want to be Selfless: People could understand other people and their positions rather than assuming motives 11. How comfortable are you with your own mortality? It gets scary at times but ever since I became more strong in my atheist convictions, I have actually become a lot more stoic about my annihilation. When I was Christian lite/deist and later on, atheist lite I actually feared death lack of consciousness much more than now 12. What is your highest core value? Impossible to choose one so here is two: Responsibility: Own up to your decisions and your short comings, sometimes the world is against us but sometimes that's just an easy excuse Compassion: Realise that not everyone is strong enough to be responsible, help them cultivate responsibility or just simply be there for them, if you can 13. To your best knowledge, how do other people perceive you? If they know me: Thoughtful, kind, unconfident and loyal, perhaps intelligent, I couldn't say If they don't know me: Shy, withdrawn, probably awkward, maybe even boring 14. How would you like others to perceive you? Intelligent, kind, wise and humorous 15. How confident are you in your abilities to make decisions for yourself? It differs from decision to decision 16. What is your biggest self-limiting belief? That I am wretched 17. Who is the most important person in your life? Bo, always. In fact all my friends have a place in my heart and my parents have my love too 18. Who is your greatest role model? Firstly I don't agree with the grammar of the question, I dislike the concept of role models, we must model our life off our personal values and choose our own purpose. I will however list people I admire: Personal: my grandad, I always perceived him as wise and measured and also loving and caring Intellectual: Christopher Hitchens, he taught me it's not what you think, it's how you think. Opened my mind about many different subjects 19. Who is a person that you don’t like yet you spend time with? Nobody 20. What is something that is true for you no matter what? Hard to say anything that could remain true if opposite evidence came to light but here are some things that I'd find hard to let go of: 1. Friendship is the highest form of love, even romantic relationships need to be based around a strong friendship "Most marriages do not fail due to lack of love but rather because lack of friendship" - Nietzsche (paraphrased) 2. Society should be organised around merit with full social mobility 3. People should be viewed as individuals first and group identity should be irrelevant. Group identity will produce general differences when studied, some natural, some nurtured but no group is a monolith, we are individuals first, thus we should not be judged by our demographics nor should we strive to make a collective identity the main component on who we are or why we think the things we do (and assume a person's motivations based on group) 21. What is your moral compass in making difficult decisions? I can only answer this question in terms selfless and self interested decisions. I don't believe in self-sacrifice nor do I believe in harming others. If I can make a decision that will do limited harm to myself but will help others, or a self-interested one that will not harm others at all, in general these are the right courses of action. Selflessness is good when it is not sacrificial but self-interest must always be taken into account. And, if done the right way, in doing so, I think we become better people 22. What is one failure that you have turned into your greatest lesson? Closing myself off to opinions I feel uncomfortable with, for a long time I would assume the worst about people I had strong disagreements with, I would believe selective quotations about them and avoid them. 23. What role does gratitude play in your life? A great deal, I'm grateful for many things, friendship most of all 24. How do you feel about your parents? I love them, they have their flaws but who doesn't, they've always been there for me. However, realising they're wrong about some things was the most important growth I've achieved 25.How is your relationship with money? Not great at saving but I can do it. I'm not so bothered about money, I'm more concerned about enjoying my life and fulfilment. Money can help and is necessary but it isn't everything 26. How do you feel about growing old someday? I don't like the thought but as long as I've achieved some of my goals found value in them and I'm still enjoying the journey, it won't concern me much 27. What role has formal education played in your life and how do you feel about it? School education got in the way of my learning, it also damaged my confidence. College was fun but not strict enough, I felt like I passed by default. The freedom I felt was uplifting. University was great, met brilliant people there, wish I'd took more advantage of it. I also wish I had the views and motivations I have now back then, maybe I'd have joined a student group 28. Do you believe your destiny is pre-determined or in your hands to shape however you wish? Overall, I think I can shape my future, But many things are also determined (not pre). What I really have control over is being proactive (which I should practice more than I do) and how I react to changing circumstances 29. What do you believe is the meaning of your life? The meaning of my life is whatever I decide it is, maybe I need to create a meaning or perhaps I can take the advice of Camus and embrace the absurdity of a meaningless existence? For even Sisyphus can find enjoyment and life affirmation in his predicament of having to eternally push a bolder up a mountain. Maybe affirming ones life is more important than meaning

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Why?

Am I at home on a Friday night, sooooo bored and tired, life hits you hard up here at 26

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"Once upon a time, in some out of the way corner of that universe which is dispersed into numberless twinkling solar systems, there was a star upon which clever beasts invented knowing. That was the most arrogant and mendacious minute of "world history," but nevertheless, it was only a minute. After nature had drawn a few breaths, the star cooled and congealed, and the clever beasts had to die." - Friedrich Nietzsche (On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense)

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Interesting discussion on Hitchens

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why are bats stigmatized as being creepy?

I mean

look at these things

they’re like tiny

fluffy

dragons

but instead of breathing fire they squeak and cuddle 

in caves

and leaves

and they have funny ears and noses

I mean really

bats are amazing

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Sam Harris on the dangers of identity politics and it's link to tribalism

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