Intellectually lazy

In this blog I try to avoid name-calling and (I think) I usually succeed. I don't think it helps to say someone is stupid (though explaining why their ideas are stupid is another matter). About the only thing I'll do is refer to a Fundamentalist as a Fundie (feel free to comb through all 2900 prior posts to prove me wrong).

Though I don't do it, I've read lots of gay-oriented blogs (and scads of gay commenters) who are quick to toss around such terms as "wingnut" and worse.

Melissa McEwen of Shakesville has a policy similar to mine for herself and requires it of her commenters as well. She gives her reasons:

* Name calling is intellectually lazy. If you disagree with what someone said then clearly state why. If it is dishonest, obnoxious, comes from a place of privilege, is hypocritical, destroys community, or has any other fault, spell it out.

* Our opponents are used to the name-calling. They simply brand us as arrogant and go back to doing whatever oppressive thing they were doing.

* Name-calling doesn't lead to solutions. Describing someone as "nutty" means the idea isn't worth intensive examination, which allows the offensive idea to keep working against us.

Yes, McEwen knows how hard that is. She frequently refers to teaspooning, in which it seems she is trying to empty the sea with a teaspoon and she is feeling crushed by the vastness of trying to explain privilege to the clueless.