And lo on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:58:36 -0000, Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> did  
spake, saying:

> Phil Cook <phi### [at] nospamrocainfreeservecouk> wrote:
>> And lo on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 22:17:40 -0000, Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg>  
>> did
>> spake, saying:
>
>> >   Btw, why is it that every time I express my opinion that we should
>> > respect other people and not make fun of them nor insult them, I get
>> > strong opposition? This is something that always keeps puzzling me.
>
>> Would you respect a footballer's conviction that he needs to tie his  
>> laces
>> in a certain way before a match?
>
>   I'm talking about respecting people, not about respecting their  
> opinions.
> I would not go and laugh at that person and make fun of him, especially  
> not publicly.

So you can respect a person who has opinions counter to evidence and logic  
and will not change those opinions in the face of such?

>> How about an OCD's need to flick every
>> light switch in the room on and off (or off and on) before he can do
>> anything else? What about some person's conviction that he had to kill  
>> 12
>> rabbits a day.
>
>   Nothing of this would make me mock those people publicly.

What if they thought their actions were the only possible actions, the  
footballer starts a campaign for everyone to tie their laces just like  
him, the OCD claims the world would be a better place if everyone flicked  
switches on and off, if they were all completely immune to talk of logic  
and evidence and convinced that their way was the right and only way.  
Should we just let them be? see below for more.

>> So at what level would you place religion - footballer, OCD, killer, or
>> none? What happens if the footballer decides he *has* to tie his laces
>> this way and no other, the OCD gets violent if anyone interupts their
>> ritual (and I don't use that term lightly), or the killer moves up to  
>> dogs?
>
>   What does this have to do with making fun of people?

Because we've now moved on to respect. Should I hold the same level of  
respect for the people who believe the world was created in seven days as  
for the footballer tying his shoes, or the OCD or the killer. With the  
last two we'd treat their 'convictions' as things to remedy not respect,  
so why treat the first two any differently?

-- 
Phil Cook

--
I once tried to be apathetic, but I just couldn't be bothered
http://flipc.blogspot.com

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