[extropy-chat] Insults in Posts

[Damien Broderick]

At 12:59 PM 4/26/2007 -0400, JKC wrote:

> > Nothing I know of is *objectively* stupid.
>
>Then tell me something that is subjectively stupid, that is, tell me
>something you think is stupid.

I take it that Lee is saying "stupid" is a word (an offensive, 
insulting word) applying to someone whose assessed intelligence is 
especially low, but not applicable to a belief, opinion, claim, 
action, etc. Jack, a mentally retarded human, can be called "stupid" 
but not his habit of wearing a huge bunch of random keys hanging from 
his belt in emulation of his custodians.

This usage advice goes against common practice:

< Stupidity is the quality or condition of being stupid, or lacking 
intelligence. This quality can be attributed to both an individual 
himself (John Smith is stupid) or his actions, words or beliefs (John 
Smith's policies are stupid).
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupid>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupid >

Damien Broderick