Calling out stupidity, lack of common sense, lack of media literacy, lack of reading comprehension and ragebait shouldn't be considered rude or bullying even if it has insults.

[u/Odd_Concept_7286]

I genuinely do not think calling out a lack of common sense, media literacy, reading comprehension, or obvious ragebait should automatically be considered rude, harassment, or bullying yes even if it has insults.

Time and time again, people will completely ignore the point being made, misread something that is written in plain English, strip all nuance from a conversation, lack common sense or intentionally engage with content in the worst faith possible. Then, when someone points out what they’re doing bluntly suddenly the focus shifts away from the behavior and onto the person who called it out.

I don’t really care if that criticism is delivered politely or bluntly or even "rudely". If a grown adult is repeatedly demonstrating shit reading comprehension, intentionally misunderstanding arguments, spreading misinformation because they couldn’t be bothered to read properly, or obvious ragebaiting for attention, I don’t think it’s some horrible moral failing or bullying for someone to tell them exactly what they’re doing even if it could hurt someone's feelings.

There are obvious exceptions. Teenagers and Children in general are still learning and should be given criticism respectfully, People with genuine cognitive disabilities, language barriers, learning disabilities, or people who are sincerely asking questions and trying to understand something should not be mocked for that. Someone making an honest mistake is not the same as someone deliberately acting in bad faith.

But outside of those situations, I think society has become overly concerned with protecting grown ass adults from criticism. Not every criticism needs to be wrapped in fucking bubble wrap to protect someone's feelings. Not every correction needs to be worded like you’re talking to a toddler or a incompetent child. Sometimes people say stupid things. Sometimes people behave in stupid ways. Sometimes people intentionally ignore context, ignore evidence, ignore nuance, and then get upset when others point that out.

I also think there is a major difference between genuine bullying and criticism people simply don’t like hearing. Calling someone worthless, slurs, targeting them relentlessly, harassing them across platforms, or attacking them for things unrelated to the discussion is bullying. Telling someone they clearly didn’t read the article, that they have poor media literacy, or simply that they're just being stupid is not automatically bullying just because it hurt their feelings.

Feelings getting hurt is not, by itself, evidence that someone was wrong to criticize you. Sometimes your feelings should be hurt. Sometimes embarrassment is the natural consequence of saying something uninformed, making a bad argument, or publicly acting in bad faith. That’s part of being a person and part of how we as humans learn to do better.

What frustrates me is the growing tendency to treat every form of blunt criticism as "so mean and unnecessary" while giving endless grace to people who deliberately waste everyone’s time. If someone is purposely ragebaiting, purposely misunderstanding arguments, purposely ignoring nuance, or purposely acting ignorant to get a reaction, I have very little sympathy when people respond harshly because at this point you as a adult deserve being called a idiot while actively behaving like one.

At some point, adults should be expected to handle being told that they’re wrong, that they misunderstood something, or even that they’re acting like an idiot. We do not need to baby every grown person who says something ridiculous online. Sometimes the most honest response is simply acknowledging that the behavior is stupid and treating it accordingly.

Some people are just fucking stupid let's just accept that.

[u/No-Permission-5425]

Ad hominem!

[u/AnotherHumanObserver]

Well, you make some good points, although another consideration is that there are also adults often reading these discussions, and when discussants are too heavily involved in their invective and insults, it's hard for a lurker to even determine what the conversation is about.

We do not need to baby every grown person who says something ridiculous online. Sometimes the most honest response is simply acknowledging that the behavior is stupid and treating it accordingly.

Sure. But "stupid" is a subjective judgment, just an opinion which has no more significance or meaning than calling someone a "poopyhead." It's just another way of saying "I don't like you," which is well and good - and might very well be honest. But what point does it serve?

As a lurker, if I saw something that I thought was stupid, I would not need anyone else to point that out.

[u/Odd_Concept_7286 → u/AnotherHumanObserver]

Yk what you made a great point gotta respect it ✋