On 10/26/2020 8:50 AM, Joe wrote:
It's all a bit subjective. As I understand things, a stranger deserves
It is entirely subjective. Whatever is or is not polite is not only a matter of perspective, it is also a matter of the situation and the relationships of the people involved. When I say to a close friend, "You are such an idiot!", it may or may not be at all disrespectful. The term "polite" has little or no meaning in such a context. Certainly nothing can be taken from the words themselves
politeness, and also a default value of respect, which as Leslie says, is worth nothing as it applies to every stranger.
Indeed. IMO, being polite as a matter of habit is nothing more than good manners, and it means nothing at all in terms of the person being addressed. Politeness in and of itself can imply an extremely high level of disrespect.
Genuine, higher-than-default respect can only be earned, but politeness should always be maintained, even in the face of rudeness.
I would mostly agree with that. One must judge each and every situation in its own context and on its own merits, or one is doomed to failure. This is one reason - one of many, many reasons - why concrete rules are so utterly worthless. Aside from the fact they are based upon the ego of some individual of indeterminate capabilities, they are an attempt at a one-size-fits-all solution to problems that do not exist at the time the rules where penned. The fact is crystal balls just do not work very well.
By the way, a number of people seem very angry at me - not that I really care - for my positions in this thread. Yet when challenged, none of them have provided any examples of my being rude or of my attacking anyone personally. I have declared certain statements to be nonsense or absurd, but how is that either disrespectful or impolite? I absolutely reserve the right to challenge any statement by anyone. If someone feels that to be disrespectful, then they are entitled to their opinion, but I submit they are just plain wrong, period.