"Snark and Sarc" responses by atheists: why? (hell, genesis, myths)
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It's now a common criticism by Christian posters here that atheists produce a seeming endless and predictable stream of nasty, snarky invective and sarcasm when they are deep into the depths of a topic debate.
Question is: why?
Answer is: we face a barrage of equally predictable non-responses that essentially fly in the face of established rules of order (Robert's Rules for instance) that are the cornerstone of a real, honest & usually adjudicated debate.
(PS: God help the theist fundies if we were required to adhere to these common-sense rules on C-D.... )
We are protected here, all of us, from the consequences of having our real identities and phone numbers available to all the other participants. Can you imagine if I impuned your life's religion and you chose to call me up on the telly on it, or if I could call you at 3:00am (your time) to badger you about your "silly Creationist" ideas?
And so, we can generally let fly with some impunity (guided by the accumulated wisdom of our wonderful moderators of course... ) in our responses to what we might [correctly...] perceive as abject stupidity, blatant intransigence and glaringly incorrect definitions or concepts (like combining evolution and abiogenesis as a primo example... ).
Undt Zoo..., over time, we acquire our own 'Net-personas here, having tried [generally unsuccessfully] to produce some level of polite reasoning and debating banter. We atheists often ask simple logical questions but then receive nonsense, denialist answers, or better yet, unrelated ad hominems, instead of the other side's reasoned & seasoned answers.
We politely ask some of the more vocal and intense amongst them to provide their understanding of the topic at hand, in order to confirm their deep technical understanding of the topic under discussion, (how else can you discuss a topic, if you have no essential understanding of it?) and we get?
Nothing. Ever.
For instance, can any of the vigorous Christian denialists of Evolution, ancient-Earth geology, solar science and a truly ancient cosmos prove their own education and deep understanding in these areas? From a real and accredited university, not some abandoned PO Box-addressed bus-stop in the Aussie outback [a famous but sadly humorous case a few years back... ]
Well, so far, not a one has stepped forard in my +two years posting here. Not a one. And so, I've reluctantly had to come to my own well-supported conclusions about that....
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And so.... why is it that we atheists, eps. we with an actual technical background, or those who have wisely chosen to self-educate themselves out of those dark spaces, so quickly and often convert in a debate to responding with Snark & Sarc?? Well... you tell me.
(I feel that I know why, but I wanna see if you do... Besides, I'd probably go into a particularly vicious Snark & Sarc Mode, of which I am now admittedly a predictable and consistent provider. Why?
I feel that time (and my patience) is running out for me to try to achieve even some minor and begrudging level of acceptance from our Christian and Muslim champpions. They have on their philosophical armor, protecting them from an invasion of skeptical-think. I feel I've got 'em pegged, but hey.... even I may be wrong. )
Well then: just tell me how or why I'm so very wrong.
It's now a common criticism by Christian posters here that atheists produce a seeming endless and predictable stream of nasty, snarky invective and sarcasm when they are deep into the depths of a topic debate.
Question is: why?
Answer is: we face a barrage of equally predictable non-responses that essentially fly in the face of established rules of order (Robert's Rules for instance) that are the cornerstone of a real, honest & usually adjudicated debate.
(PS: God help the theist fundies if we were required to adhere to these common-sense rules on C-D.... )
We are protected here, all of us, from the consequences of having our real identities and phone numbers available to all the other participants. Can you imagine if I impuned your life's religion and you chose to call me up on the telly on it, or if I could call you at 3:00am (your time) to badger you about your "silly Creationist" ideas?
And so, we can generally let fly with some impunity (guided by the accumulated wisdom of our wonderful moderators of course... ) in our responses to what we might [correctly...] perceive as abject stupidity, blatant intransigence and glaringly incorrect definitions or concepts (like combining evolution and abiogenesis as a primo example... ).
Undt Zoo..., over time, we acquire our own 'Net-personas here, having tried [generally unsuccessfully] to produce some level of polite reasoning and debating banter. We atheists often ask simple logical questions but then receive nonsense, denialist answers, or better yet, unrelated ad hominems, instead of the other side's reasoned & seasoned answers.
We politely ask some of the more vocal and intense amongst them to provide their understanding of the topic at hand, in order to confirm their deep technical understanding of the topic under discussion, (how else can you discuss a topic, if you have no essential understanding of it?) and we get?
Nothing. Ever.
For instance, can any of the vigorous Christian denialists of Evolution, ancient-Earth geology, solar science and a truly ancient cosmos prove their own education and deep understanding in these areas? From a real and accredited university, not some abandoned PO Box-addressed bus-stop in the Aussie outback [a famous but sadly humorous case a few years back... ]
Well, so far, not a one has stepped forard in my +two years posting here. Not a one. And so, I've reluctantly had to come to my own well-supported conclusions about that....
__________________________________________
And so.... why is it that we atheists, eps. we with an actual technical background, or those who have wisely chosen to self-educate themselves out of those dark spaces, so quickly and often convert in a debate to responding with Snark & Sarc?? Well... you tell me.
(I feel that I know why, but I wanna see if you do... Besides, I'd probably go into a particularly vicious Snark & Sarc Mode, of which I am now admittedly a predictable and consistent provider. Why?
I feel that time (and my patience) is running out for me to try to achieve even some minor and begrudging level of acceptance from our Christian and Muslim champpions. They have on their philosophical armor, protecting them from an invasion of skeptical-think. I feel I've got 'em pegged, but hey.... even I may be wrong. )
Well then: just tell me how or why I'm so very wrong.
To all Atheists: Please, please, please, do not ever stop the great witty snarky (snark- not disrespectful insults) come-backs.
It is a great joy to me...and one of the main reasons I come on this board.
Also...please have Rafius prepare a course on the subject (complete w/lab)...and conduct a virtual-classroom...so all of you can develop and grow in this area.
There seems to be some difficulty in knowing where the line is drawn between snarkiness and disrespectful insults, since it varies with each person on the boards.
GldnRule: I'm glad you can respond as you did! At least it amuses you. I try not to be gratuitously insulting, but some people will take any criticism of their position as heresy worthy of extreme measures (fatwas, etc.).
For instance, can any of the vigorous Christian denialists of Evolution, ancient-Earth geology, solar science and a truly ancient cosmos prove their own education and deep understanding in these areas? From a real and accredited university, not some abandoned PO Box-addressed bus-stop in the Aussie outback [a famous but sadly humorous case a few years back... ]
Well, so far, not a one has stepped forard in my +two years posting here. Not a one. And so, I've reluctantly had to come to my own well-supported conclusions about that....
__________________________________________
I have had the same issue with Creationists. Esp the ones who offer up explainations that are neither scientific nor biblical.
1st Amendment, and realizing the detriment of placing pseudo science and myths on the same level as real science makes me snarky and sarcastic. You can't take everyone seriously, especially if they're defending the notion that humans can rise from the dead and other non sense.
There seems to be some difficulty in knowing where the line is drawn between snarkiness and disrespectful insults, since it varies with each person on the boards.
I am patient with stupidity, but not with those who are proud of it.
It's now a common criticism by Christian posters here that atheists produce a seeming endless and predictable stream of nasty, snarky invective and sarcasm when they are deep into the depths of a topic debate.
Question is: why?
Answer is: we face a barrage of equally predictable non-responses that essentially fly in the face of established rules of order (Robert's Rules for instance) that are the cornerstone of a real, honest & usually adjudicated debate.
(PS: God help the theist fundies if we were required to adhere to these common-sense rules on C-D.... )
We are protected here, all of us, from the consequences of having our real identities and phone numbers available to all the other participants. Can you imagine if I impuned your life's religion and you chose to call me up on the telly on it, or if I could call you at 3:00am (your time) to badger you about your "silly Creationist" ideas?
And so, we can generally let fly with some impunity (guided by the accumulated wisdom of our wonderful moderators of course... ) in our responses to what we might [correctly...] perceive as abject stupidity, blatant intransigence and glaringly incorrect definitions or concepts (like combining evolution and abiogenesis as a primo example... ).
Undt Zoo..., over time, we acquire our own 'Net-personas here, having tried [generally unsuccessfully] to produce some level of polite reasoning and debating banter. We atheists often ask simple logical questions but then receive nonsense, denialist answers, or better yet, unrelated ad hominems, instead of the other side's reasoned & seasoned answers.
We politely ask some of the more vocal and intense amongst them to provide their understanding of the topic at hand, in order to confirm their deep technical understanding of the topic under discussion, (how else can you discuss a topic, if you have no essential understanding of it?) and we get?
Nothing. Ever.
For instance, can any of the vigorous Christian denialists of Evolution, ancient-Earth geology, solar science and a truly ancient cosmos prove their own education and deep understanding in these areas? From a real and accredited university, not some abandoned PO Box-addressed bus-stop in the Aussie outback [a famous but sadly humorous case a few years back... ]
Well, so far, not a one has stepped forard in my +two years posting here. Not a one. And so, I've reluctantly had to come to my own well-supported conclusions about that....
__________________________________________
And so.... why is it that we atheists, eps. we with an actual technical background, or those who have wisely chosen to self-educate themselves out of those dark spaces, so quickly and often convert in a debate to responding with Snark & Sarc?? Well... you tell me.
(I feel that I know why, but I wanna see if you do... Besides, I'd probably go into a particularly vicious Snark & Sarc Mode, of which I am now admittedly a predictable and consistent provider. Why?
I feel that time (and my patience) is running out for me to try to achieve even some minor and begrudging level of acceptance from our Christian and Muslim champpions. They have on their philosophical armor, protecting them from an invasion of skeptical-think. I feel I've got 'em pegged, but hey.... even I may be wrong. )
Well then: just tell me how or why I'm so very wrong.
First I was gonna be all like: "Ok dad, I get it....I'll calm the hell down"... but then I remembered Riflmn snarks with the best of us all the time. There is, in fact a scientific answer for everything.
I have been refraining from "Snark & Sarc" because I thought it might be frowned upon (which also seems to cause me to lurk much more often than post). It seems, perhaps, that I've been denying myself the nature embraced by all other birds of the feather. Game on?!?!?!
This is an explanation, but it does not work as a justification. I believe it was Data from Star Trek:TNG who said something about past wrongs not excusing bad behavior.
Still you have my sympathy to a large degree. Some people in life can get pushy and weird on these issues.
I have been refraining from "Snark & Sarc" because I thought it might be frowned upon (which also seems to cause me to lurk much more often than post). It seems, perhaps, that I've been denying myself the nature embraced by all other birds of the feather. Game on?!?!?!
By the way, love the coinage "Snark & Sarc"
I can verify that despite the fact that over in the sidebar we have a 'sarcasm' emoticon for use, that an atheist here can be banned simply for being sarcastic.
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) in our responses to what we might [correctly...] perceive as abject stupidity, blatant intransigence and glaringly incorrect definitions or concepts (like combining evolution and abiogenesis as a primo example... 
).
) 
There is, in fact a scientific answer for everything. 