Like I said, it’s less “do your small part” and more “act in such a way that there would be good outcomes if everyone acted that way.” It’s basically the exact same reason to be polite in tiny interactions with strangers even though there would be no consequences if you were rude. If you disagree that there’s any virtue in acting in such a way because of the apparent lack of direct positive outcomes then that’s fine, but my point is simply that this is a common view about basic morality.
I would also add that being rude and not agreeing with somebody's statements are separate things.
For some reason people conflate the two and then it is difficult to have a civil discussion on the Internet.
Don't agree with somebody's response? Don't try to shift the discussion to something else like the particular choice of words and whether you "feel" it was rude. If you can't or are not willing to discuss the actual arguments it is better to stay silent.
Comments
Like I said, it’s less “do your small part” and more “act in such a way that there would be good outcomes if everyone acted that way.” It’s basically the exact same reason to be polite in tiny interactions with strangers even though there would be no consequences if you were rude. If you disagree that there’s any virtue in acting in such a way because of the apparent lack of direct positive outcomes then that’s fine, but my point is simply that this is a common view about basic morality.
Of course there would be consequences if you were rude. Just not to you.
I would also add that being rude and not agreeing with somebody's statements are separate things.
For some reason people conflate the two and then it is difficult to have a civil discussion on the Internet.
Don't agree with somebody's response? Don't try to shift the discussion to something else like the particular choice of words and whether you "feel" it was rude. If you can't or are not willing to discuss the actual arguments it is better to stay silent.