derogatory

I think it could be called a lot of things, but ultimately I think the aggressive tone is not helpful.

I was hoping for it to be more introspective and informative.

I think there are interesting ideas offered in the piece, right or wrong, and that there is a discussion to be had on the subject, which is why I was considering posting it. What ultimately kept me from doing so though is partly because I think the aggressive tone is a poor tone to set for starting such a discussion, for one, which would only inspire aggressive responses from commentators. I think that's unhealthy.

Recently I've begun to shy away from conversations that take aggressive, assured, and/or absolutist tones. They lead to an agonistic mindset when it comes to discourse, because suddenly people think that there is something to lose and something to gain, and as a result, there is a fear of "losing" the conversation. When we embrace a competitive mindset, we lose sight of exploring concepts, offering ideas, and trying to learn something. In trying to be "right" we convince ourselves that we are "right," and the other person is "wrong" and what they have to say has no merit. We focus on what we want to say, ignore what others have to offer us, and we shut ourselves and each other out. In that sense, we all lose, even if someone happens to "win" the discussion.

lil kind of touches this in a different way, in this thread about Pride. If we take an aggressive approach to our discourse, there's a good chance that the people we're trying to reach withdraw themselves from us and what we have to say.

You asked a while back why I'm trying to get off the internet. In meat space, when you're sitting next to another person or in a room full of people, there are social cues and motivations that encourage more gentle, and in my opinion, more fruitful conversations. The internet though? Not so much. So many people want more than to just be heard, they want to "win."