For instance, “every single part of your post struck me as being either a factual mistake, flawed reasoning, or gratuitous allusion to an irrelevant topic” is forceful but (if actually sincere and backed up with argument) conveys no disrespect for the author.
Agreed, but I think the respectfulness of this quote can be improved further, by replacing “your post” with “this post”. It seems silly and doesn’t change the semantic content at all, but de-emphasizing the connection between a post and its author by avoiding the second person serves to dampen status effects and make it easier for the other person to back down or withdraw from the conversation.
Agreed, but I think the respectfulness of this quote can be improved further, by replacing “your post” with “this post”. It seems silly and doesn’t change the semantic content at all, but de-emphasizing the connection between a post and its author by avoiding the second person serves to dampen status effects and make it easier for the other person to back down or withdraw from the conversation.