Scott Adams on Respecting Beliefs

Scott Adams has a great post on respecting the beliefs of others. He tells us that respect is a short straw that should be used, but not equally across all beliefs. He supposes that if a belief is leading to good things happening in the world, and if the people who have those beliefs aren't going around threatning others, then maybe they should be respected. Even so, respect of beliefs should be tempered by a good dose of mockery.
The only thing that keeps most people from acting on their absurd beliefs is the fear that other people will treat them like frickin’ retards. Mockery is an important social tool for squelching stupidity. At least that’s what I tell people after I mock them. Or to put it another way, I’ve never seen anyone change his mind because of the power of a superior argument or the acquisition of new facts. But I’ve seen plenty of people change behavior to avoid being mocked.

I agree with this. Some beliefs are frickin' stupid and should be made fun of.

Update: April 20, 2006
  • Scott Adams raises a question about the 4 billion losers on this planet -- you know who they are -- they're the ones that don't in your god -- how do you explain yourself to them?

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