"White Noise": The Guide To The Insulting Deflector.

[Reforged]

Swaying them to your opinion is irrelevant. At any rate, I do not think the point of this forum is for readers. We are doing it for ourselves. This is a place for people to talk to each other. We are not the Alexandrian library of theism and atheism.

While it may not be censorship, it is condescending. Who are you or anyone else to say what is mature and what is not? Is telling adults how to behave in an open forum mature? Is passive aggressive asides telling others how immature they are whilst engaging in the same nonsense mature? Is wasting time debating with someone who is never, ever going to actually debate you mature? We all have different ideas of what is acceptable and what is not. In this forum, the only ideas that matter are the rules. Beyond that, people are free to behave as they want and free to be called out for it, particularly if they are being insulting.

If we do it for ourselves then we may as well talk at a balloon with a face on it. If you are your own standard by which you judge your own argument then isn't that falling into the same trap you accuse your opponents of falling into?

No-ones telling anyone how to behave. I am simply stating that reducing an argument to insults and anger is counter-productive to following a line of reasoning and questioning. In the case of the insulting deflector it plays straight into his hands. Forcing an insulting deflector into a retreat sends a message that this method does not work. That satisfaction will not be gained from it. If the message is issued enough times it may actually get through.
I would class the trading of barbs to be immature, perhaps you do not agree. Regardless this is how I choose to describe such behaviour, this saves me time when discussing it.