Editorial news calls quite a lot of people Idiots


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It's an opinion. There is no right and wrong, only an opposing opinion.

Except that in this case, the opposing opinion means you "look like an idiot". Right? ;)

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Nope, but you coming after the staff like this sure makes you look like idiots.

Some of you are idiots. Some of that points of view in this thread are idiotic.

That isn't to say all of you are, but certainly some of you.

In particular the people who have taken their dislike to the basest and extreme most point of comparing the operating system to Vista. In this point the staff got it right.

I don't really care if you think they got it wrong or right, but given the staffs response to your point of view, what do you think you are going to achieve by hammering away in this thread?

They are standing by their author (for good reason might I add), and their author stands by his point of view. All you are doing in here is making yourselves look like idiots.

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Nope, but you coming after the staff like this sure makes you look like idiots.

Some of you are idiots. Some of that points of view in this thread are idiotic.

That isn't to say all of you are, but certainly some of you.

In particular the people who have taken their dislike to the basest and extreme most point of comparing the operating system to Vista. In this point the staff got it right.

I don't really care if you think they got it wrong or right, but given the staffs response to your point of view, what do you think you are going to achieve by hammering away in this thread?

They are standing by their author (for good reason might I add), and their author stands by his point of view. All you are doing in here is making yourselves look like idiots.

This is of course, merely your opinion. Which clearly, not everyone shares with you. Interestingly enough, your opinion is not automatically "right" either. As has been seen in this thread, there are plenty who disagree with your opinion, staff behind you (or the author) or not.

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No-one?

Feel free to look back through the forum.

You can join the non-idiots pile, but only just.

This is of course, merely your opinion. Which clearly, not everyone shares with you. Interestingly enough, your opinion is not automatically "right" either. As has been seen in this thread, there are plenty who disagree with your opinion, staff behind you (or the author) or not.

Absolutely it is. I made no assertion of factual correctness.

The fact that my opinion isn't inherently right isn't interesting.

There are plenty of idiots in the world. I'm willing to attribute this to them. Also, the majority of the "noise" in this thread is from a select few people.. Feel free to check your posts to that regard.

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No-one?

Feel free to look back through the forum.

You can join the non-idiots pile, but only just.

Absolutely it is. I made no assertion of factual correctness.

The fact that my opinion isn't inherently right isn't interesting.

There are plenty of idiots in the world. I'm willing to attribute this to them. Also, the majority of the "noise" in this thread is from a select few people.. Feel free to check your posts to that regard.

You kinda did. But feel free to check your posts to that regard.

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Hm. If someone said I looked like an idiot, for whatever reason, and I was still adamant they were wrong, I wouldn't be offended by it; instead, I would attempt to prove them wrong, with reason and logic. Maybe that's just me, though, but I wouldn't have found the term offensive.

Editorial comment: You're an idiot.

There is a difference between the forums and news articles. As Scorpus explained, news articles are not governed by our Community Rules, whereas forum posts are. So this post of yours breaks our rules, whereas the editorial doesn't. Further, the editorial doesn't actually call anyone an idiot, like your post does, as has been pointed out.

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Further, the editorial doesn't actually call anyone an idiot, like your post does, as has been pointed out.

Which of course is entirely debatable. At this point this defense is simply splitting hairs. The intention is to make anyone who thinks Vista = Windows 8 feel like...an idiot. So realistically speaking, he is calling all of those people idiots. Personally I don't necessarily care as his opinion doesn't really matter that much to me, but let's not downplay it any further. It is what it is.

Feel free to elaborate.

No thanks. Your posts are readily available for you to read, as well as others. :)

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See, that's the thing.

I can call you a pedophile, but if I can't back it up, it's just bull****.

On that basis, your post is bull****. Have the balls to back it up..

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See, that's the thing.

I can call you a pedophile, but if I can't back it up, it's just bull****.

On that basis, your post is bull****. Have the balls to back it up..

My balls are happily where they belong. If you feel you need to check/look for them, I'd be happy to guide you? ;)

Once again, read your posts.

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A natural born troll.

He has all the skills down pat. Make an accusation, be fervent, then cover with bull**** and unwillingness to engage in the conversation.

It's a great tactic. Works pretty much all the time.

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A natural born troll.

He has all the skills down pat. Make an accusation, be fervent, then cover with bull**** and unwillingness to engage in the conversation.

It's a great tactic. Works pretty much all the time.

It takes a troll to recognize a troll. Just saying. You were flippant and making accusations without backing them up as well. So why should I cater to you? No thanks.

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Which of course is entirely debatable. At this point this defense is simply splitting hairs. The intention is to make anyone who thinks Vista = Windows 8 feel like...an idiot. So realistically speaking, he is calling all of those people idiots. Personally I don't necessarily care as his opinion doesn't really matter that much to me, but let's not downplay it any further. It is what it is.

[. . .]

I don't think I'm downplaying it, and I don't think it's splitting hairs. I just think that telling someone that something they do makes them look like an idiot isn't actually calling them an idiot?it's a warning, pointing out that they've said something silly that they probably haven't thought properly about.

An idiot is someone who cannot think wisely, so flat-out calling someone an idiot doesn't acknowledge the idea that they may well be able to think soundly; however, stating that something they've said makes them look like an idiot does acknowledge the idea that they're not an idiot and it's just that they've said one silly thing without really thinking about it.

So there is a huge difference between the two, in my opinion.

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I don't think I'm downplaying it, and I don't think it's splitting hairs. I just think that telling someone that something they do makes them look like an idiot isn't actually calling them an idiot?it's a warning, pointing out that they've said something silly that they probably haven't thought properly about.

An idiot is someone who cannot think wisely, so flat-out calling someone an idiot doesn't acknowledge the idea that they may well be able to think soundly; however, stating that something they've said makes them look like an idiot does acknowledge the idea that they're not an idiot and it's just that they've said one silly thing without really thinking about it.

So there is a huge difference between the two, in my opinion.

Splitting hairs Calum. Once again, I don't care that he called anyone an idiot but pretending that's not what he meant and or how it was obviously perceived by some doesn't actually help anyone in this situation.

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I've been watching this one, and finally have to comment. I agree very much with the editorial. People who read it and were personally insulted probably are idiots, so I really don't care if they were offended. The editorial went to great lengths to educate the ignorant fools as to why their misconceptions are wrong, and if they weren't capable of being educated by it and instead throw hissy fits like kindergarteners and threaten to leave Neowin because its writers point out their idiocy then, well, they know where the door is.

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I don't think I'm downplaying it, and I don't think it's splitting hairs. I just think that telling someone that something they do makes them look like an idiot isn't actually calling them an idiot?it's a warning, pointing out that they've said something silly that they probably haven't thought properly about.

An idiot is someone who cannot think wisely, so flat-out calling someone an idiot doesn't acknowledge the idea that they may well be able to think soundly; however, stating that something they've said makes them look like an idiot does acknowledge the idea that they're not an idiot and it's just that they've said one silly thing without really thinking about it.

So there is a huge difference between the two, in my opinion.

Considering the article completely misses the reasons why Windows8 is being compared with Vista (reasons that have been pointed out several times already) it seems to me that going all passionate qualifying an opinion whose reasoning you don't actually understand as "idiotic" does nothing more than making a fool of you.

That's not a post on the forums but a featured editorial on the very front page, and despite the "unprofessional journalism" motto I think you should draw the line somewhere.

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The editorial went to great lengths to educate the ignorant fools as to why their misconceptions are wrong

The editorial is a strawman, the author is arguing points no one has raised.

Windows8 is not compared with Vista because of technical merits or flaws, but because Vista was perceived as a failure. It's about the public perception and acceptance of the product, not the qualities of the product itself.

Plain and simple.

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Splitting hairs Calum. Once again, I don't care that he called anyone an idiot but pretending that's not what he meant and or how it was obviously perceived by some doesn't actually help anyone in this situation.

It is not splitting hairs. One statement is calling the person an idiot and the other statement is a warning that their one-off silly view is the kind of view an idiot would hold. There is a distinct difference. Many people say silly things sometimes or rarely, without fully thinking through what they're saying, yet those people are not actually idiots, and that is what the statement "makes you look like an idiot" is pointing out?it's implying that they aren't actually idiots, but they've said one thing that is foolish or silly that they may not have properly thought through.

Considering the article completely misses the reasons why Windows8 is being compared with Vista (reasons that have been pointed out several times already) it seems to me that going all passionate qualifying an opinion whose reasoning you don't actually understand as "idiotic" does nothing more than making a fool of you.

That's not a post on the forums but a featured editorial on the very front page, and despite the "unprofessional journalism" motto I think you should draw the line somewhere.

I'm not even commenting on the content of his editorial or whether it's right or wrong; I'm merely pointing out that there is a distinct and huge difference between calling someone an idiot and saying that one thing they've said makes them look like an idiot :)

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It is not splitting hairs. One statement is calling the person an idiot and the other statement is a warning that their one-off silly view is the kind of view an idiot would hold. There is a distinct difference. Many people say silly things sometimes or rarely, without fully thinking through what they're saying, yet those people are not actually idiots, and that is what the statement "makes you look like an idiot" is pointing out?it's implying that they aren't actually idiots, but they've said one thing that is foolish or silly that they may not have properly thought through.

A valiant effort Calum. However, sadly misplaced and very much incorrect. Had he not appended "and should be shot" (regardless whether it was edited or not), you would be able to use that argument. That isn't the case. It was meant as a calling out to the "idiots", not the way you're describing it.

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A valiant effort Calum. However, sadly misplaced and very much incorrect. Had he not appended "and should be shot" (regardless whether it was edited or not), you would be able to use that argument. That isn't the case. It was meant as a calling out to the "idiots", not the way you're describing it.

I disagree and I don't believe I am wrong because that isn't how the statement came across to me, as I've explained. His comment that they "should be shot" was clearly made in jest and it doesn't change his statement of "makes them look like idiots." to "are idiots" (or the intent of it).

I did deem the comment about them being shot inappropriate, even though it was made in jest, but that's because I deem any jokes about people being murdered or harmed inappropriate. I don't have to agree with everything in our articles and editorials.

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A hell of a lot of internet cry babies around lately.

Do you all go out and buy the paper, read an article you disagree with and go straight to OFCOM? Doubt it.

Neowin isn't run by you, if they want to put up articles and editorials like this then that's up to you. If you really don;t like it, vote with your clicks and go somewhere else.

Yes you're not allowed to start forum threads calling people idiots but you don;t own the site either.

Personally i thought it was great to see an editorial with a bit of passion and a harder edge to it instead of some boring drivel. Well done Brad and well done Neowin for pushing forwards.

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Look at the title of this thread. "Editorial news calls quite a lot of people Idiots." That is the purpose of this topic, people are unhappy with an article implying that people are idiots for calling Windows 8 "the next Vista." This has nothing to do with if the article is defending Windows 8 or not, it's to do with the article calling a non-defined group of people idiots.

Yea it is a straightforward title, I still don't get why people are offended by him calling that certain group of people as idiots (ignoring the should be shot part). When was neowin a serious and professional news site with highly regarded journalistic integrity that these people are so bitching and moaning about him calling a random group of people as idiots?

He has clearly defines a group of people whom he calls idiots, what do you mean a non-defined group? and why does it matter really? why exactly are people unhappy? It's not the language really because language is completely Ok.

The article is clearly marked as an Editorial. If you don't like it, ignore it and move on.

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