Reply #2: But words do hurt

[Nobody]

I remember the sticks and stones rhyme as a child and I never believed it. Words hurt. Tell a child that he or she is stupid over and over. Do you think that kid is ever going to be confident about getting a passing grade in school? How about exams for career certifications?

Consider ethnic and racial slurs and slurs based on gender. Yes, they hurt. They also expose a person's true attitude toward these groups. Why do you think that most civilized people don't use them?

A finely crafted insult can be fun, I enjoy a good insult contest as well as the next person. Shakespearean insults are highly amusing. But they don't get personal, they're clever, and they're not based on a specific person's personal characteristics. Slurs are using a club when a rapier would be more appropriate.

Note the nicknames for Bush we've been using. There have been many creative ones, some of my favorites include: The Commandeer in Thief, Dumbya, Occupant, The one who put the Duh in Duh-bya.

Insults aren't necessarily a bad thing, but let's be wittily creative as opposed to disrespectfully bludgeoning.

A reference for verbal attacks and how to deflect them: Suzette Haden Elgin's series beginning with "The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense". She deconstructs the sticks and stones myth in the first chapter.