ORIGINAL: J_R
I think a simple question may make a point. Should one be more, or less, offended when called an “idiot” as opposed to being told that one is “incapable of reading material, comprehending it, and using it”?
Both are equally unacceptable in my view. It's not the name calling, it's the focus on the poster rather than the subject being discussed. They are both "personal attacks" in that they focus on the person rather than on the subject being discussed. In the first case, it is enough to reply, "I disagree, I think such and such." Other readers can determine on their own the intelligence of the poster. In the second case, it's enough to say, "My reading of such and such document makes me believe that such and such is true."