Well, another cowardly attack...

[Veilex]

26. We differ a bit on this...

Words have an enormous amount of power for something that is so frequently cast off and casual.

Words are on the frontlines of our communication. I do agree with you in that how something is said and the context in which it is conveyed makes a world of difference in how something is perceived.

There is an enormous amount of communication in how we say something...in fact, its often how we say something rather than what we say that matters most... at least in communication that includes voice and, possibly, body language.

The problem that comes into play when dealing with message boards, is that the context and inflection that is present during face to face communication becomes absent, and is quite difficult to insert into text-based communications.

Consequently, the messages we relay are exponentially easier to take out of context. We, in effect, end up having to take extra steps to ensure what we say does not come across as insulting or offensive... because we don't have the benefit of taking the sting out of a comment by smiling through either body posturing, an up-turn of the lips and eyes, or through inflection.

Where you think people take things too seriously, I'd argue people are being far too casual about what they say.

To say "They're just words" absolutely baffles me. Words have an enormity of power. You can literally alter lives with a single sentence without ever even meaning too. To me, that alone makes words no mere low hanging fruit.