I don't think there's anything wrong with going at people. Sometimes a person is just being an asshole, and nothing gets settled if you have to pretend otherwise. It's why discussions on RGM are never fully satisfying. Issue comes from people not understanding the difference between insulting someone and using an ad homenim fallacy.
a) Dismissing someone's argument because some characteristic about them (like the team they root for, "how much ball" you perceive them to watch, etc) is fallacious. Whether the claim about that person is true or not does not affect whether the argument that person is strong.
b) Calling someone an idiot, asshole or another as part of a larger response against their point is not an ad homenim fallacy. The ad homenim fallacy is concerned with credibility, not cordiality.
And while we're here:
c) Claiming a position of authority and attempting to use that position as an argument in and of itself is fallacious and condescending. It's literally building yourself up so you can talk down to the other person. Basically the argument of "I'm more credible about this topic, so I'm right" doesn't work. If you're more credible, you should be able to demonstrate credibility by citing sources or otherwise supporting your points with external factors.
d) Not respecting a person's claim to authority is not condescending. It's irreverent. It's often a bad character trait just like being condescending is, but it's not the same thing. It's also not fallacious. Asking for evidence from someone who believes they are above proving their point is just good form. Of course that doesn't mean every opinion is equally valid, and not understanding when someone is legitimately an authority on a topic makes you an out-of-touch asshole.
I love SpursTalk because you don't have to engage with more contentious aspects of discourse if you don't want to. The ignore list exists for a reason, and liberal use of it can dramatically improve the experience, especially if you're not one of the people who has "an admirer" who'll annoy you by quoting you endlessly despite you never replying. But it feels good to be able to take off the gloves and go at it. This place isn't 4Chan. Tons of legit discussion happens, and for the most part people's darker aspects are not on display. When it happens, people tend to hyperfocus on it. But even in the Olympic thread, there's nothing that crosses the line of decency despite the blood shed over the past few days.
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