Published on 12, July, 2020
This topic came up in another thread, and having struggled with the topic myself for about 5 decades, I'd like to see how the rest of you do it.
For me the response to an insult is often confusion. Did I hear that right? Does it mean what I think it means, and if so WhyTF are they insulting me?
AND HOW SHOULD I RESPOND??
Do you see all those nasty question marks? I don't LIKE having to find answers to questions, on the spot, in real time, that's for sure.
In my case I've always seen it as a form of combat, and I really, really, resent having "combat" in any form thrust upon me unexpectedly, so for many years I've not enjoyed that part of life.
Eventually, after much training and dedication I grew to be the "Butterbean" of insult exchangers, which was one way of solving the problem.
How is it for you?
I actually thought you to be pretty thick skinned like myself already, so perhaps you'll understand me when I say people have tried to insult me but that doesn't mean I am insulted, as that has always implied to me that means it has caused some manner of hurt which requires that I care at least somewhat on a personal level what a person thinks of me, which I seldom do, so what instead tends to happen when someone tries to insult me is the objection is purely on a matter of principle: just because it's difficult for someone to hurt my feelings doesn't mean it is morally acceptable that they should feel entitled to try to, especially unprovoked.