Aggressive language on python-list

[Zero Piraeus]

:

On 17 October 2012 19:17, Steven D'Aprano
<steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info> wrote:
[on Asperger's]
> Excuse me, I think that anybody who was offended by it needs to take a
> long, hard look at themselves. Would you be offended if Rurpy asked "Are
> you diabetic?" There's no more shame in being Aspie than there is in
> being diabetic, or allergic to wheat, or colour blind.

In the culture in which I grew up, at least, dropping "do you have
developmental disorder X"? into a fairly combative reply like the one
under discussion would definitely be considered rude, not because
there's any shame in having developmental disorder X, but because it's
a plausible assumption that the questioner thinks there is [and that
that's why they used the question as a retort].

I don't mean to imply that this was rurpy's intent [especially given
that he's withdrawn the comment]. But to me it did initially feel more
like "Are you blind?" than "Are you diabetic?" ... and the former is
more commonly used as an insult than a genuine enquiry.

 -[]z.