> >"That's a stupid idea"

> versus

> >"That idea simply will never work"

The second seems much much worse than the first to me. Why would you say that an idea will simply never work? Maybe it will and you made a mistake? Makes you sound like an ass. With the first you make it clear that the idea is dumb, but you aren't saying that the idea will never work, so maybe it still will work? It gives the signal that maybe you should think it through again, but doesn't completely dismiss the value of your work like the second.

Well if the idea is genuinely stupid then it will never work? I am operating on the assumption that someone has actually said something stupid. That's the given. If they've said something clever then obviously all bets are off and this is just a pointless discussion. And if you're not sure if it's stupid or will work, why would you say either of those things? You're arguing for an edge case based on a condition that should never even arise in the first place. Also, we're not talking about work, we're talking about ideas.

> Well if the idea is genuinely stupid then it will never work? I am operating on the assumption that someone has actually said something stupid.

Stupid things still works from time to time. Why are you so dismissive here? Can't you try to be a bit more understanding of people and ideas and your own ability to sometimes fail to recognize potential things? Sometimes you are stupid in the moment like that. Sometimes the whole world is stupid and failed to recognize a great idea.

Well in fairness if there was any slight hint of ambiguity as you suggest then I simply wouldn't call their idea stupid or suggest it could never work. I would just ask them more questions. I think that's a good way to operate. It's worked well for me. I just think it's disrespectful and rude to call someone or their idea stupid. Most would agree. Operate outside of basic social mores at your own risk I suppose. As I say, people in physics disproportionately have terrible social skills so you can just really learn into your job title, if that's what you're into. The rest of us in the field who prefer to observe the sort of very very basic things our parents taught us when we were children will just roll our eyes.

We call that "subtext". As a learned professional and recognized expert in your field, saying "simply" and "never" to a student has a chance of being misunderstood as fact instead of a turn of phrase.

Being aware of that and saying it anyway, I would personally use it as a teaching moment. If they seemed to quietly accept my words as a truth handed down from an authority instead of as a challenge to a (potential) peer, I'd point out that as a scientist they should have asked me "why".

It mainly and generally comes down to relationships and communication. Anyone who doesn't understand what I mean when I say a thing, anything, can't be relied on to be my pupil. However, they can usually be taught. That doesn't excuse me from not ensuring I've been understood in the first place, but it's far less taxing to expect others to attempt to become accustomed to your meanings when your brain is needed for other things than it is to twist your view of reality so that RightSpeak is the only acceptable method of communication.

I've never understood why some people seem to hate it when I say this, there's an idiom where I'm from that "some people would rather coat the world in leather than wear moccasins". Communication veganism is such a destructive idea if you've ever actually taken the time to consider it, but it doesn't seem to stop people from trying.

It's not communication veganism to simply not insult people. It's a feature of our societies that has existed since before societies existed. I struggle to think of a single situation where insulting someone is pleasant for the receiver, by definition. That you force or expect people to work around your quirky (at best) communication habits is neither here or there.

> but it's far less taxing to expect others to attempt to become accustomed to your meanings when your brain is needed for other things than it is to twist your view of reality so that RightSpeak is the only acceptable method of communication

What you mean like the stuff your mum and dad taught you when you were 4 years old and requires zero conscious effort because you should be polite to people by default anyway? Good heavens... what a terrible burden! The cross you those RightSpeakers make you bare! Tyranny! Is shitting in a toilet and not in your pants also a great burden for you?

I don't know. "That idea simply will never work." will hurt the fragole person just as efficiently as "This idea is stupid".

I think better communication us skip your general assesment of validity and form the objections you have to the idea as your questions about the idea.

Or just say "it's stupid" if you are in a hurry and don't care about offending the person but don't expect great interactions in the future.

It hurt the fragile person, yes, but let's think of the average person. Calling someone's idea stupid will reasonably insult the average person and make them think you're a cock, unless you know them well enough (in which case all bets are off). I am by no means advocating catering to the lowest common denominator, I'm simply opposed to throwing out all social conventions that have basically been with us for as long as verbal communication has existed because it's "efficient" (no proof either that it's actually efficient). At that rate the OP is simply asking us to stop being humans. It's just nonsense.

> It's just nonsense.

Ah, I see what you did there.

How different is this from “it’s stupid”? Or is there an approved list of ideas one may call nonsense, stupid, or braindead?

Well, if I were to come across someone IRL who argued that we didn't need to be nice to people and observe basic mores that have most likely existed for at least as long as humans have existed, I'd call it nonsense there too, but that's never happened. There's something about the internet that brings out the ridiculously hot takes. It's orders of magnitude more nonsensical (and harmful) than any single bad idea I've ever come across in my time in academia.