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John Nery asked what is the best political insult?

I will not answer the question because (1) it is a question of history, and is never the subject of most history books; and (2) like everything else, the answer will always be relative, ie. how the insult affects the receiver of the attack.

Instead I submit that a good politician will never be affected by such. Number one, it should not concern one if the insult is false. Number two, an insult is always an ad hominem, and as such, is meaningless in the exchange of ideas.

How do you deal with an insult? This is supposed to be a dilemma: if you react furiously, people will tend to see you as guilty; if you don’t even react to it, people tend to see that silence as proof of guilt.

An insult is issued to provoke, to force someone to react.

React if you must, but make it a dignified one.

PS: How do you deal with insults?

PPS: Miriam Santiago called the members of the House of Representatives as “talakitok”. Now that his son is a congressman, I wonder if the appellation still applies, or she would use a collective modifier. Now, I am waiting for Miriam die hards for their wonderful comments (sample some of them here).

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