Key points
- Reacting to personal attacks and insults, whether due to gender, age, experience, competence, appearance, or origin.
- Dealing with dim-witted patter, derogatory jokes, and abusive comments
- Strategies for ‘bumper-sticker wisdom’, polarising opinions, and conspiracy theories
- Dealing with low blows and ‘sparring rhetoric’ in election campaigns
The key issue with all these topics of quick-wittedness is: How can I protect myself in conversations, not ‘put up with everything’, yet not lose sight of the goal of my discussions (a pay rise, for example)?