Verbal abuse
Visualization of narrower problems
Name(s):
Abusive language
Vilification
Insensitive discourse
Invective
Verbal attack
Insult
Vituperation
Abusive epithets
Verbal bullying
Nature
Verbal abuse (also known as verbal aggression, verbal attack, verbal violence, verbal assault, psychic aggression, or psychic violence) is a type of psychological/mental abuse that involves the use of oral, gestured, and written language directed to a victim. Verbal abuse can include the act of harassing, labeling, insulting, scolding, rebuking, or excessive yelling towards an individual. It can also include the use of derogatory terms, the delivery of statements intended to frighten, humiliate, denigrate, or belittle a person. These kinds of attacks may result in mental and/or emotional distress for the victim.
Verbal aggression and abuse affects all populations, cultures, and individuals. These actions are psychologically damaging and are considered forms of emotional and physical harm to the victim. This type of behavior leaves individuals feeling poorly about themselves and can lead to the developing numerous negative health issues and disorders such as suicidal thoughts, depression, poor physical health, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, personality disorders, and even aggression.
Source: Wikipedia
Claim
1. Verbal abuse can be as damaging as other forms of abuse. The hurt of a deliberately aimed unkind word can be an emotional wound which never heals. A society in which individuals habitually need to protect themselves from verbal attack has put up barriers which reduce its humanity.
2. The problems of violence in contemporary society exists at the top as well as at the bottom. The language and thought of government and public discourse has coarsened, taking for granted a casual recourse to violence against people who, by their behaviour or nature, are assumed to have invited it.
Counter-claim
Should we ban insults? But you can do so much with them -- fancy not being able to insult our rulers. Should we then ban insults on the weak? This is attractive, but unfortunately what has usually obtained is precisely the opposite.
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(D) Detailed problems