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> One does not seriously attack the expertise of a scientist using the undefined phrase "butt-head."

But one does seriously attack the expertise of a scientist using the undefined phrases "crackpot" or "crank", which are not very far from "butt-head"

So while I think the ruling was correct in that the average person would not take the insult seriously, I can see why Sagan might have taken it seriously.



IMO, "crackpot" and "crank" are quite far from "butthead".

The first two communicate precisely what you've described, and are a significant charge to level at a scientist.

The last is a playground insult, meaning only "I don't like you" or "I think you're mean."


I actually agree with you there. I was just trying to imagine a scenario where it made sense from Sagan's perspective.


I don't think it ever did, and he kind of deserved that codename, IMO.




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