[sublinear]

> Is your goal to convince others of the truth, or to simply feel smug about convincing yourself you know the truth?

My experience has been that for most people who know the truth and state it bluntly, they don't care about either. They don't want to convince and they don't want to feel smug. They just want the truth to be known so they can wipe their hands and conscience and just move on.

The world is not about status or victory for everyone, especially not these pesky people who always seem to be right about stuff! When you know better, there's nothing to prove or gain by bothering with any of that. Being right keeps things moving along. Smart people don't argue nor have to fight for what they have. They just effortlessly float through this world being right and avoiding ignorant people who love to throw tantrums; underappreciated.

[The5thElephant]

I think we may be talking about different goals here. There is no effect in stating a "truth" that is not received and you don't enjoy stating. If they want the truth to be known, they need to make more effort for it to be communicated, not just heard or read. If there isn't even that desire, and it is purely for the sake of a pattern of sound passing through the air, what should be appreciated about that?

I am not talking about status or victory alone, I am also talking about moving things along and being effective in collaborative or social situations. As someone who used to believe (and still does to varying degrees) that they were one of those smart people floating through the world untouched, I had to learn the hard way why I was under-appreciated. Also considering how often my smart self has been wrong about things that at the time I was 100% certain I was right of, the floating through the world being right part begins to fall apart given enough time.

There is a space between throwing tantrums and being a self-absorbed dick, and that gray area is far more effective, moves things along faster, floats through the world being right better, and is far more appreciated than what the original comment and you are describing.