> So if a person asks you a question you don't like you just don't answer? Totally ignore them?
Not ignore, per se. To ignore someone might involve continuing on about something else, for example, which is a much different thing than shutting up. Shutting up might involve making eye contact, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps a pained expression. Nonverbal communication.
> Am I missing something or does this seem rude and disrespectful?
It can be. Some of the questions are rude and disrespectful in their fundamental construction, so responding some in kind might be warranted. Hell, silence might be a hell of a lot more polite than called for.
But silence is not always rude and disrespectful. Consider for a moment a fool who's made an unreasonable ask or put their foot in their mouth. It might take them a moment for their brain to catch up with their mouth - perhaps after wondering a moment why you aren't asnwering, before they put themselves in your shoes and realize what they've done.
You might pause a moment to let them realize this for themselves, without having them suffer the added injury and injustice of you explaining, spelling out, and spoonfeeding their error to them as if they were incapable of realizing it for themselves, if only you'd be so decent as to just give them a moment. Or two. Letting them do their own self-critique may lessen their guard and defensiveness, as you won't come across as wanting to tear them down. Of course, this won't work well unless you can respect and trust the person to actually do such things.
In this case, if you squint hard enough, saying nothing could be seen as an extremely simplified version of the socratic method - the implicit question being perhaps "do you realize what you've just said/asked?" or "and what do you think I think about that?"
Not ignore, per se. To ignore someone might involve continuing on about something else, for example, which is a much different thing than shutting up. Shutting up might involve making eye contact, raising an eyebrow. Perhaps a pained expression. Nonverbal communication.
> Am I missing something or does this seem rude and disrespectful?
It can be. Some of the questions are rude and disrespectful in their fundamental construction, so responding some in kind might be warranted. Hell, silence might be a hell of a lot more polite than called for.
But silence is not always rude and disrespectful. Consider for a moment a fool who's made an unreasonable ask or put their foot in their mouth. It might take them a moment for their brain to catch up with their mouth - perhaps after wondering a moment why you aren't asnwering, before they put themselves in your shoes and realize what they've done.
You might pause a moment to let them realize this for themselves, without having them suffer the added injury and injustice of you explaining, spelling out, and spoonfeeding their error to them as if they were incapable of realizing it for themselves, if only you'd be so decent as to just give them a moment. Or two. Letting them do their own self-critique may lessen their guard and defensiveness, as you won't come across as wanting to tear them down. Of course, this won't work well unless you can respect and trust the person to actually do such things.
In this case, if you squint hard enough, saying nothing could be seen as an extremely simplified version of the socratic method - the implicit question being perhaps "do you realize what you've just said/asked?" or "and what do you think I think about that?"