Vox: sometimes, "no" doesn't mean "I'm scared of you"; sometimes, it means "You're not worth my time"

Another one of Vox Day's numerous problems and fallacies is that he seems to regard anyone who refuses to debate with him (or anyone else) as a coward who is runnin' scared of defending their ideas and beliefs. (Seriously, isn't that grade-school-level thinking?)

For example, recently he's been itching to have a go with PZ Myers:

I posted the following at his blog: "Well, my dear Dr. Myers, since you were previously afraid of a radio debate with me on the evidence for the existence of gods, perhaps you'll be more willing to engage in a written debate on the scientific evidence for evolution. After all, if the issue is so comprehensively settled in evolution's favor, it should be no trouble whatsoever to make your case to everyone's satisfaction, however initially dubious they may have been. And since you have now asserted that there are no Worthy Opponents, you no longer have any need to hide behind your stated belief in my supposed crackpottery."

... Which, shockingly enough, resulted in him being lambasted by the commenters. Not surprising – considering both Vox's incredible arrogance in his post, and Pharyngulites' tendencies to go apeshit over even the most trivial of criticism or dissent.

Vox also sent an eMail to PZ with the same wording, though with an added paragraph about disregarding scientific journals (something I only half-disagree with). PZ responded, in an eMail Vox didn't publish and which he considered to be "curt but civil", saying Vox wasn't a crackpot but was a "superlative example of the species".

Vox responded, saying he understood the professor's reasons for not seeing a debate with Vox as a worthwhile endeavor yet repeating his claims that PZ was just scared and was "running away". *Sigh*

Vox's closing comments:

It's too soon to say for certain, but I'm afraid it appears as if the intrepid cracker-killer is on the verge of once more beating a very brave retreat. But, let's not forget that Myers has surprised us before. I, for one, never dreamed he'd have the steel to carry through with the threatened cracker-killing.

Wow, this guy really is an idiot. I'm starting to follow along PersonalFailure's mindset in thinking this guy simply cannot be the genius he claims to be – not when he keeps making such remarkably dumb associations and assumptions. I mean – comparing a refusal to debate with the "courage" needed to stick a nail through a cracker ... yeah.

Here's the principle thing Vox needs to get through his abnormally thick cranium: PZ doesn't wanna debate with him. No-one does. Why? Not because they're afraid of him – it's quite the contrary: they simply don't give a damn about him, and think even less of wasting any amount of their time debating with someone as foolish, deluded, ignorant, and disparagingly egomaniacal as Vox Day. His understanding of the Theory of Evolution revolves around disproven concepts, debunked claims and generally fallacious logic, much of which even a comparative rube such as I could dismantle.

Sometimes, Vox, no means no – as in, "I'm not afraid of a debate with you – I just don't feel like wasting my time with you". (God, it'd be fun to say that to him face-to-face. Though, that would introduce us to the problem of him not caring about what I have to say to or about him ... =/)