Comment on If you've been fooled, does that make you "a fool"?
HowManyNimons@lemmy.world 2 months ago
I’d say you’re more likely to get a positive response if you use words like “deceived” or “conned” or “lied to” which place the fault on the deceiver.
“Fooled” isn’t offensive per se; “chumped” is worse. But if I was wanting to convince someone that they had been maliciously given false information, I’d use language that doesn’t raise hackles by implicitly blaming them for being deceived.
Edit: “Played for a fool” is more offensive IMO, because now you’re pointing out that the victim has some exploitable flaw which allowed the deceiver to make a fool of them.