If someone is bothering you — for example shouting in the middle of the night — is it better to say in a friendly tone, “Could you please keep it down, buddy?” or to insult their family tree? The former will almost certainly be more effective at getting them to shut up; if that doesn’t work, then go ahead and insult their family tree. Another advantage of this approach is that if you later have to ask them for help, the atmosphere won’t be so awkward.
When you encounter something that contradicts intuition, it’s natural not to believe it at first, but you should try to remain friendly and not start mocking before you understand it. For example, if you hear the claim, “Carrier-based aircraft should apply power after landing,” don’t ridicule it — it’s correct; see Trivia