Does internet sometimes bring the worst out of people?

[Dipintus]

Yes. Having an anonymous voice does tend to bring out the very worst and absolute nastiest in people. Very easily on any given day certain groups will deal with far more hostility from sites like Youtube than they will in real life.

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
Oscar Wilde

Do you think this is the case? Would people choose to behave like this in RL if they could?

 

[Manfred]

Say what?

Well, it's true. *general

How pathetic are *you to allow another person's true nature to offend you? Even worse, how insecure are *you to punish another person for their honesty?
When I read threads like this, I can't help but laugh. It's not because I think the majority of people posting in it are stupid, I just think they're ignorant hypocrites.

When you're online, your real voice comes out, or so it should, but it doesn't because the people who are afraid of their true voice will ***** about the ones who aren't.

When I'm online I don't say what I want to because I can, I say it because I should. This is the only space left on the planet where we can truly be ourselves without some retard trying to police our thoughts. I mean seriously, why would anyone intentionally try to hinder the online experience with the atrocity that is political correctness?

Right, let's try this again:

It's not so much the aholes fault as it is the hypocrites' online who pretend to be offended.

 

[Draka]

Well, it's true. *general

How pathetic are *you to allow another person's true nature to offend you? Even worse, how insecure are *you to punish another person for their honesty?
When I read threads like this, I can't help but laugh. It's not because I think the majority of people posting in it are stupid, I just think they're ignorant hypocrites.

When you're online, your real voice comes out, or so it should, but it doesn't because the people who are afraid of their true voice will ***** about the ones who aren't.

When I'm online I don't say what I want to because I can, I say it because I should. This is the only space left on the planet where we can truly be ourselves without some retard trying to police our thoughts. I mean seriously, why would anyone intentionally try to hinder the online experience with the atrocity that is political correctness?

Right, let's try this again:

What, and everyone's "true self" is a prick? I say what I think and how I feel and somehow I do so without being crude and obnoxious. I'm just not like that and I happen to think that there is no need in the world for that. So if I find it crude and nasty for people to be like that, online or anywhere else, does that make me a "hypocrite"? Really? How so?

You know full well that people who get on threads and comment sections for videos and articles and whatnot to make negative posts do so for the only purpose being to tick people off. You seem to be a person that should understand that quite well. It is not the people making reasonable comments that are at fault for anything, it most certainly is the douches' fault. For really, what reason is there to go purposely to videos of an artist you don't like to only call them names and insult people other than to be a douche? What reason is there to go onto every news article comment section, no matter what it is, to call the president names and say that no matter what it is, it is his fault? There is no reason other than being a douchewaffle and it is no one's fault but the douchewaffle's.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

[ "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
Oscar Wilde

Do you think this is the case? Would people choose to behave like this in RL if they could?/QUOTE]
I think that is very much the case. On the Internet you can anything you want and the only people you may have to worry about is someone who would know how to track you down, but that is very rarely the case and I have not heard of such a thing happening.
But when you say something in RL your face and voice are behind those words and people know where you are and can easily find out where you live, where you work, and can make your life difficult if you said some of the things people say online. There is also the social controls that keep most people behaving in public. It's like the Klan and Neo-Nazi numbers going down in the public eye because in many places being associated with such groups destroys your RL credibility and image.
What I find interesting though is how on the internet people will watch videos of something and then will attack the person or subject mater of the video. And I really love the ones that claim they really don't know how they got to that video. But it still stands that not many people will state they would kill someone in RL, but on the internet there are no repercussions of saying such things.

 

[Manfred]

What, and everyone's "true self" is a prick?

Notice how many times you call someone a douche in this post.

I say what I think and how I feel and somehow I do so without being crude and obnoxious.

Do I really have to point it out to you?

I'm just not like that and I happen to think that there is no need in the world for that.

Sniff...what's that smell, is it the hypocrisy I spoke of earlier?

So if I find it crude and nasty for people to be like that, online or anywhere else, does that make me a "hypocrite"? Really? How so?

See above.

You know full well that people who get on threads and comment sections for videos and articles and whatnot to make negative posts do so for the only purpose being to tick people off.

I don't know that full well, as I make negative comment all the time without any malice towards the op.

You seem to be a person that should understand that quite well.

More of that: I'm just not like that and I happen to think that there is no need in the world for that. I see you're so fond of. *Sniff

It is not the people making reasonable comments that are at fault for anything, it most certainly is the douches' fault.

Right, just like the reasonable post you've made to me; the one in which I've pointed out numerous faults, yet you'll undoubtedly ignore for whatever reason.

For really, what reason is there to go purposely to videos of an artist you don't like to only call them names and insult people other than to be a douche?

Same reason people who purposely seeks videos out that like to write a positive comment. It's called public domain. Key word being public, here.

What reason is there to go onto every news article comment section, no matter what it is, to call the president names and say that no matter what it is, it is his fault?

I don't know, but I'm sure you'll tell me the correct answer...

There is no reason other than being a douchewaffle and it is no one's fault but the douchewaffle's.

...and there it is

I wish I had a banana sticker to give you, as you've more than earned it.

 

[dust1n]

Well, it's true. *general

How pathetic are *you to allow another person's true nature to offend you? Even worse, how insecure are *you to punish another person for their honesty?
When I read threads like this, I can't help but laugh. It's not because I think the majority of people posting in it are stupid, I just think they're ignorant hypocrites.

When you're online, your real voice comes out, or so it should, but it doesn't because the people who are afraid of their true voice will ***** about the ones who aren't.

When I'm online I don't say what I want to because I can, I say it because I should. This is the only space left on the planet where we can truly be ourselves without some retard trying to police our thoughts. I mean seriously, why would anyone intentionally try to hinder the online experience with the atrocity that is political correctness?

Right, let's try this again:

Often times, someones 'true voice' is a serious joke, and they need their 'true voice' to be somewhat disseminated amongst the sanity of multiple people. It works both ways.. A crowd often can't distinguish as well as an individual in certain subjects. But, regardless, the internet is not your true voice. The mind isn't even hardwired to read to write. But it is to speak. Without your family, you wouldn't even have a true voice let alone wipe your ***.

 

[dust1n]

What, and everyone's "true self" is a prick? I say what I think and how I feel and somehow I do so without being crude and obnoxious. I'm just not like that and I happen to think that there is no need in the world for that. So if I find it crude and nasty for people to be like that, online or anywhere else, does that make me a "hypocrite"? Really? How so?

He's mad at the superego?

EDIT: In addition, I guess we all have a video game playing, foul mouthed, obnoxious id in us somewhere and that makes up hypocrites.

 

[Manfred]

He's mad at the superego?

EDIT: In addition, I guess we all have a video game playing, foul mouthed, obnoxious id in us somewhere and that makes up hypocrites.

Should you ever want to bring him out, I'll be around.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Well, it's true. *general

How pathetic are *you to allow another person's true nature to offend you? Even worse, how insecure are *you to punish another person for their honesty?
When I read threads like this, I can't help but laugh. It's not because I think the majority of people posting in it are stupid, I just think they're ignorant hypocrites.

When you're online, your real voice comes out, or so it should, but it doesn't because the people who are afraid of their true voice will ***** about the ones who aren't.

When I'm online I don't say what I want to because I can, I say it because I should. This is the only space left on the planet where we can truly be ourselves without some retard trying to police our thoughts. I mean seriously, why would anyone intentionally try to hinder the online experience with the atrocity that is political correctness?

Right, let's try this again:

Things like cyber-bullying are a good starting point. There should be consequences when your words are so hateful and mean that they cause someone to kill themselves. And why shouldn't someone be banned for saying they will cause physical harm and death to certain groups when the focus of a web site isn't hate? And of course there is that which does not have room in a civilized and respectable discussion. Or if you are trying to discuss things on an academic level then there are obviously many things you don't say or no one will give your thoughts any consideration. Just because the internet has anonymity doesn't mean it should be a place for uncivilized discourse.

 

[Father Heathen]

It gets the juices flowing.....just a modern version of letters to the editor.

I've never seen "liberals r fagets" printed in the newspaper.

 

[Sunstone]

It seems like younger people (teens) are more hostile online, and I think its because they don't grasp the complexities of communication as well, are more self-centered, have less impulse control, and may not grasp that there are real people reading their comments. And they may not grasp how many people can read their comments, because the Internet can feel private.

Of course, this is true of some at any age, but it seems like the most dramatic fights are between youngsters.

Good point. One wonders whether they will grow out of that, though.

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Heinlein once said.

Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naïve, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as "empty," "meaningless," or "dishonest," and scorn to use them. No matter how "pure" their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.

So are internet users the "very young, the untraveled, the naive, or the unsophisticated"?

 

[McBell]

What, and everyone's "true self" is a prick? I say what I think and how I feel and somehow I do so without being crude and obnoxious. I'm just not like that and I happen to think that there is no need in the world for that. So if I find it crude and nasty for people to be like that, online or anywhere else, does that make me a "hypocrite"? Really? How so?

You know full well that people who get on threads and comment sections for videos and articles and whatnot to make negative posts do so for the only purpose being to tick people off. You seem to be a person that should understand that quite well. It is not the people making reasonable comments that are at fault for anything, it most certainly is the douches' fault. For really, what reason is there to go purposely to videos of an artist you don't like to only call them names and insult people other than to be a douche? What reason is there to go onto every news article comment section, no matter what it is, to call the president names and say that no matter what it is, it is his fault? There is no reason other than being a douchewaffle and it is no one's fault but the douchewaffle's.

One wonders why you would try to reason with a douchewaffle..?

 

[Revoltingest]

I've never seen "liberals r fagets" printed in the newspaper.

Standards change.

 

[Draka]

One wonders why you would try to reason with a douchewaffle..?

I have no idea. He basically says everyone are either ******** or hypocrites and that something being offensive is not the fault of the ******* who made the offensive statement, but the hypocrite who got offended. How does one reason with someone who thinks like that? I tried...didn't work though. I just became the "hypocrite" in his mind. It's like saying that you don't like prejudice and bigotry and then a bigot comes out and says that you are prejudiced and bigoted against bigots.

 

[turk179]

I have no idea. He basically says everyone are either ******** or hypocrites and that something being offensive is not the fault of the ******* who made the offensive statement, but the hypocrite who got offended. How does one reason with someone who thinks like that? I tried...didn't work though. I just became the "hypocrite" in his mind. It's like saying that you don't like prejudice and bigotry and then a bigot comes out and says that you are prejudiced and bigoted against bigots.

It's not really his fault though. He probably feels bad for all his hurtful comments on youtube and yahoo news articles, so he makes excuses by calling everyone that he hurts hypocrites. It's a natural defense mechanism even though it doesn't make a lick of sense. It saves him from having a breakdown, dressing up in a pink tutu and running down the street yelling "Ive been naughty! Ive been naughty!"

 

[Apex]

"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing."
-The tower of the elephant (1933)

Now apply this line of thought to the net.
No consequences whatsoever for what you say + audience + anonimity = instant jerk
Do you think on the long term this will somehow affect how the future generations relate to each other in real life?

Note: this is just food for thought, I'm not rooting for censorship or anything like that.

Just looking at some of the people on this forum who can't go two posts without insulting another persons intelligence, I would say yes, the internet does bring out the worst in people. At least, it does in some of them.

 

[Quagmire]

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth."
Oscar Wilde

Do you think this is the case?

I almost agree with this. I think it would be more accurate to say Give him a mask, and he will reveal his true nature, which doesn't always equate to telling the truth.

I find it amazing the way people sometimes refuse to admit to themselves that a lot of the dissembling tactics that work for them in real life don't work here: everything we say here is recorded in text, but people will still deny that they just said what they just said.

I wouldn't say that the internet brings out the worst in people so much as it reveals a lot of what we usually keep hidden.

 

[Manfred]

I have no idea. He basically says everyone are either ******** or hypocrites and that something being offensive is not the fault of the ******* who made the offensive statement, but the hypocrite who got offended. How does one reason with someone who thinks like that? I tried...didn't work though. I just became the "hypocrite" in his mind. It's like saying that you don't like prejudice and bigotry and then a bigot comes out and says that you are prejudiced and bigoted against bigots.

Wow, I rest my case.

There should be consequences when your words are so hateful and mean that they cause someone to kill themselves

If a person is so weak minded as to kill themselves over something some idiot says online, then chances are they weren't going to make it in this life anyway.
Empathize with a person of that character, never.

 

[Draka]

Wow, I rest my case.

What case? I used your words. You are the one who said that people were "aholes" or hypocrites. You said it wasn't the fault of the "ahole" who made an offensive statement, it was the fault of the "hypocrite" who took offense to the offensive statement. Your words. Seriously, that's as ridiculous as getting ticked off at being called mean after you just told someone they were a "***" or some other crude word. Like how dare someone call you out on your nastiness because you seem to think everyone is as nasty as you and that anyone that dare call you on it is just as bad, if not worse, than you. Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is? It is just as ridiculous as what I said about bigotry.