interesting article on Internet message board hostility

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/14pogue-email-2/

 

Good post...

yer gret donkey. </p>

 

agree with a lot of that.

 

I blame Thatcher

 

In person you would never make comments like that because of the threat of physical violence. We are a pack animal with rigid social etiquette not disimilar to that of wolves (the animal not the team of animals), which is enforced by punishment of one form or another. All that goes out of the window with the anonymity of the internet. Maybe if all internet users had uniquely identifiable usernames linked to a phone and address book.

 

So, you are saying that the threat of physical violence

in the outside world is a controlling factor in our behaviour. Is that necessarily a good thing or is that giving an advantage to the aggressive loudmouthed bullies in the world? If it is then is the world better for it given their tendency to violence?

 

RE: So, you are saying that the threat of physical violence

Yes

 

I'd move somewhere a bit nicer then if I were you. nt

 

RE: I'd move somewhere a bit nicer then if I were you. nt

I'm looking at this from the perspective of the whole of humanity through its whole life, not just from the fact that you were bullied at school.

When we are kids our parents enforce a social etiquette on us, using physical and mental punishment.

When we are growing up, our peer group organises itself very much as a pack of dogs do, we have scuffles, we have scrapes, we come to know what we can and cannot say without it ending in a fight, in exclusion or in derision.

We come to learn from this what can and cannot be said. SUre, our parents and teachers tell us the proper way to behave, but it is the enforcement of playground and home punishment that really makes us see the light.

 

I was speaking more of the adult world. Even so, I can understand

what you are saying about growing up but in the primary school my kids go to, fights and scuffles are almost unheard of and what you're talking about is very much a thing of the past and quite rightly so. To me, your view is very much a working class view of children growing up and if this is your view on humanity then I think you need to start moving in different circles.

 

'working class view'

Priceless.

 

RE: I was speaking more of the adult world. Even so, I can understand

Dunno, I went to Harrow and it was prevalent there and later at Oxford a good debagging held a chap in good stead for the rest of the term.

 

Fair enough, I always thought you were a ******. nt

 

It's true.

</p>

You can say what you like to people in well-to-do areas without the risk of a punch in the face. </p>

 

RE: It's true.

Excellent. Off up Cawthorne tonight to dish some verbals out to my betters.</p>

 

Where do yopu actually live?

Deadwood?

 

Will Windy let you take your head out of his

arse for that long?

 

Is that a middle class view ? nt

 

Must be, I'd best shut up now before I get a punch in the face eh? nt

 

You seem to be the one dishing abuse out

And from such a prejudiced viewpoint too.</p>

</p>

Carry on though, you obviously feel the need to do so.</p>