An Argument vs. A Discussion...

[bluesoul]

Oh, I would agree with the premise that anonymity furthers the breakdown of polite conversation 100%.

being anonymous really just provides for unaccountability. I think it has already been mentioned here that given unaccountability, humanity does, largely, devolve.

You can see this played out time and time again when people who are good at snooping track someone down who left a rude FB post, Twitter post, or etc. and call them out. When faced with the revealing of who they are, they typically will back down, back track, or "clarify" their comment.

Didn't some famous person actually do this on Twitter a while ago and show up on the guy's doorstep and the guy who wrote the nasty comment basically had to get the smelling salts out?

i think there are 2 points here:

1). nobody is really anonymous on the internet. it's really a matter of how visible you are (like you said, there are those who are able to track ppl that make rude comments on fb, twitter etc)

2). it's a question of the individual's own mentality rather than anonymity that causes this bad behavior: eg. people that steal then post evidence on fb, or the fraternity that had the racist martin luther king jr. day party

i do think there are those that take advantage of being anonymous to do certain things so i'll definately agree that it does present it's problems, but i also don't believe in visibility on the internet unless one wants it, and champion anonymity

i suppose then we can say, the types of discussions will reflect the mentality of that community

eg. how many times when someone posts a joke here do they have to issue a warning there is an incoming joke to avoid "an argument"?

[GroobyKrissy]

i think there are 2 points here:

1). nobody is really anonymous on the internet. it's really a matter of how visible you are (like you said, there are those who are able to track ppl that make rude comments on fb, twitter etc)

2). it's a question of the individual's own mentality rather than anonymity that causes this bad behavior: eg. people that steal then post evidence on fb, or the fraternity that had the racist martin luther king jr. day party

i do think there are those that take advantage of being anonymous to do certain things so i'll definately agree that it does present it's problems, but i also don't believe in visibility on the internet unless one wants it, and champion anonymity

i suppose then we can say, the types of discussions will reflect the mentality of that community

eg. how many times when someone posts a joke here do they have to issue a warning there is an incoming joke to avoid "an argument"?

I am definitely for people being as anonymous as possible and usually respect a person's privacy unless they're going out their way to be a jerk. In which case, I may do some digging around on them and see where else they pop up... but I rarely reveal that I know that information about them.

I love having to say, "j/k"... it really makes that punchline stick... or having to explain a joke to someone who clearly doesn't get it. Yeah, humor is definitely something that doesn't always translate well across the Internet sometimes.

In another thread, I just implied that Dino fucks chickens... some person who is totally new or doesn't know me may actually think that I'm being mean and saying that Dino engages in chicken-fucking when in reality we all know that he prefers fucking Chinks.

[bluesoul]

Yeah, humor is definitely something that doesn't always translate well across the Internet sometimes.

tbh: i think humor translates fine. it just depends on the individual's humor or language barriers (often their geographical location will also either display their humor)

i'm one of those people who feels like if you have to announce a joke- or point it out, then it's not a joke. it's like a comedian getting on stage and going "here comes the joke everyone"

its like when people are in a discussion and they say "i'm not trying to be rude, insulting, or disrespect anyone". i mean, saying that doesn't mean you're magically dissolved from insults if you actually issued an insult. in most cases, it just means you can't write clear enough or your audience is the type that needs to be told what to think

[Dino Velvet]

In another thread, I just implied that Dino fucks chickens... some person who is totally new or doesn't know me may actually think that I'm being mean and saying that Dino engages in chicken-fucking when in reality we all know that he prefers fucking Chinks.

The China people just tug on my wiener but you Koreans are easier to get under control for some full service. 60 dolla

[Dino Velvet]

My mother always told me to consider the source. My dad, the cop, encouraged me to categorize people instead to save time.

[zerrrr]

The Internet as a whole has brought us closer together. We can sit at a laptop or tablet and access information and chat with people in real time around the world.

For better or worse it exposed all of our hidden faults.

The real problems stem from one person feeling so aggravated by something that they feel the need to express why they are right and why you are wrong.

When you meet those people they are so stuck in their opinions with their blinders on that they cannot see any other viewpoint other than their own. No matter what you say they are right and you are wrong.

It is the Internet which has become a lot like society itself. There is no moderate ground, only the extremes.

[francisfkudrow]

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1." --Godwin's Law

Notice that Godwin's Law doesn't say "online argument". It says "discussion"... Any online discussion that goes on long enough, eventually becomes enough of an argument that Hitler gets mentioned.

[GroobyKrissy]

"As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1." --Godwin's Law

Notice that Godwin's Law doesn't say "online argument". It says "discussion"... Any online discussion that goes on long enough, eventually becomes enough of an argument that Hitler gets mentioned.

Like, you know, OMG, stop being a facist.

Is there a law that dictates that the more history a word has the less the person using it is going to know what it means or will use it correctly?

[GroobyKrissy]

The Internet as a whole has brought us closer together. We can sit at a laptop or tablet and access information and chat with people in real time around the world.

For better or worse it exposed all of our hidden faults.

The real problems stem from one person feeling so aggravated by something that they feel the need to express why they are right and why you are wrong.

When you meet those people they are so stuck in their opinions with their blinders on that they cannot see any other viewpoint other than their own. No matter what you say they are right and you are wrong.

It is the Internet which has become a lot like society itself. There is no moderate ground, only the extremes.

Has it really though?

I mean... what is "closer" ? Do we interact with more people on a daily basis? Probably. Are we "closer" to them... probably not.

I was thinking about this the other night while I was out walking my dog and seeing the all too familiar glow of TV from house after house after house. What happened to game night? What happened to families eating around the table?

I suppose it is possible that there were families having a good time watching a funny show together... but is that really interaction and fostering "closeness"?

Can you truly become "close" with someone over the Internet only?

[GroobyKrissy]

My mother always told me to consider the source. My dad, the cop, encouraged me to categorize people instead to save time.

or... categorize the source and save even more time.