The mad cow(ard) at the keyboard

by iGanja 11. May 2006 02:55

arguinginternet.jpgIt is a phenomenon no doubt.  Seemingly ordinary, mild mannered, well adjusted people, women, children, grandparents, all hiding behind the anonymity of their internet connections, ranting, raging, cursing, berating, insulting, bashing, criticizing and just plain being rude to the rest of the on-line community, who are all doing the exact same thing in return.  What the hell is this world coming to?

 

Before the internet and email and chat rooms and myspace and online dating, we got our news from the newspaper and the TV, we got our mail from the mail box, we chatted on the telephone or in person, there was no world-wide narcissist network and we met our future lovers and spouses through mutual friends, at school, at church, in public!  In short, we interacted with each other in more personal, face to face ways.  We were a society, I would argue, of much more polite and socially mindful people, with a real understanding of cause and effect with regard to our words and deeds.

 

If a man made an inappropriate suggestion to a female at a bar, he got slapped, or a drink poured on him, and rightfully so.  “Please” and “Thank You” were common phrases.  If there was a difference of opinion, the way it was voiced was tempered by the possible response one would receive.  Letters to the editor were signed (if you wanted any chance of getting them printed.)  We took responsibility for our words.  We had to.  The person we were directing them at was standing right in front of us, or at the very least, knew from whom or where the words came.

 

Enter the Internet; the ultimate creator of cowards, or at least the enabler of them.

Now - with no possibility of repercussion - inappropriate, rude, and even downright belligerent comments are made online every second of every day.  A whole generation of people living by the credo “The pen is mightier than the sword!” and right or wrong, they are getting away with it, because no matter how mighty, the sword needs a physical target.

 

Like those who feel a car (or better yet, the largest SUV on the block,) is well suited as an instrument of persuasion, so are those who hide behind the safety of their computer screens, mocking, ridiculing, insulting, berating, all without a single thought or worry of the consequences.  If only the person they were directing their hate laden words toward were standing within arms reach, would they be so bold?

 

oh, I no ganja

Tags:

Comments (9) -

Marla
5/11/2006 6:04:37 AM #

Wow, now there's some stuff to talk about! You know, it was all fun and games when we were quoting "Pulp Fiction". But how in the world did it get so out of control??

iGanja United States
5/12/2006 12:59:54 AM #

and, i had a beauty for ya... i have no idea

Marla
5/12/2006 2:51:09 AM #

Did you at least see my comment "My girlfriend's a vegetarian, which pretty much makes me a vegetarian."? Dude, it was so classic!

iGanja United States
5/16/2006 6:05:19 AM #

when Michele puts it back up, i'll comment on that one. i had a great one for that!

michela United States
5/18/2006 4:52:09 AM #

I disagree with everything you said. I had communists insulting my libertarian sensibilities with blatant personal attacks masked as wannabe intellecutalism at dinner tables. No internet needed. The internet just levels the playing field. Since at the dinner table the pinkos won't let you get a word in edgewise, at least on the 'net, waiting for liberals to shut the fuck up is no longer required. Marla, tell iGanja about Thanksgiving dinner, for one!!! How nice I was, and now liberals at the table flipped me the big fat turkey bird. It's a pandemic and we're just not taking the shit anymore!!!

iGanja United States
5/18/2006 5:31:33 AM #

SORRY! jeez! michela...

iGanja United States
5/18/2006 5:34:43 AM #

...and i somewhat agree. Communism is just the bleeding heart liberals' answer to natural selection.

michela United States
5/18/2006 5:44:05 AM #

Re: Natural selection. It can be, except when they wipe out a country's best and brightest, because they are the ones that are in a position to overthrow them (Cambodia, Stalin's Russia). Then it's unnatural selection.

michela United States
5/18/2006 4:57:25 PM #

and who is Michele?!

Comments are closed

Oh, I Ganja

When something becomes clear, we exclaim "Oh, I Ganja!"

Let us question the narratives and seek enlightenment in answers based on logic and reason.

We can all be saved! You just need to know where to turn, and the truth can be yours as well.

Oh, I Ganja!

Tag cloud

RecentPosts

Calendar

<<  December 2024  >>
MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
2526272829301
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
303112345

View posts in large calendar