Are you telling me you would have ever watched that show without hearing about how stupid it was here? Maybe you're their target demographic... I would never have seen a single episode if it wasn't for the "Jersey without my hair gel" thread...
It's a heartening exercise to go to news articles about political or social issues and read through the comments. One, because sometimes you need to be exposed to true idiocy to be reminded that most of us are a little bit stupid. Two, because it teaches you how to counter idiots. You need to know what strains of stupidity are floating around the public discourse before you can formulate a vaccine. And three, at least you're not those people. It's much less fun to see stupid shit on your Facebook feed, because there's no Internet equivalent of putting someone in the stockade, and calling people gibbering fuckcunts under your real name is frowned upon in today's society.
I partially agree with you, but it's a struggle sometimes. Effinshananigans used the bullhorn analogy. Now imagine that the nonsense being yelled is immediately reinforced by other idiots, often in a like-minded environment where dissent isn't tolerated. That is the internet in a nutshell. Many of you don't know what life was like before the internet. You know what it was like? It was just fine. Somehow we all managed to read things, and listen to music, and exchange ideas, and create and invent without it. Child porn wasn't as easily distributed, and there were limited forums for furries, bronies, bestiality aficionados and other freaks to flourish. I'm not advocating turning back the clock, but the scales often tip toward the negative in this argument.
If you want to see some really hateful ignorant comments, head over to cleveland.com and read the comments on any article about Art Modell dying. The general consensus seems to be that he raped everyone's mother and then shit in their children's mouths. Oh, you mean he owned a sports team and moved them out of town? Is that all? I can understand being bitter at the time. But that was 17 years ago. And Cleveland has a team again.
Even more impressive are the comments on articles that are are not social/political issues. Because somehow, no matter the subject, it reverts back to electoral politics. It's absolutely mystifying, and makes me wonder if these people are like this in every day life. Headline: "Baker finds new, more efficient way to slice bread." Comments: "This is innovation. But you know who hates innovation? BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!!1!11!" Homie, we're just trying to discuss bread over here. Do you also do this while ordering at Dunkin Donuts, getting your oil changed, etc.?
As an extension of the anonymity, it's a basic lack of consequences. Do you really think a 13 year old would call you a "fucking faggot piece of shit" in some game if he was sitting right next to you or if you knew his identity? When there is no consequences for actions, people show you what kind of person they are really like unfortunately. I wonder how much sociologists have studied Internet interactions in this context. It's a fairly new thing in the world where everyone can express every uninncumbered thought they have on a somewhat level playing field without repercussions. As for this place, I too think of it as a bastion of sanity. Even when we have some of the heated debates here, for the most part I think everyone at least tries to be somewhat rational without hitting the gutter.
This sounds like a really fun social experiment for you to try out. Have a buddy video tape you while you go into the real world and talk like the average netizen. You could start with simply saying "first" after someone else make a comment, and move into telling everyone you fucked their mom, and then finish with the grand derailment of any conversation. At the end of the PSA because really that's what it is you can have Sally Struthers or someone come out from those ads with all the flies on kids and sadly explain that everyday 9 out of 10 people act just like this on the internet. Or you can not bother to do all that work, what do I care I still fucked your mom.
Anonymity is the #1 reason for the assholes that own the internet. Cowards who would never repeat any of the shit in real life that they type online. As for stupid people that can't type two consecutive words without a grammar mistake, they've always been around. It's just that before the internet you didn't know if someone mixed up your/you're by talking to them. Ask any high school teacher or even college professor who graded essays before computers and spell check. I feel like the only reason this place turned out the way it did is because of how harsh the moderators were on RMMB. Anyone using txt speak was instantly hit with the ban hammer, and stupid people in general were ridiculed into hiding. It weeded out all the flunkies before they took over.
The general platform of the RMMB bled into this place, there is no debating that. I sure wish there was a way to get some of the old members to visit here. Especially boozy. Jesus Christ did that angry motherfucker crack me up. His insults made angels piss blood through their radiant satin gowns. I like that after our switch to here that it didn't go soft, depite the drop in board members after the RMMB shut-down. I also enjoy the fact there's none of those "I'm so badass, fuck bitches" fakes in here that came and went so often in the RMMB. Christ, they ate away at my mind like a cancer. God knows what message boards they're on now pretending that they're cool. Well, there was at least one of those types on here. It didn't go so well for him.
Focus 1: Society is just as dumb now as it was before the internet. The internet gave people the ability to have all sorts of information instantly available to you. Some people use it to learn programming, or music theory others use it to post about what a fag Justin Bieber is under every fucking music video known to exist or to call black people niggers without consequenses. Point is, the internet didn't make people dumber or smarter it just gave both the ability to share their intellect with more people. Now if you excuse me I'm going to go watch a video of a chimp fucking a frogs mouth to death.
The funniest thing about the advice board was the fact that the advice was being dispensed by the likes of The Bunny et al. You know, those folks who had life all figured out and really had their shit together.
I've been on message boards since I was pregnant with my second child. He's 12 now. I've watched and participated in discussions on pretty much every level. People didn't always behave this way on the intergoogle. Initially - they were moderately normal. Now - there are times that reading anything online makes my eyes hurt. Wtfbbqmoareleventy11!1!1!! Speak hurts my brain, and the lack of thought before clicking enter never ceases to amaze me. All of that said - you want crazy? Go to a parenting board and make mention of smacking your child's hand. Jesus. Fuck. Or a breast feeding board and talk about how uncomfortable you are with your wife's openness about feeding time. Frenzied responses for daaaayyyyys.
I also post on a coin collecting forum, and my God, some of the posters - though they seem very nice - are really, really bad with grammar and spelling. I mean really bad. It is very distracting, especially after coming from here.
You would think on a forum about coin collecting people would be more likely to use proper grammar. The fact that they don't just doesn't make cents.