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Anonymous Anger Rampant On the Web
the4thdimension writes "In a story that may bring out the 'duh' in you, CNN has a story about how anonymous anger is rampant on the Internet. Citing various reasons, it attempts to explain why sites like MyBiggestComplaint and Just Rage exist and why anger via the web seems to be everywhere. Various reasons include: anonymity, lack of rules, and lack of immediate consequences. Whatever the reason, they describe that online anger has resulted in real-life violence and suggest methods for parents and teens to cope with e-aggression and to learn to be aware of it." I can't figure out what makes me angrier: my habit of anonymously trolling web forums, or my video game playing.
FUCK YOU!
See here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/
Remember, there were no nuclear weapons before women were allowed to vote.
Regardless of how extreme some people respond to some parts of anger, this is a pretty positive thing. I'd rather have someone rant about something online than go out and live out the murder they wished upon someone. /stabbity
This reminds me of Lord of the Flies. The masks make the demons feel like they can act without consequence.
Personally I think it's good for our psyches to take some form of abuse as long as we have a strong coping mechanism, and a strategy to deal with it. Truth be told, flies that are the dirtiest when they are young actually live the longest. Clean flies die quickly. So what I'm saying is that rampant nerd rage is a good thing because people get stuff off their chest, and as long as people understand how to deal with internet rage, then they can actually become mentally stronger from being entangled in it. Reminds me of the Hellmouth stories too, and how that whole discussion was such a healing power for so many.
But it's sad we have to deal with such powerful demons, and that demons are so contagious.
The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
Good. There is a lot to be angry about, and people have been far too sheep-like for far too long.
Here's a fitting response to this article from the fictional Howard Beale:
I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth; banks are going bust; shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter; punks are running wild in the street, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.
We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. And we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be!
We all know things are bad -- worse than bad -- they're crazy.
It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out any more. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we're living in is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials, and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone."
Well, I'm not going to leave you alone.
I want you to get mad!
I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot. I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street.
All I know is that first, you've got to get mad.
You've gotta say, "I'm a human being, goddammit! My life has value!"
So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,
"I'm as mad as hell,
and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"
-1 Uncomfortable Truth
shit, I forgot to click Post Anonymously.
Oh the irony :(
Summation 2
Complaining about someone being anonymous to discredit them is an ad hominem attack. Hiding their identity doesn't make their argument any worse and revealing it doesn't make it any better.
Hiding their identity only make people more honest and allows their foolish beliefs to be addressed and discredited, which may not have been possible otherwise.
Whenever I get an angry work-related email I immediately get on the phone to the person. It is amazing the difference when speaking on the phone, often the person will very quickly become quite apologetic for their email when you phone them.
I prefer abominous anger. As in the snowman.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Nice job asshole, somebody already posted that fucking link.
Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
I agree. What this calls for is a really stupid and futile gesture on somebody's part.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
WTF? Do we need to put an E (or I) in front of every-bloody-thing that might occur online? I mean really? There is no difference between 'aggression' and 'e-aggression' except for where it happens. I mean, if I get pissed off about something in the loo, is that 'P-aggression'? Or if I'm pissed at a strip club is that 'DD-aggression'?
I mean, can't you n00bs stop that crap?
Pax Vobiscum
The correct term is "caucasian". "European American" or even "white person" are acceptable alternatives.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Er...that would be asymmetrical anger.
-Posting as sm20591 since Chips & Dips....
I know most wont rtfa but my god the examples they use are hillariously bad. I was expecting whole sentences constructed out of *s+ 3 or 4 letters but no. It was talking about how celebrities had a flamewar or two online or one politician used a racial slur and surprise surprise, it got reported online.
the only decent example was the myspace girl who commited suicide, meagan.
im not sure i want to listen to a major news corp that cant even find decent examples of anon hate online. i mean jesus christ, just pick any slashdot and browse at -1!
http://greenobyl.com/ please.... think of the children!!
The same goes for road rage. You would never run down the hallway at work, while on your cell phone, yelling at all the other people who are not full out sprinting. But you sure would on your way there in the morning.
Rik Powers? No way.
Marry Michelle Rohl.
Rik Rohl would be awesome.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
Asynchronous anger is something different altogether, although I think you have to be married to experience.
Your spouse is always angry about something you did in the past or are about to do in the future. Theoretically they can be mad at you for what you are doing right now, but I think in practice there isn't enough room for that, so it gets shoved into some kind of complex priority queue.
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I really like ambivalent anger. But I also kind of hate it.
seriously wtf is with that! girls suck!
Ah. An optimist.
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