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8 May 2002 (Wednesday): sooner or later

They will find me. Just like the wireless camera popup windows and the penis enlargement emails and other forms of spam, sooner or later someone's going to come stomping through my comments-garden and leave a couple of personal insults. I wonder how I'll react.

No no no, I'm not talking about the recent foray into political discussion. I love that stuff. Thank you Zach, thank you Soren, thank you Moonie. But echeng.com and tow.com have been battling anonymous mudslingers lately, and dardy had a mysterious spoofer leaving comments on his behalf in other people's blogs for a while; now amabelle's had to start dealing with comments that call her an attention whore. Ugh.

Recently Soren quoted (paraphrased?) Lyndon Johnson, in a conversation we were having about the civil rights movement: "I can't change the way people think, only the way they act in public." The 'net is a fascinating neither-both zone between the public and the private. Here we prance around naked and air our dirty laundry, fart and belch and sing off-key in the shower, but somehow we're also in the newsroom, the drugstore, the elementary-school PTA meeting at the same time. The usual rules and consequences go out the window.

On a related note, I've been watching the karma points here with great curiosity. I'm determined not to post based on ratings, but it's been interesting to see the reaction that different topics elicit.

posted by enjelani @ 04:37 PM PST

Replies: 6 comments

You're a wanker! Ha Ha Ha!

P.S.

How do you feel now?

posted by uslennar @ 08 05 2002 05:13 PM PST

you don't count, Lenny, 'cuz i can come over to your cube and kick your ass if i feel so inclined. :p

posted by enjelani @ 08 05 2002 05:41 PM PST

I clicked a negative on your karma just cause. ;)

btw, no revelation here... but the 'net is a chaotic universe of anonymous inhabitants. because of that, we don't have to wear our happy-joy masks that are required attire in the real world. if we choose, we can freely express the darker versions of ourselves. so of course people are bastards to one another.

posted by soren @ 08 05 2002 05:51 PM PST

please do let me know when the ass-kicking starts so i can come watch. *this* i have to see.

posted by zach @ 08 05 2002 11:40 PM PST

Be careful what you wish for, Zach. The mud might come flying your way too! :)

posted by Adam @ 09 05 2002 10:43 AM PST

Oops. Strange karma numbers might be attributed to me. I just like clicking on things and watching numbers go up and down. ::shrug:: Maybe I feel empowered seeing evidence of my own influence.
Sometimes I think a bunch of karma gods are doing something similar above the clouds (not that there are many clouds hereabouts, but...), aimlessly allocating karma points to people's lives on arbitrary whim.

posted by dishi @ 12 05 2002 02:51 AM PST