I was reading Scobelizer today and saw a post on some recent threats made against a female blogger. It’s strange how something so wonderful like the Internet can be used in such terrible ways. I found it sad and dehumanizing.
I certainly hope the individuals who are involved come to their senses and realize that their comments do really affect people (who are real). No one needs that type of hatred, and the my bet is that most of these comments come not from any real differences with someone never met, but rather are based on some inadequacy of self. In plainspeak, people that need to act out against others typically are just trying to feel important, be cool, impress others, or something equally childish.
It reminded me of how being anonymous enables people to do and act in ways they never would without the veil or secrecy. There are a lot of examples in history (secret societys like the KKK come to mind), but it also reminded me of a talk I heard where Jeff Bezos of Amazon promoted the idea that every restaurant menu should have an email address on the bottom of it. His view was that as a restaurant owner, you would get the most honest feedback on your service, quality, etc that you could handle. I think that is true. How many times have you hated your meal and smiled politely as the waiter asked you how it was? I know I have. The point is that by being anonymous people truly feel free to be themselves and it paves the way for unvarnished expression.
Sad to see the truth in some people revealed.
