Masked vigilantes dispensing truth and justice ...
… and how others see them …
"Sexually aggressive, racist, homophobe, misogynistic, cowardly, illiterate, waste of human skin..."
Essential viewing from Thank You Hater! – by Clever Pie and Isabel Fay
– P
Not aimed at anyone here, clearly.
Very very clever – particularly loved the wanking gibbon.
There could well be non-anonymous commenters in the world who straddle both worlds – and regularly journey for short or long stays in either personal reality of Caped Crusader/Beatified Saint and Wanking simian.
Never laughed so much at a video in ages. The observation about misspelt words is priceless …
It’s delightful, isn’t it? The light tone conveys a wonderful dissonance with the message.
As regular readers will know, I defend the use of anonymous/pseudonymous ‘handles’ although I much prefer people ‘owning’ their comments and (especially) criticisms.
Be as harsh as you like but be accountable and provide support/examples, is my view.
Discussing it today on Twitter I said:
https://twitter.com/onThePaepae/status/278554705427329024
And I think the controversy over ‘Colonial Viper’ and his implicit violence against John and Josie Pagani over on The Standard shows what can happen when people act without restraint.
It interests me that Clare Curran has suggested that commenter (whose identity is known to her) should pull his head in, now, finally, with a complaint to the Labour Council. Where was that sanction when the Paganis were being pilloried day after day at The Standard?
Debate can’t be decided by who will descend to the lowest, vilest behaviour.
– P
My untrained observation … is that online … blogging etc leads to a new type of behaviour hitherto only seen (in very fledgling state) in letters to the editor of Newspapers previously. Its so immediate that anonymous people can easily forget their anonymous status … and frankly that is reasonably forgiveable within reason.
Its like children in a playground “we called to you and you did not answer – we piped to you and you did not dance…” people begin to behave as though they are actually face to face with the other commenters. It is almost as though we can be caught up in an “electronic samadhi” state … the nearest parallel i can draw is pubtalk. It all seems to go awry when someone ups the ante and calls someone on a comment … then the escalation process begins.
In short – we forget ourselves – all commenters included.
Caped Crusaders/Saints become wanking gibbons so quickly …
Honestly the video of that poor creature flogging ” mr wobbly” furiously, is going to stay in my brain all week now. A visit to the zoo or this site, will never be the same again.
[…] was commenting on a post, by Peter Aranyi in How anonymous commenters see themselves (including some very good graphics). It interests me that Clare Curran has suggested that commenter […]
Peter, you say:
“I see anonymity as a convention/privilege not a right.”
Well, of course I have no right to post here – it is but a privilege.
Nonetheless, I suspect that all this heroic rhetoric of the supposed importance of anonymity potentially reeks somewhat of self importance and solopsism.
Take this little blog for example. No disrespect, but it is no global game changer. There is maybe half a dozen semi regular posters chewing the fat about not so much.
These blogs / online discussions / forums et al really aren’t that important.
Rgds,
*p*
Of course you’re quite right about this blog’s obscurity. It is — indeed — no global global changer. Rather, Cathy Odgers so aptly captured the activity of blogging … http://www.thepaepae.com/an-utterly-useless-waste-of-a-persons-time/11112/
And I’ve always enjoyed this cartoon:
I think a reader’s sensitivity to other people exercising their “freedom of speech” to criticise them on the internet (even on unknown websites like this one) can be amplified by the manner in which that criticism is conducted.
There is a way to argue without descent into vacuous name-calling.
This blog is littered with my scribblings and workings-out about what I think of this topic and others. It’s been useful for me, if no-one else.
– P
See also: http://www.thepaepae.com/potshots-from-behind-a-mask-of-anonymity-are-by-definition-cheap/474/
http://www.thepaepae.com/an-abiding-distrust-for-anonymous-speech/17246/
Neither if which apply to you, poormastery, because of the journey we’ve travelled.
I didnt think for a moment that this blog or any other of its type is a global game changer. This place may be obscure – but its a forum for discussion … that discussion that ensues may well be “not so much” … but its not different to beauty being in the eye of the beholder – or one mans trash is another mans treasure. Some say things that are offhand – while others indulge in circuitous demonstrations of seemingly flawless logic. Both approaches are valid – the the people authoring them perhaps.
As to these types of forms etc not being that important. I think you may be missing the point entirely … they are important … both the obscure and the well known. Personally i dislike the phenomenon because of the behaviours it creates or perhaps more accurately — encourages … in us all.
However … its a clear fact that this type of communication, discourse, interaction is becoming (and probably already is) more powerful than conventional media channels. I dont like admitting that … but it clearly is. The other interesting point is this … the blogs like this one, that are obscure cant perhaps be judged by the gadflies like myself who hover around it – there are perhaps many unseen watchers who dont comment … but they read it – every word. Commenters are perhaps – no measure of the reach of a forum of any sort.
I’d hazard an uneducated guess – that many dont comment here for numerous reasons … one of them being Peters “see all sides” and “reasoned” approach. Its not de rigeur – people may perhaps want bread and circusses where they can scream for blood rather than the Paepaes approach.
Just a series of scattered thoughts…
[…] I’m really not the bee’s knees, and don’t see myself as a saint, nor ‘the light’. Not at all. Really. Please. The Paepae isn’t going to save the world — this little blog is not a ‘global game changer’ as poormastery said (accurately) recently. […]