It has been a while since we last updated this blog, hasn't it? I figure we owe you good folks a post and, although I don't have much to add about Hong Kong (except for my learning that the closest you come to turkey in gravy here is snake soup), I can talk about what I've been up to other than working on the third chapter of my thesis (making progress, woot!).
Anyway, I figured that I would start up a new segment for filler / to let you know that we're still alive here. The topic is about one of my addictions: the Internet. As most of you know, I am a philosopher. As a philosopher, I have this horrible addiction to information. As information is readily available on the Internet, I have become addicted to one thing via another.
Wow, philosophy is a gateway drug. Who knew?
At any rate, I want to use these segments to talk about my various thoughts and feelings that come up from my slack-erm-researching the Internet. Sometimes it's enlightening, other times depressing, and still more times it's just amusing.
Today's subject is a pretty serious one, though: comment sections. I know that most of you are probably at least vaguely familiar with these. After all, you either leave comments on this blog or at least are aware that an option to do so exists (hint-hint). What you may not be aware of is the fact that, unlike the tame comments you'll find around here, there is some pretty horrible stuff out there.
I would know, I used to contribute to it.
My problem started back when I was an undergraduate at Duke. Actually, scratch that. My problem started back when I was about twelve years old and was given my first computer with Internet access. Back then, I used to frequent websites that dealt with video game strategies and would end up arguing with other commenters (users) about the content of, well, the comments. The debates ranged from mild to outright vicious but, all in all, it wasn't exactly that terrible. Just a bunch of thirteen year olds typing in all-caps on the Internet. Nothing too harmful and eventually I outgrew that sort of thing...well, the arguing. Yeah, I still visit gamer forums. We can't all be uber-1337 and get through games on hard mode the first run through with one life and basic equipment on our own, you know.
But I digress. My comment addicition did not return until half-way through my tenure as a Duke undergrad, when I started reading the articles and comments of the Duke Chronicle Online. I will not link to it here because, frankly, it's not exactly a spectacular publication...then again, neither are the Daily Tar Heel or the Technician. They're college newspapers, what do you want? See, I should have thought of that before I got sucked in, but I made my mistake all the same...
It started with one opinion column: "Do Away with the Shamanism Major". It was a poorly-argued critique of Duke's dance major by a conservative nut [NAME OMITTED] that I knew from several of my philosophy classes (I have never known anyone so obsessed with John Locke who was also so severely lacking in knowledge of his work). At any rate, being the liberal-minded, multi-culturalist (oxymoron as that sounds) that I am, I responded to his article with what most would refer to as "scathing criticism" of his argument...it was also to vent my personal frustration toward a human being who was, for all accounts and purposes, a pretender in the realm of philosophy (we're not dogmatists, or not supposed to be, we're knowledge-seekers). I chose the pseudonym "Jormungand" for my first posts and, from then on out, that was my identity on the Duke Chronicle comment sections.
When there was a Pro-China response to the Pro-Tibet rally? I was there. When there was the dead-horse beating of the "Duke Lacrosse Scandal"? I was there. When there was a criticism of Durham as a "dangerous place infested by hispanics and black people"? Oh, you'd better believe I was there (I abhor racism, classism, and many other -isms, but you already knew that).
Eventually, the often ad hominem verbal sparring that took place on those Chronicle forums began to consume a good chunk of my day. My morning would begin with a light breakfast, my orkout, and then the rest of breakfast as I spent about an hour commenting and responding to comments. I was still getting all of my work done and staying healthy, but it was pretty obvious that this thing was starting to consume me...and make me even more opinionated than I already was...although maybe that was a good thing, still not sure about that.
At any rate, eventually I did wake up to a fact: no matter what I said or how well I argued my point, it really didn't matter. I wasn't resolving any international crises on those forums and, due to the anonymity of the Internet, no one knew who anyone else was; there wasn't anything immediately personal about the discussions. To other users, I was just some jerk at my laptop...and, of course, that was pretty much how they were to me. When I graduated in '09, I said, "No more." I stopped commenting on the Chronicle and left others to their petty arguments. There was really no more point to it (although I understand a fellow by the name of "Ed Rickards" who graduated decades ago still posts there, heckling writers and other posters. I guess you can do that when you're retired and unable to enjoy life otherwise).
So that was that. I quit commenting cold-turkey and I have no regrets about it. Sure, sometimes I see an article that infuriates or excites me and I post it up on Facebook, but I don't have nearly the same reactions as I used to on those other forums. I don't get consumed by it.
That hasn't stopped me from reading the articles and their accompanying comment sections, though. I have the CNN.com newsfeed on my iGoogle page, and I still look up what's going on in the world...then I scroll down and read what a bunch of Internet trolls have to say in response. The responses are usually petty, but I still read them. I guess it's just a fascination with human psychology on my part. And, sure, most of the comments are immature and deplorable by most standards. I'm used to seeing "X deserves to die," or "Y is a fag," or "Obama is a secret Muslim" (didn't need a variable for that one; it's always the same). I see these and, of course, I think, "What a bunch of morons." Then I realize that most of these people probably just post to vent or get a rise out of others, and the ones who post seriously are the kinds of goose-stepping morons (thank you Mr. Connery) that we should probably keep our eyes peeled for but are, by and large, all bark and no bite...except for their words.
So that wraps up today's post. As I sit here, sickish in bed, I know that I will probably pull up another article shortly after posting and, after reading its content, scroll down and read the myriad comments posted below. I know my eyes will be assaulted with stupidity and inanity, but that's okay; I'm used to it. What makes it all worth it is when you muck through all of that garbage and, eventually, find a gem or two in the mess that are either so bad they're funny, or they show some genuine, intelligent, humane insight. I see those latter kind and think, "Good for you...now, just let it go. Don't get sucked in like I did."
No comments:
Post a Comment