Anonymous and Angry - make a difference!

[Andail]

This problem has always been there, but it seems to never wear off, and it's becoming increasingly blatant now with all the blogs and whatnot.

But as soon as people can leave comments anonymously, the atmosphere turns so damn hostile. Are people really so full of surpressed anger? Does everyone just feel like smacking every other commenter in the face?
Check a random youtube page; every other comment is just about taking the piss. Any site which doesn't require people to register thoroughly ends up with chidlish, uncalled for aggressions.

So here's a mission: Go to a particularly inflamed board/forum/site and offer a comment that is all about being considerate, polite, mature. Take a screenshot and publish it here. We'll see who can make the biggest contrast - who can offer the most friendliness in the most hostile environment.

Or, if you just wanna discuss this phenomenon and try to explain why it's come to this, you can do that too!

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

I salute, off-hand, anyone who manages to do it, too. I'd never have the patience for it, and I'm surprised anyone does.

[ManicMatt]

"you sleep with your brother"

A comment posted on one of my music videos. My brother isn't even in the video, or anyone who could possibly BE my brother! It makes no sense! It's like someone didnt even watch the video, they just like to post random insults at total strangers with no fear of getting their teeth kicked in, safe behind their monitor.

[Radiant]

Actually this also happens in the AGS games list. Many of the anonymous comments there are quite nasty.

[radiowaves]

Well, some people enjoy the fools who get turned on by that.
Its because of supression, yes. if you look at todays world, you see that whole life is about competition, aim is to get into the "higher class". The thing about it is that every person does his own thing and there is a lack of social communication between people. When riding a bus, you see what I mean, people are just living in the shells. And because of all that, they have the need to stand out, to be better. Usually people make themselves smarter by bringing up the flaws of others, so they can feel secure because of keeping themselves out of the topic.

[Tuomas]

Ok, brilliant, I write nice comments at www.bootyvote.com almost every day, but that site is the most flamed one I've ever seen, and it's really frustrating. I shan't post a screenshot though, for a certain reason.

[i k a r i]

This thread is stupid and all of you sleep with animals.




Oh #$@! I was logged in.

I haven't thought of this before this way, but is actually true, my sister has a fotolog (as we call it here) and she receives every once in a while an insult from an anonymous girl of her school, for no reason, and youtube comments are 40 pages of stupidity, racism, intolerance, etc. But wasn't internet always annonymous?, I think yes. At least it is before we make a name of our nickname.  :
I'm gonna try in both places just to have fun, and if it doesn't work I'm gonna insult them all (just kidding), by the way my sister's photolog is www.forgetit/flog.com 

[Erenan]

Interesting mission. Not sure if I'll try my luck at it.

Kind of related story: Once a friend of mine at another now defunct forum complained about how he was treated at a certain Fallout fansite forum. He had been flamed severely by members and moderators alike for asking for advice on how to go about modding Fallout to add samurai armor to it, which was apparently against their philosophy of how the game should and shouldn't be modded. One of the moderators called him a "wheedling little pudding of piss," which really bothered me. I foolishly registered there and posted in his defense, and I too was flamed severely. Really, I think I should have just left well enough alone, because these people were so trapped in their Internet archetypes that rational discourse was impossible.

[deadsuperhero]

It's sad that some people can't act maturely. That just disturbs the crap out of me.
I'd be more than happy to take up this mission. Though, I'm not really sure what it'd do. The internet is an enormous place.
Still, even the nicest remark can make all the difference for someone.

[Buckethead]

I'm not sure where I can find anyone blogs that are full of flames. If I here you guys talk I suppose there should be lots but I'm not sure how to find them

[Stupot]

I made a video of my arm made to look like like an arse.

Chilish yes ans I wasnt expecting any praise when I put it on Myspace videos..... but the amount of people that call me Gay was unbelievable.

I can't remember the url and can't be bothered to login to myspace now but if you guys have time, visit my myspace page and click on my vids and you'll see the amount of comments I got.

http://www.myspace.com/stuartjforbes

[Stupot]

Do any of you guys know B3TA.com?

It's a very funny site, but quite frankly the people on there are ar**holes who mouth off anyone who's not part of the clique.  So I decided to accept Andail's mission and say something really placid and complimentary on their message board.... Sure enough I was call a C*nt withing 5 minutes....

Rather than posting a screenshot, I'll just give you the link.

http://www.b3ta.com/talk/3274873

PS sorry for double post but it was completely unrelated to the above post so I thought it warranted a box of its own.

[EDIT]
Actually looking back at the messages, they we're actually that nasty... maybe they are kinder on talk board than on the Picture board... they can be really mean on there if you make one spelling error or post something slightly too large or anything.. it's like treading on eggshells posting on there.

[Mr Flibble]

This would not go down well on a website like 4chan. Although, users there aren't mean in a cruel or meaningless way, they're heartless jerks in an amusing and arrogant fashion. In their own words, "anyone who takes anything posted here as a fact is a fool." The cruelty is intended in a light hearted, targeted way. People are expected to ignore it or respond to it, not get hurt by it. It's a sort of... code of conduct.

Although, random and unnecessarily angry comments which are designed to aggravate? I think the denizens of the internet are enjoying the lack of responsibility.

[Hudders]

People who post anonymously are unlikely to come back and read any reply.

And even if they did, how could you be sure that it was the same person?

[SinSin]

on my website for Mike Lechey i have a guestbook (like everyone does) and the first person to post on it said and i quote "Hello we're geeks too"
I dont know whether it is meant to be malicious but I'm leaving it there just until the game has been out for a while to prove that i can do something with my time more productive than bitch at folk.
I know that when I first started on AGS I got into a bit of a kerfuffle with one particular member and it got a little messy, but alas it was sorted out.
I think the reasoning behind abusive people is similar to the Working mens club interfering Commitee members. eg
   Commitee members in WMC's tend to be very very power mad and get jealous very very easily. so websites with forums make  it easier for the power mad people to excercise their bitchiness because 999/1000 nothing will be done about it and the offender gets a warm fuzzy feeling coz "No-one knows its meeeee Mwahahhahhahha"

   Its all psycology   rather like getting a magnifying glass and frying ants on the pavement.  (note I didnt, I burnt newspapers((in a controlled enviroment)) i'd put holes in peoples heads lol )

If this made no sense to you then %$£$ Off     Lol

[cobra79]

Some people just want to stir up trouble.  I have found a prime example which in its absurdity and involuntary humor stands out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sav8xG2JY_k

Anti-german germans clad in english football apparel singing an english song insulting germans. Judging by the comments it worked. It has a catchy tune though.

[MillsJROSS]

I don't tend to notice this so much, but to honest, this is the only forum I frequent on a regular basis, and don't tend to go seeking other forums.

I don' t think there is a way to change this, other than by forcing people to register to post. If people want to be nasty, though, they will be. More often, than not, they also will be the only one's to post. I know when I go on You Tube, I don't ever post, even if I think something is funny/good. Unless I'm going to be making some (hopefully) constructive criticism, I generally avoid posting. There's really no way to have a big sense of community on a page like You Tube anyway.

The internet isn't an exclusive club, and there are a lot of immature people roaming around on their free time. Some are waiting for a chance to think of something cleverly insulting, or just insulting. Some of it may be perceived as harmless fun. When I create good friends, much of our past time is spent playfully insulting each other. I'd like to think that there are many people who unintentionally post an insult because they perceive a comfort zone of others that may or may not be present.

Really there's almost no point in arguing with people who intentionally post to insult people, because they don't really care what your saying. The same goes for forums where there's an established precedence for being insulting to new people or insulting ideas they don't agree with.

I'm just glad, that for the most part, this forum seems to stay away from that.

-MillsJROSS

[Tuomas]

You know, I've been reading some sites lately, that allow you to comment in your own language, not just English. I noticed that French and German people tend to write more civilised stuff as comments than those who write in English. Is that because you don't really have stuff like OMG FU***ng n00b shit, etc in those languages, or is it just, that using a foreign language, like English, to some, that makes them write stuff like that?

[Jon]

Is that because you don't really have stuff like OMG FU***ng n00b shit, etc in those languages

I typed 'OMG FU***ng n00b shit' on an online, free translator (all in actual english) into German.

Translation: Ach Mein Gott, Ficken, noob ScheiàŸe. So I guess there are expletives which can be used (at least in German) but it seems that us english are much less civilised.

[DoorKnobHandle]

Hmm... There are German expressions for that, but most are well understood in its original English form (like omg or lol) - at least on the internet. But on YouTube for example (probably one of the worst places when it comes to friendly behavior via text comments), German clips and discussions underneath them quickly become similar spam- and hatefests to the English/American ones, not much difference from my experience, possibly a tiny little bit, but not a lot at all is what I'd say.