Are meanness and cruelty growing or have we always been this bad?

[WinterBorn]

These forums are rife with people saying the rudest things and trying so hard to hurt people. I understand that politics gets passionate, and that passion brings out things.

But has the anonymity of the internet bred a generation of cruel jerks?

As an example, read the comments left on an artist's Tumblr page.

This Tumblr User Shows Her Horrific Anonymous Messages In A Powerful Art Project

Of course, there are threads all over these forums that show te same and worse.

What is it that prompts so many to try to be such huge assholes, and for no apparent reason? Am I missing what they gain from it?

 

[Bluedog]

That's because too many people post with their egos and spend too much time defending their own positions instead of seeking common ground with the opposing viewpoint.

IMHO


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Delta4Embassy]

These forums are rife with people saying the rudest things and trying so hard to hurt people. I understand that politics gets passionate, and that passion brings out things.

But has the anonymity of the internet bred a generation of cruel jerks?

As an example, read the comments left on an artist's Tumblr page.

This Tumblr User Shows Her Horrific Anonymous Messages In A Powerful Art Project

Of course, there are threads all over these forums that show te same and worse.

What is it that prompts so many to try to be such huge assholes, and for no apparent reason? Am I missing what they gain from it?

"Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." - Oscar Wilde

I think Wilde had it right, and the nature of itnernet communications is simply bearing it out. It's the Wilde Wilde west, the internet.

 

[Esmeralda]

These forums are rife with people saying the rudest things and trying so hard to hurt people. I understand that politics gets passionate, and that passion brings out things.

But has the anonymity of the internet bred a generation of cruel jerks?

As an example, read the comments left on an artist's Tumblr page.

This Tumblr User Shows Her Horrific Anonymous Messages In A Powerful Art Project

Of course, there are threads all over these forums that show te same and worse.

What is it that prompts so many to try to be such huge assholes, and for no apparent reason? Am I missing what they gain from it?

Well, I believe a serious artist does not consider the internet the appropriate place to display his/her art. People are rude and always have been, but the internet definitely gives them an open license to be as rude and unpleasant as possible w/o any reprecussions. However, she is not being very smart posting her work on line and expecting there will be no offensive responses. She needs to take her work more seriously and not post it on the internet.

 

[editec]

It has become this way becasue people think winning an argument is the point of these discussions.

Where did they learn this?

From TV, mostly.

 

[NoNukes]

These forums are rife with people saying the rudest things and trying so hard to hurt people. I understand that politics gets passionate, and that passion brings out things.

But has the anonymity of the internet bred a generation of cruel jerks?

As an example, read the comments left on an artist's Tumblr page.

This Tumblr User Shows Her Horrific Anonymous Messages In A Powerful Art Project

Of course, there are threads all over these forums that show te same and worse.

What is it that prompts so many to try to be such huge assholes, and for no apparent reason? Am I missing what they gain from it?

They are able to hide behind their computers and say things that they would not have the courage to say to the person's face.

Having said this, I think in general people were better and nicer in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

 

[NoNukes]

These forums are rife with people saying the rudest things and trying so hard to hurt people. I understand that politics gets passionate, and that passion brings out things.

But has the anonymity of the internet bred a generation of cruel jerks?

As an example, read the comments left on an artist's Tumblr page.

This Tumblr User Shows Her Horrific Anonymous Messages In A Powerful Art Project

Of course, there are threads all over these forums that show te same and worse.

What is it that prompts so many to try to be such huge assholes, and for no apparent reason? Am I missing what they gain from it?

Well, I believe a serious artist does not consider the internet the appropriate place to display his/her art. People are rude and always have been, but the internet definitely gives them an open license to be as rude and unpleasant as possible w/o any reprecussions. However, she is not being very smart posting her work on line and expecting there will be no offensive responses. She needs to take her work more seriously and not post it on the internet.

If she is fishing for compliments, she might catch some insults too.

 

[Moonglow]

I've always gotten shit from people, I've been blacklisted just because they thought I did something..Nothing new.
But I've also met many nice and wonderful people.

 

[longknife]

Do you think they'd get away with this stuff today?

Some of the old stuff was really nasty.

 

[Katzndogz]

There is much more than meanness and cruelty on the internet. There is cruelty that has descended into insanity. There is a sickness. not just meanness. A young girl stabs her 11 year old sister 50 times because the child wasn't appreciative enough. The spread of amusements like the knock out game. A girl in Orange County California is beaten to death because she accidentally walked into a group photo outside a bar. Dozens of random assaults and murders for trivial reasons. This goes way beyond internet cruelty, this is internet cruelty applied to the physical world.

 

[Manchester]

It might have something to do with the economy. It's pretty well known that during times of austerity we become more insular and less full of largesse for the people around us.

 

[Katzndogz]

It might have something to do with the economy. It's pretty well known that during times of austerity we become more insular and less full of largesse for the people around us.

It's probably a combination of raising a generation of children who believe they are special, they are the best in the world and need do nothing to achieve greatness, and the widespread use of mind altering drugs. A narcissism grown out of control, deprived of reason.

 

[Moonglow]

There is much more than meanness and cruelty on the internet. There is cruelty that has descended into insanity. There is a sickness. not just meanness. A young girl stabs her 11 year old sister 50 times because the child wasn't appreciative enough. The spread of amusements like the knock out game. A girl in Orange County California is beaten to death because she accidentally walked into a group photo outside a bar. Dozens of random assaults and murders for trivial reasons. This goes way beyond internet cruelty, this is internet cruelty applied to the physical world.

Nothing like in the good old days when you could be murdered for being a Jew, a protestant on a Catholic street or just for being colored. I miss those old dayz and their easy going ways.

 

[Manchester]

It might have something to do with the economy. It's pretty well known that during times of austerity we become more insular and less full of largesse for the people around us.

It's probably a combination of raising a generation of children who believe they are special, they are the best in the world and need do nothing to achieve greatness, and the widespread use of mind altering drugs. A narcissism grown out of control, deprived of reason.

Maybe but I doubt it. My parents generation were raised on mind altering drugs and they made the most astounding scientific advances of any generation in the history of mankind. Similarly I think that every generation thinks of the one after them as packed woth ner'do'wells and thugs where as the crime stats say different.

I do notice a lot more mean spirited news stories that seem top be trying to turn my opinion against different groups of society to myself though.

 

[hangover]

Are meanness and cruelty growing or have we always been this bad?

It's just the GOP platform. As soon as this country gets rid of the cons, America will come back to being great. And not until then.

This is a perfect example of this entire thread.

No facts.
No specifics.
Just plain confrontation and hatred.

Don't play stupid. You know the cons have taken unemployment benefits from over a million people, throwing them out in the street. And you know the cons want to do that to the welfare poor, the Social Security elderly, and the uninsured sick. You know the cons want to destroy the minimum wage and unions, so that corporations can get away with slave labor. You know the cons want to destroy the EPA so that corporations can get away with polluting the air and water. There's your fucking facts.

 

[longknife]

It's just the GOP platform. As soon as this country gets rid of the cons, America will come back to being great. And not until then.

This is a perfect example of this entire thread.

No facts.
No specifics.
Just plain confrontation and hatred.

Don't play stupid. You know the cons have taken unemployment benefits from over a million people, throwing them out in the street. And you know the cons want to do that to the welfare poor, the Social Security elderly, and the uninsured sick. You know the cons want to destroy the minimum wage and unions, so that corporations can get away with slave labor. You know the cons want to destroy the EPA so that corporations can get away with polluting the air and water. There's your fucking facts.

Easy to state they are facts but, why don't you cite some examples? Give us links to back up your rabid allegations.

 

[Ava]

These forums are rife with people saying the rudest things and trying so hard to hurt people. I understand that politics gets passionate, and that passion brings out things.

But has the anonymity of the internet bred a generation of cruel jerks?

As an example, read the comments left on an artist's Tumblr page.

This Tumblr User Shows Her Horrific Anonymous Messages In A Powerful Art Project

Of course, there are threads all over these forums that show te same and worse.

What is it that prompts so many to try to be such huge assholes, and for no apparent reason? Am I missing what they gain from it?

Yes, the Internet and ineffective parenting are two reasons for the upswing in hatred and persecution. How can any parent effectively teach their children, should they know themselves, the dangers of too many digital devices and too much freedom on their hands.

 

[R.D.]

Are meanness and cruelty growing or have we always been this bad?

It's just the GOP platform. As soon as this country gets rid of the cons, America will come back to being great. And not until then.

Honeypie, saccharine just flows from your posts every time you're sweet nature talks about wiping out half the nation.

 

[JakeStarkey]

The sociopaths, the narcissists, the insane will act out their craziness on the net, because they can without having consequences other than maybe being banned.

 

[BDBoop]

Beats me, but I avoid reading anything by such people. If I'm reading in the comments section, and I see such ugliness and vitriol, I close the browser.

If said people claim to be spiritually alive, I do not believe them. And if their rantings are bad enough, I wonder why they are not medicated.