An Editorial

A recent post on a random blog started me thinking on the subject of class. No, I'm not talking about socioeconomic status or any sort of caste system, I'm talking about the personal attribute that I'm proud to say many of you boast, and am ashamed to say that some people do not.

As I use the word here, as defined by Oxford American:

class |klas|
adjective [ attrib. ] informal
showing stylish excellence : he's a class player

Second Life is not my first ball game in the realm of social media, or interactive communications. Many of you know that in the AOL heyday I was known as Host PCCL Camel, Host LFST Camel, and Host News Camel... a community leader under the watchful guidance of America Online Communities Incorporated (ACI). I have also served in the past as forum and chat moderator, and editor, for various other online communities.

It's through my experience working on the Internet that I have learned one thing: there's no better place to judge exactly how much "class" someone has than right here on the Internet. Here's why...

The Internet is very freeing for people. We're all anonymous friends here. Most often, you don't know where someone works or specifically where they live, their level of education, sometimes even their sex or how old they are. So what does this mean? It means we can all be as passive-aggressive as we want to be, we can all pretend to be experts in whatever fields of interest we choose to pursue online, and we can all be just as condescending as our black hearts desire without fear of being called onto the carpet as idiots.

The key question of this rant is simple: why do some people act like assholes online?

A lot of this can be explained by simple armchair psychology. People need attention and credibility.

Some of the most controversial editorialist bloggers, some of the most hated Internet personalities, often turn out to be social outcasts or fairly boring individuals when you seek them out in real life. Why?

On the Internet, everyone is equal... or can at least claim to be. Those who regularly get their names out there writing or commenting on certain subjects - if they keep it up - earn what they do not get in real life. They earn attention and credibility, regardless of attitude or quality.

The sad thing is, people don't earn a following on the Internet by being nice. People are condescending, rude, passive-aggressive, and outright mean at times - because that's who we tend to respond to in the most quantitative manner. These peoples' efforts are further appeased due to the fact that the population as a whole can't authenticate their qualifications to say what they're saying.

The Internet allows every person with a few hours of free time, and basic computer skills, to become a self-publisher. It's not always through a blog or website (though often it is)... sometimes it's as simple as a person becoming active in a forum, participating in a particular community, commenting on news stories or writing letters to other publishers.

People need recognition. Unfortunately, the people we most often recognize in our online world are truly "classless."

What I have never understood in my time behind the computer screen is why - as a global online community - we allow the truly hateful people to rise to the top while ignoring our neighbors who quietly listen, politely reply, and respect their peers in all that they may have to say. They don't fuss or argue, they don't seek online fame, and they never say or do anything remotely uncouth. These people have class.

Is this our society? Do we truly allow the best among us to go unnoticed while the idiots and malcontents slowly rise to the top with hoards of mindless lemmings behind them?

All I can say is maybe the next generation will do better than we have in picking the crème de la crème as their idols. Maybe they will recognize the outcasts for who they are and stop feeding their constant need for attention. Or maybe not.

It's a sad world when we allow ourselves to be represented publicly by some of the people out there writing about, commenting on, and leading our online communities.

But do you honestly think that the way a person behaves online reflects their personality in real life? That is a million-dollar question. I personally believe the answer is "yes." Remember that the comments you make, the articles you write, even role-playing and the games you participate in are all interesting to you. The way you act online, even if out of character from who you are in real life, reflects your interests... your curiosities and your concerns.

Just something to think about next time you run across that inflammatory post on your favorite forum or blog. ;) 

Until Next Time,

Xavier Mohr

Comments

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Strange Ranger   | 2007-11-27 00:40:04 I do agree with you that people need both attention and credibility. The problem is that those terms aren't interchangeable. Because of the anonymous nature of the medium, I also think that "class" might be something that's not even thought about by a lot of people that write on blogs and web sites. The fact is, the medium is all about attention. It has less to do with credibility or class than any other medium. With that said, I also think that people love to have their opinions heard. They love to stand up to some of these "classless" people (in comments), giving them the attention that they are looking for, while doing so. The amount of "class" that somebody has online is usually directly contrasted by the amount of anonymity they have. There are exceptions, of course, but I also think that the answer to your last question is "yes". Quote 0   0

Xavier Mohr - Well, Sort-Of     | 2007-11-27 11:14:39 I wasn't necessarily trying to say the terms are interchangeable. People do seek attention online but they also seek credibility in my opinion. Everyone wants to be an expert at something. The truth of the matter is, it is much easier to gain credibility on the Internet. In real life, if you sit back giving medical advice, people stop listening when they find out you don't have a medical degree. On the Internet, the simple fact is that - even if you are a carpenter in real life - if you have spent the last year blogging about medical issues and making diagnoses... people are going to trust you - most often without even asking about your real life qualifications. It's very sad but true, that credibility on the Internet is handed out freely by a community with too much blind trust. Quote 0   0

SLReports.net User - health care system opens a who   | 2007-11-27 13:17:16 'In real life, if you sit back giving medical advice, people stop listening when they find out you don't have a medical degree.' Why do people esteem people with 'medical degrees' more highly than other people? Did you know that the word 'diagnosis', 'prognosis' and 'opinion'; are all derived words that come from the one word 'witness'?? Problematic with health care workers is their avoidance of the consequences of their own sins. Their avoidance is evidenced by their insistance on using words such as 'diagnosis', 'prognosis' and/or 'opinion'. If a man is bearing witness, then he is bearing witness. The witness is then looked at to see how truthful it might be. But, with people who fart around with words like that, there is a court case just trying to show them that they are bearing witness in the first place. Also, our modern health care system, is descended from a snake worshipping cult. A SNAKE WORSHIPPING CULT. Apparently, that snake worshipping cult originated in Babylon, and somehow migrated to Rome, and to Germany; and to the rest of the world(as far as I can tell). The modern health care workers father is named 'hippocrates', which sounds much like the word 'hypocrites'. Why do men want to esteem a snake worshipping cult so highly? By the way, the consequences of the health care workers sins are catastrophic to the afflicted. Also, the word 'patient' is not correctly utilized to refer to the people who are 'afflicted'. It makes no sense to refer to the afflicted as 'the patient'. Something not quite right with their thinking. Also, something not quite right with the thinking of the majority of people who worship this snake worshipping cult. Also, health care workers 'witnessings' of afflictions are often times 'objective' rather than 'subjective' witnessings of afflictions. Does anyone know what this means? It means that usually those health care workers who are so highly esteemed, have never experienced many of the afflictions that they witness of(yet they won't use the word 'witness'). Whereas, the subjective witness, is coming from the afflicted persons mouth. Now, this is actually a really tough thing, and I know this from personal experience. Whose witness is more relevant? the objective, or the subjective witness?? So, it is possible to esteem the carpenters 'witness' as highly as the 'doctors' witness. Does anyone see what I am saying? But, rather than abase only the carpenter, I think that health care workers need to do a reality check, and humble themselves; and that means that the carpenters witness is also humbled. This is really important. The reason this is so important, is because there may be someones life at stake. Also, the 'pledge-takers' in connection with the health care industry? They snare themselves with their own mouths. Are they really intent, and willing to do that which they pledge to do towards the afflicted?? I think not. This is evidenced by insurance companies, whose shares trade at high prices on stock exchanges, while people are judged to live in squalor, and tortured unto the death. These are 'hidden' sins I am talking about, that many men fail to percieve. Health care workers, whose minds get effected/affected by insurance companies, therefore effecting their abilities to 'witness'(and they won't use the word 'witness' but rather insist on the word 'diagnosis'). Does the law say 'THOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE DIAGNOSIS'?? No. But, what the law said was 'THOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS'. Quote 0   0

I will remain anonymous on thi - Cough, cough,....ahem....   | 2007-11-27 17:14:52 I think post #3 drives Xavier's point home. nuff said. Quote 0   0

SLReports.net User   | 2007-11-27 18:30:40 #3 had a point? Oh, wait, I see it. Snake worshiping cults who trade their insurance shares at high prices should hire carpenters to bear false diagnosis. What? Quote 0   0

SLReports.net User   | 2007-11-27 18:35:06 Whatever #3 said, it really wasn't very classy. Quote 0   0

Arnaud Villota - Well Said   | 2007-11-27 18:45:50 Thanks Xavier. Well said! I humbly admit that at times I have not shown class in many of my posts on SLCAPEX, but I agree with your synopsis! I think we should all "think" before we speak(post). Just as we do in RL. (or at least 99.9% of us). Quote 0   0

Xavier Mohr   | 2007-11-27 19:20:47 Well Arnaud, I think that admitting that in itself is quite classy. For the record, I am usually quite bitchy and vicious in the mornings. There have been a few times that I have posted notices here, at the exchange, as comments, and in forums that 10 minutes later I had to go back and delete (after I "woke up") because I realized how incredibly awful they were. It's not necessarily classless if you're only doing it every great once in a while, or just carrying on a passionate debate... but rather just being human! Quote 0   0

Arnaud - It is nice to be able to delet   | 2007-11-27 22:07:27 It is nice to be able to delete after thinking. Most of us don't have that opportunity! Quote 0   0

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