MyFoxDFW

Wow! Here it is, July 8, 2008, the summer is in full force and the year is halfway gone. It’s been a very busy year and I haven’t had much time to blog lately, but I have noticed a long-term trend in blogging that has fascinated me for the last few years.

What is it about blogging that seems to make people think that they can say anything they like with no shame? I’ve noticed people lashing out in anger, delivering personal attack after personal attack and generally speaking in a manner that is considered unacceptable in all other social situations. I see this in blogs all over the internet, including the myfox blogs.

There are a lot of theories to explain this trend. Some say that it’s the anonymity of the internet that allows people to lash out and that certainly makes sense in a lot of situations. Some folks seem to think that it’s okay to insult and degrade others as long as nobody knows them and nobody can easily track them down. It’s never really okay to be vicious, mean and insulting, but many people feel differently. Of course, some of these folks have come to regret their behavior as they have found that they can, indeed, be tracked down by law enforcement when needed.

Some people think that it’s the public figure aspect of blogging that makes people abandon acceptable behavior. In the early days of personal computers we had local Bulletin Board Systems that a relatively small number of people would use to discuss various topics and exchange opinions. Since there were not that many people who could read one person’s comments, things generally did not get too crazy. Skip ahead to today and one blogger can be read by hundreds or thousands of people daily and you have a nice anger stew. One comment today can start a war of words on what is now called the “blogosphere.”

Another theory is that there are those people who may have been frequently ignored or belittled growing up. As they grew older, they looked for areas that they might have better control over and might garner more respect and attention from. As they discovered the internet and blogging they seized the opportunity to make a name for themselves and take no prisoners. Again, these are all just theories that try and explain the negativity and the attacks that are so prevalent on the internet today. Every individual is important and has value. Everybody has their own story and that’s part of what makes blogging so much fun.

None of us are perfect and we can all be guilty of the occasional misspeak, but we should always be aware that words really can hurt people in ways that are not always easily definable. For the same reason a well written song is powerful, or a simple “Thank you,” or “I love you.” can change a person’s life, an attack aimed squarely at a person’s individuality or belief can have a huge negative impact. Many of us are pretty tough (or at least we think we are) because we’ve been burned before and we’ve heard most of the BS before, but some people are a little more tender. Sadly, some people have even killed themselves because of words somebody else used against them. It is true that actions speak louder than words, but when we blog, our actions are our words. Be well and have a great summer!

Daniel

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