I have noticed since I have been on the internet that there are many bullies. People who would never be rude to anyone get to the point of yelling at anyone who disagrees with them. Discussions can not be found because others want to be the center of attention. Name calling and other incidents are games of oppression.
Everyones advice is always to leave it alone. That it will die down and it only makes everyone else have to suffer also. Yet in real life no one would put up with someone who does this or would they? Is the lack of action against others with bad social habits on the internet acceptable because everyone puts up with such bad behavior from others in their life off of the computer.
Could the abusers on the internet really be the poor people who are trying to be the center of attention because they have absolutely nothing going for them? Except maybe a fake name and fake history? Could the real reason they are abusing others and acting badly be because they have miserable lives where they are victimized all of the time and instead of learning from it become abusers?
I was 7 years old when I encountered my first bully. I told my father about it after my cut lip and dirtied clothes how I had been pushed down and my candy bar taken from me. My fathers response was to tell me that the only value I had in life was the value I put on myself. I was a smart person who could do anything I wanted to do. I just had to like myself and my own actions and do what I felt was right. He then taught me how to fight to defend myself.
The next time the bully came up and shoved me he got a right cross to the chin and was laying on the ground. He became my best friend for most of my childhood. Yet the internet is not like that as people do not have to say anything to your face. They can slander you and talk about you and be sneaky. They can twist your words and call you names. Once you respond back they try to say you mean that about everyone instead of the person you are talking too.
As if everyone was like them and of course you meant that to every other person. You try to prove you are not what they say and it is ego or lies. You tell them you do not like abuse and they go out of their way to heap it on you even when they do not know what they are talking about in any way.
I have had this experience again. I realize now it is 90% about them and their egos. The problem is that people try to say bad behavior does not matter. I disagree as it just means if you drop it they do not get their jollies by being the center of attention. The behavior does matter because they will abuse someone else. It is why groups are moderated because there is always someone out there taking out their miserable life upon others.
In one way those opinions are true as the internet is not real life and you can always block the senders of nasty emails. Yet you can not stop others from reading the comments and believing them. It is the part that bothers me the most about it. What if someone really believes them and is ignorant enough to cause problems.
I guess that is true every where in life yet I believe I enjoyed it more when I was a child and could deal with such things. I guess the main thing is to not put up with anyone doing that to anyone else and for moderators to act like moderators. People can be hurt as badly by the actions of others on the internet as they can every where else.
It is part of the problems with communications and validation. People talk on the internet to make friends and be validated by others interested in the same subjects. They communicate to enjoy talking about a subject they are fascinated with and enjoy. Yet if we wait to be validated on the internet or anywhere else everyone will be waiting a long time.
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