4 ms·
Anonymous free speech can sure bring out some ugly things in people. Freedoms, though, often cut both ways, protecting important and significant behaviors but
by ctur 12y ago
Anonymous free speech can sure bring out some ugly things in people. Freedoms, though, often cut both ways, protecting important and significant behaviors but also sometimes allowing sad and pathetic ones.
I think it would be delicious punishment if the author of each of those tweets were forced to read them out loud, in front of their mothers, sisters, wives, friends, bosses, coworkers, and children. If someone's willing to send messages like that to a real life person, they should see how people in real life react to their hate spew.
- killwhitey 12y agoThere was a woman video game reviewer who messaged the mothers of boys who sent her hateful messages on Facebook, which was entertaining. https://twitter.com/Charalanahzard/status/538144080534847489 https://twitter.com/Charalanahzard/status/538144080534847489
- wpietri 12y agoAs makers and participants in internet culture, I think it's incumbent on all of us to find ways to minimize the downsides of anonymity and pseudonymity while maximizing the benefits. Because otherwise, the baby's getting thrown out with the bathwater. Note, for example, that Facebook doesn't allow any anonymity, and Quora only allows it with tight controls. I think the long-term trend is to get rid of it, which would be a shame.
- DanBC 12y agoPeople are fine being ignorant bigots under their real names on Facebook. http://www.salon.com/2014/12/10/whats_up_with_the_rag_head_when_i_starred_in_a_facebook_ad/ http://www.salon.com/2014/12/10/whats_up_with_the_rag_head_w... Facebook introduced a new feature; created an ad with a Sikh man; racists everywhere.
- wpietri 12y agoSure, some people are fine being ignorant bigots in the town square at high noon, too. But that doesn't mean that people are equally comfortable being bigots no matter the circumstance. And even if the amount of bigotry were identical whether anonymous or not, it doesn't mean that people won't perceive anonymity as the problem because of the broken social feedback loop. That said, I think anonymity actually is an enabler here. The KKK knew exactly what they were doing with those hoods.
- yuhong 12y agoI agree about real name policies, but my goal is to make anonymity unnecessary most of the time.