If Not Now, When? [Paying Attention to the Internet]

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

To reiterate...The internet is up there with the wheel and discovering fire on human achievement. Anyone who doesnt take the internet seriously...is just stupid.

I agree! Someone once said they think Sephiroth could beat Sanguinius! And if that's not literally the most serious thing anyone has ever said, ever, ever and a crime so serious it should be punishable by 105 consecutive executions, then I don't know what serious means!

And that's like super serious, like for realz! I'm serious

 

[Saelune]

To reiterate...The internet is up there with the wheel and discovering fire on human achievement. Anyone who doesnt take the internet seriously...is just stupid.

I agree! Someone once said they think Sephiroth could beat Sanguinius! And if that's not literally the most serious thing anyone has ever said, ever, ever and a crime so serious it should be punishable by 105 consecutive executions, then I don't know what serious means!

And that's like super serious, like for realz! I'm serious

Just because some people light their farts on fire, doesnt mean fire isnt important.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

To reiterate...The internet is up there with the wheel and discovering fire on human achievement. Anyone who doesnt take the internet seriously...is just stupid.

I agree! Someone once said they think Sephiroth could beat Sanguinius! And if that's not literally the most serious thing anyone has ever said, ever, ever and a crime so serious it should be punishable by 105 consecutive executions, then I don't know what serious means!

And that's like super serious, like for realz! I'm serious

Just because some people light their farts on fire, doesnt mean fire isnt important.

And just because fire is important that doesn't mean everything is on fire. Some of us go for swims every now and then.

 

[Saelune]

To reiterate...The internet is up there with the wheel and discovering fire on human achievement. Anyone who doesnt take the internet seriously...is just stupid.

I agree! Someone once said they think Sephiroth could beat Sanguinius! And if that's not literally the most serious thing anyone has ever said, ever, ever and a crime so serious it should be punishable by 105 consecutive executions, then I don't know what serious means!

And that's like super serious, like for realz! I'm serious

Just because some people light their farts on fire, doesnt mean fire isnt important.

And just because fire is important that doesn't mean everything is on fire. Some of us go for swims every now and then.

You should learn to appreciate the technology we have.

 

[Tsun Tzu]

It's still "just the internet" because there is a very solid line between what goes on on a screen and what happens in your actual real life. Hysterical claims of "violence" being perpetrated through the internet not withstanding.

As of yet, this very clear divide has been used to justify preventing authorities, authoritarians, and general busybodies from exerting control over it beyond the most basic forms.

I'd like to keep it that way, personally, because the people currently vying to put the reins on are infinitely more worrisome than some dude calling me a fuckwit on Xbox Live.

Or antifa.

Or the alt right.

Or SJWs.

Or etc.

You're all fucking small potatoes compared to governments.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

You should learn to appreciate the technology we have.

If this is what appreciation looks like, I'll stick to mockery. Why appreciate something just so it can stress and scare the hell out of you?!
Might as well appreciate the chance of a giant spider eating you, or your car blowing up, or a solar flare vaporizing the entire planet in 7mins.

 

[Saelune]

You should learn to appreciate the technology we have.

If this is what appreciation looks like, I'll stick to mockery. Why appreciate something just so it can stress and scare the hell out of you?!
Might as well appreciate the chance of a giant spider eating you, or your car blowing up, or a solar flare vaporizing the entire planet in 7mins.

Ignoring a problem only makes the problem worse. By not appreciating the importance of the internet, you only seek to do just that.

But it has become quite apparent most people want to let the world burn rather than actually consider anything beyond the tip of their nose.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

You should learn to appreciate the technology we have.

If this is what appreciation looks like, I'll stick to mockery. Why appreciate something just so it can stress and scare the hell out of you?!
Might as well appreciate the chance of a giant spider eating you, or your car blowing up, or a solar flare vaporizing the entire planet in 7mins.

Ignoring a problem only makes the problem worse. By not appreciating the importance of the internet, you only seek to do just that.

But it has become quite apparent most people want to let the world burn rather than actually consider anything beyond the tip of their nose.

That's only because we don't hold our noses so fucking high! Not all of us think we are indispensable to the world. That if we weren't literally happy every second of every day, the world would grind to a halt. Not all of us get our sense of self worth from the approval of strangers online or think the internet directs the world. Are people stupid? Yes. But the internet only puts a microscope to that, it doesn't make people more stupid. Those stupid people who think the world is flat, vaccines cause autism or Trump is smart would be the same kind of fucking stupid without Facebook that they are now! and you can't let them get to you!

If you guys made a thread called "Ban Silentpony now!" every day, I would be the first one to comment "Yeah, fuck that guy! He's such a dick!"
And you know why? 'cause the internet is serious business. And you and I are super serious.

Being afraid takes away your power. You want to feel like the internet doesn't own you? Walk away from it! Take a day off, a weekend, a week! Realize the world doesn't stop spinning just because you're not tweeting support for #AngryAndUpset or posting Star Wars memes. Realize Trump isn't going away if you miss a hashtag about Russia or freedom or puppies or #NotAllBloodAngels.

 

[Saelune]

You should learn to appreciate the technology we have.

If this is what appreciation looks like, I'll stick to mockery. Why appreciate something just so it can stress and scare the hell out of you?!
Might as well appreciate the chance of a giant spider eating you, or your car blowing up, or a solar flare vaporizing the entire planet in 7mins.

Ignoring a problem only makes the problem worse. By not appreciating the importance of the internet, you only seek to do just that.

But it has become quite apparent most people want to let the world burn rather than actually consider anything beyond the tip of their nose.

That's only because we don't hold our noses so fucking high! Not all of us think we are indispensable to the world. That if we weren't literally happy every second of every day, the world would grind to a halt. Not all of us get our sense of self worth from the approval of strangers online or think the internet directs the world. Are people stupid? Yes. But the internet only puts a microscope to that, it doesn't make people more stupid. Those stupid people who think the world is flat, vaccines cause autism or Trump is smart would be the same kind of fucking stupid without Facebook that they are now! and you can't let them get to you!

If you guys made a thread called "Ban Silentpony now!" every day, I would be the first one to comment "Yeah, fuck that guy! He's such a dick!"
And you know why? 'cause the internet is serious business. And you and I are super serious.

Being afraid takes away your power. You want to feel like the internet doesn't own you? Walk away from it! Take a day off, a weekend, a week! Realize the world doesn't stop spinning just because you're not tweeting support for #AngryAndUpset or posting Star Wars memes. Realize Trump isn't going away if you miss a hashtag about Russia or freedom or puppies or #NotAllBloodAngels.

We atleast agree that the internet doesnt make people stupid, it just gives stupid people a place to communicate. I just think people need to also see the positives too. Wikipedia alone is such a gift, to have such a huge source of information (that despite what alot of people think, is actually pretty good at filtering BS).

I also think that irreverence is not a good substitute for caring about things. Same problem I have with the Wild West forum. People think if they just act like idiots it somehow makes them immune or "better" than the "serious" world, but it doesnt. Willful ignorance is not something to be proud of.

 

[jademunky]

The problem is the anonymity and it is just awful. Was it Pennyarcade that came up with the greater internet fuckwad theory (normal person + audience - social consequences = total asshole)? With the rise of "Chan" culture, the casual racism and sexism, gah. I just have no respect for people who post crap on the internet that they would never be willing to say in real life or write with their real name attached to it.

Personally, I think if we could assemble every hateful, dumbshit thing a person has ever wrote online formatted it into a booklet and hand it over to their mother (I was gonna say "spouse" but lets be realistic here) we would probably be going a long way to a better world.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

I'd agree with that, if not for Facebook or Newspaper comment sections. The things some people say...

'Course, I'm okay with it biting people is the ass too, so I'm apparently the worst.

 

[Lisker84]

Yeah, Facebook kind of throws a wrench into that theory as I've seen plenty of people start all kinds of shit there. Even with all the stories of people losing their job because of an offensive Facebook post, it's everywhere. Maybe it's not so much anonymity as it is the physical distance between themselves and others.

 

[Thaluikhain]

The problem is the anonymity and it is just awful. Was it Pennyarcade that came up with the greater internet fuckwad theory (normal person + audience - social consequences = total asshole)? With the rise of "Chan" culture, the casual racism and sexism, gah. I just have no respect for people who post crap on the internet that they would never be willing to say in real life or write with their real name attached to it.

Personally, I think if we could assemble every hateful, dumbshit thing a person has ever wrote online formatted it into a booklet and hand it over to their mother (I was gonna say "spouse" but lets be realistic here) we would probably be going a long way to a better world.

Dunno, lots of people are pretty bad offline. Maybe not when their mum is around, and while anonymity might be a factor, it's not the only one.