The internet - the worlds greatest equalizer!

MrBishop

MrBishop

Well-Known Member
It's time to think about the internet in a new light boys and girls.
Let's consider the internet, and more specifically, bulletin boards like OTC as the greatest equalizer that you may ever know.

When you're on here...you ARE what you post. Your personality shines through over and above all. On the internet, there is no real racism, ageism, gender-discrimination, religious descrimination, sexual orientation, descrimination based on looks, weight, hair colour etc...any number of variables dissapear online.

As I gaze into your avatars' eyes (if they have them) and peruse your writings, I cannot descriminate against you. I don't know what colour you are (Though most people online are white or asian), what gender you are ( you might be lying), you might be fat, thin, short, tall etc...and it doesn't really matter. All that matters is what you said/typed just now.

Imagine the possibilities...a white-supremicist might be having a great conversation with a black man from North Africa adn unless they start talking about race-issues...would never know it. They might become lifelong friends online, but if they ever met int eh street, either ignore each other or go to war.

People that you might never consider sitting next to in a busy diner, or striking up a conversation with at a bus-stop are chatting you up here..online...and getting to know the "real" you...without all the garbage that society and the individuals within it choose to use as differentiating aspects.

I thought of this on my lunch-break...sitting on a park bench outside of the church offices. I was by myself, taking up a mere 1/4 of the bench...people walking bye...no one sitting down next to me, or next to anyone else for that matter...all the benches had 1 person on it, or couples. Isn't this strange? I'll bet that I could have a great conversation with that octogererian over there, but she's to afraid to sit next to me. Is it my gender that bothering her? Was it my age? My colour? My clothing? Did I just not look right to her?

I came off my lunch and got on here and noticed that I'm chatting with people from all over the world...of different ages, genders, races etc..and it doesn't matter.

Is it that the internet is a great equalizer or is it that on here, like no place else, we can put on the best 'masks' that we have and it works.

I invite comments on this theorum. Even obscure ones...but I would prefer that it keep on track, if possible.
Thank you
MrBishop
 
on track? Here? ;)

I think you have a great post, Bish. I know that a few of the people I chat with online I'd probably never "hang out with" offline - either they are too young or whatever. Usually too young. *lol*

But online all that's erased - like you said, no age, no color, no ugly or pretty. Just pure thoughts put into words by people worldwide connecting together with a common purpose.

*sigh* If I could socialize only online and not in the real world I think it'd be better. *hehe*

But, I'm about to veer and ... very good topic, Bish. :D I'll post more when my train of thought decides to remain on the tracks.
 
When you're on here...you ARE what you post. Your personality shines through over and above all.
Click to expand...

Couldn't be more far from the truth relating to me

On the internet, there is no real racism, ageism, gender-discrimination
Click to expand...

Hoo-boy...you have not visted a lot of forums have you.

As I gaze into your avatars' eyes (if they have them) and peruse your writings, I cannot descriminate against you.
Click to expand...

If only all followed that ideology.

we can put on the best 'masks' that we have and it works.
Click to expand...

I don't know but it seems that contidicts your personality showing through observation.

Is it my gender that bothering her? Was it my age? My colour? My clothing? Did I just not look right to her?
Click to expand...

One of the reasons Internet is a great equilizer. It takes away ones fears and inhibitons and any social fears.
 
I agree with you completely Bish, it does erase any fears. Even if someone makes fun of you or doesn't like something you say, it's somehow easier to dismiss it because it's just online.
 
Nice post Bish... I agree with just about every point, except that in a lot of forums on the net, there is still a lot of discrimination and racism going on, and even on this one, there is still a lot of hate going on (but that's a different story)

Rose said:
I know that a few of the people I chat with online I'd probably never "hang out with" offline - either they are too young or whatever. Usually too young. *lol*
Click to expand...
Aww... :mope:
 
Buttcrackdivine said:
Couldn't be more far from the truth relating to me



Hoo-boy...you have not visted a lot of forums have you.



If only all followed that ideology.



I don't know but it seems that contidicts your personality showing through observation.



One of the reasons Internet is a great equilizer. It takes away ones fears and inhibitons and any social fears.
Click to expand...

I know all abot the forums based on racism...I'm not being naive...BUT...you could be of theentirely wrong colour for a forum and still be welcome there, because they'de never know it.

By masks...I mean to say that you aren't masking your personality, only what others would infer about you through your looks...all masks online are blank until you paint them with your personality.

Removign fears and inhibitions/...kind of ike alcohol. Almost...it doesn't remove them because they aren't there. F' instance...how can you be afraid of a 6'3" black man at 3am, if you don't know that he's black, tall and not standing next to you?
**Pardont eh analogy..but it's fitting the context**
 
fury said:
Nice post Bish... I agree with just about every point, except that in a lot of forums on the net, there is still a lot of discrimination and racism going on, and even on this one, there is still a lot of hate going on (but that's a different story)

Aww... :mope:
Click to expand...


Never you my dear fury. ;) Never too young or old for you. :D
 
Rose said:
Never you my dear fury. ;) Never too young or old for you. :D
Click to expand...
Yay! :beerbang:

So... how about some :leghump: :brow:

Ermm...sorry... started getting off topic.

Umm... yeah... I don't talk much in real life, so I kinda talk more on the net and stuff and that almost makes up for it, except for that now I'm a loser. :beerbang:
 
I was just talking to HomeLAN about this the other day.

It can be more than an equalizer, you can be who you're not also. You can be bolder, more outspoken, with less of a fear of consequences. In the beginning, I naively believed each person I met on these boards was 'who' they say they were. But I found out that's not true either, especially with alts. Which is one reason why I dislike alts so much, unless they're so obviously false like with God Almighty.

I've always been used to minding my own business in public, I think NY'ers have refined that to an art form. It's common here. Every morning, I go out to water all my plants before I leave for work and there are three people who walk their dogs past my house that I see. I know their dogs better than I know them because their dogs are more friendly. But just a few days ago, the guy with the dalmation said good morning as he walked by. I was so surprised, I almost didn't say anything. So now every morning, we say good morning. It's not much but it's something.

So when, immediately after 9/11, there was a big change in the treatment of strangers, it was really disconcerting. Don't get me wrong, I liked it, but I knew it wouldn't really last. People get paranoid. The guy next to you on the subway could turn around and kill you in a second. The eyes get diverted with all the homeless in the streets asking for money. I guess it's easier to live in your own little world than get caught up talking to someone you might not like talking to.

I've been living in the house that we rent for 2 and a half years. I had my first long conversation with my neighbor across the street just last week. She's delightful. And she appreciates that even though I'm a renter, I'm improving the way the outside of the house looks with my gardening. My display of plants also got my next door neighbor talking to me too. It's nice knowing your neighbors. :)
 
I agree with you completely Bish, it does erase any fears. Even if someone makes fun of you or doesn't like something you say, it's somehow easier to dismiss it because it's just online.
Click to expand...
I don't really have any trouble dismissing it when someone insults me to my face. Well, either that or I punch them in the nose. :lol:

Seriously, Bish, I feel the same way. You don't really know anything about most of the people you meet online except what they post. I'm not certain it always shows their whole pesonality though.
 
The internet is a great place to argue about nerdy things like star trek and star wars and stuff, not to get to know people :rolleyes:

that in mind i like alot of internet people more than some of my friends :(
 
I had always maintained that my personality on the net was the same as in real-life. I was always proud of the fact that I never hid or changed my age, my gender, or my life experiences when wearing my online persona. That being said, I have had the good fortune to meet a number of people that I have met online in chat rooms and BBoards. Without exception, they have told me that I am very different in person than I am online. I noticed the same about them. As with alcohol, your inhibitions are lowered online. You say things you would never say to people you barely know, or perhaps even to close friends. Is this a bad thing? Depends on perspective, yours and theirs. We have our societal masks for a reason. It keeps us all from killing each other. Different societies, different norms, but in essence, the inhibitions we feel, even though societally imposed, allow us to meet other people in everyday life, with as few hostile interactions as we can possibly achieve. The rules change around close friends, but I am talking about less intimate social settings.
Online, we get the very good, the good, the bad, and the very ugly, sans masks, sans inhibitions. Makes for an interesting social experiment anyway :)
I won't ever knock it though. I've met some of my closest, real-life friends online, and the cyber community has gotten me through some of the hardest, most painful parts of my life. When all I wanted to do was hide from the world, I had the internet. As safe as I wanted it to be, with my delete key, without judgement, and when I needed it, even at 3 AM :)
 
Camelyn said:
I had always maintained that my personality on the net was the same as in real-life. I was always proud of the fact that I never hid or changed my age, my gender, or my life experiences when wearing my online persona. That being said, I have had the good fortune to meet a number of people that I have met online in chat rooms and BBoards. Without exception, they have told me that I am very different in person than I am online. I noticed the same about them. As with alcohol, your inhibitions are lowered online. You say things you would never say to people you barely know, or perhaps even to close friends. Is this a bad thing? Depends on perspective, yours and theirs. We have our societal masks for a reason. It keeps us all from killing each other. Different societies, different norms, but in essence, the inhibitions we feel, even though societally imposed, allow us to meet other people in everyday life, with as few hostile interactions as we can possibly achieve. The rules change around close friends, but I am talking about less intimate social settings.
Online, we get the very good, the good, the bad, and the very ugly, sans masks, sans inhibitions. Makes for an interesting social experiment anyway :)
I won't ever knock it though. I've met some of my closest, real-life friends online, and the cyber community has gotten me through some of the hardest, most painful parts of my life. When all I wanted to do was hide from the world, I had the internet. As safe as I wanted it to be, with my delete key, without judgement, and when I needed it, even at 3 AM :)
Click to expand...

I try to keep my online persona as accurate as possible...although I tend to fall more into either one of two of my IRL personalities on here. Either I become Party-Bishop (In which case, I'm loose, relaxed and sometimes foulmouthed...I tend to be more snarky and quick-witted online though) or I become Professor-Bishop (In which case, I can do the whole theological discussion, sciences, sociological thing...my IQ goes up higher than I let on in everyday life etc...)

Thank you for this input Camelyn :)
 
Yeah thats true Bish but everytime PT posts I imagine Silent Bob writing that post cos of the AV
 
Just searched on google on day, saw it, and it's been mine ever since. I thought it best matched my appearance and my attitude while online.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top