What the Internet can be

[Lord Garth]

I typed up a response to a thread that was closed but I believe what I wrote to valid enough that I should post it anyway and it's strong enough to support its own topic. Maybe it's for the better this way. If there were to be a thesis it would be: what a bulletin board could be as opposed to what it often is, given the sharing of opinions is preferred to attack them.

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Everytime someone opens a thread expressing even the MILDEST complaint about what they know about this movie the same dozen or so forum regulars JUMP ON THEM

I've noticed that.

It doesn't matter if their concern is perfectly valid or even if it's nothing to do with continuity errors (yes it's possible to think the Enterprise being built on the ground in Iowa is lame WITHOUT caring that it's a break of canon) they still get the same almost bullying response, as if they should be made to feel ashamed for caring about Star Trek.

I've noticed that too. I don't care for the "One Size Fits All Approach" these people take.

What's funny is that the people posting these attacks are obviously Trekkers too

Which is what makes it so ironic.

so why are they so mean? Is it because they were picked on in school and now they're acting out revenge by picking on Trek fans themselves!?

I think there are a lot of factors. Opinions are repetitive but no one complains about an opinion they agree with or expresses annoyance at opinions they agree with. The negative reaction is only to opinions that are disagreed with. Basically, instead of countering an opinion and explaing why they think it's wrong, you have people who are essentially saying "I can't believe you're posting your opinion again!" It's not so much opinions vs opinions as it is opinions vs disapproval of those opinions.

Then there is the Human Factor. You have people who can no longer be bothered or willing to post their opinion because they don't want to deal with attacks, "picking on", or having to explain who they are as a person and how they're not this Stereotypical Strawman. That gets annoying too. It's a two-way street.

Even when I was looking forward to ST XI, I could deal with people who weren't if they had valid reasons. Even if they don't, people are free to like or dislike whatever they want for whatever reason.

This is what I wonder: do people express opinions to express opinions, do they express approval or disapproval for either of its own sake, or are they trying to supress counter-opinion or at least try to get them so annoyed or frustrated that they'll shut up? Seems to me like an exercise in Darwinism: survival of the fittest. It's not a matter of whether or not an opinion is right so much as whether or not it has might. An opinion inherently can't be right or wrong, but an opinion with enough might will pursuade people into thinking it's right.

None of this actually has to do with ST XI at all. It's all social/anti-social and sometimes even political. Yes, political. You could have people who are die-hard for ST XI and they'll never admit to anything they remotely dislike about it. You could have people who are die-hard against ST XI and they'll never to anything they remotely like about it.

There are several factors.

The Internet is a place where people can vent their frustrations on anything in real life and take it out on people they've never met. I think people are more willing to insult you from a computer screen than they are to your face. I don't mind discussing straight opinions even with people who disagree with mine. The world would be dull and monolithic if people thought exactly the same. The personal stuff though? People seem to be here for different reasons and they seem to want to get different things out of the Internet. I know some like to use the Internet as their own personal battleground but if I want a battleground I'll go outside. The Internet doesn't have to be a battlefield.

There are plenty of things in the outside world are either beyond our control or difficult to control. It's hard to change a real world and sometimes we can't change it at all. Online we have a choice. We can choose to be one way or another. We can choose to have our community be one way or another. We're not bound by age, experience, or any other external factors. Online we have the mental freedom to be whatever we want. It's just a matter of what we choose to do with that freedom. The Internet can be wonderful or a complete wasteland, or anything to do in-between, but it's entirely of our own choosing.

 

[Lord Garth]

My main question: do we make the best or even pyschologically healthiest approach to using a bulletin board in general. Do you, in particular?

I think people sometimes need to step away from it instead of constantly looking at the same things over and over. Generally speaking. A bulletin board is designed to put more focus on things, more frequently, than you would otherwise focus on them if you weren't reading about them everyday.

 

[RJDiogenes]

It's definitely about Politics. People in general are insecure to a greater or lesser degree; often, they don't want to talk about something, or even debate something-- they want to pick a team and WIN! It's all about building up the illusion of self esteem at somebody else's expense.

In terms of genre Fandom, I've noticed that insecurity increasing by leaps and bounds over the years. More and more fans seem to act as if they're afraid their sister's jock boyfriend will make fun of them for watching Trek or reading comics or whatever. That's why the "Darker & Grittier" fad keeps reaching new lows: Entertainment that's violent or cynical makes people feel tough; the optimism of Trek or the virtuousness of superheroes makes them fear looking weak.

On a large board like TrekBBS, you're going to encounter a lot of people, and many will have something to prove; that's just something that you have to deal with, just like in the real world. But it's also why I like to hang out at my little Forums, where there is a small circle of friends that get along; that's the kind of place where you can relax and just talk about stuff.

 

[Holdfast]

I typed up a response to a thread that was closed but I believe what I wrote to valid enough that I should post it anyway and it's strong enough to support its own topic. Maybe it's for the better this way. If there were to be a thesis it would be: what a bulletin board could be as opposed to what it often is, given the sharing of opinions is preferred to attack them.

.
.
.

Everytime someone opens a thread expressing even the MILDEST complaint about what they know about this movie the same dozen or so forum regulars JUMP ON THEM

I've noticed that.

It doesn't matter if their concern is perfectly valid or even if it's nothing to do with continuity errors (yes it's possible to think the Enterprise being built on the ground in Iowa is lame WITHOUT caring that it's a break of canon) they still get the same almost bullying response, as if they should be made to feel ashamed for caring about Star Trek.

I've noticed that too. I don't care for the "One Size Fits All Approach" these people take.

What's funny is that the people posting these attacks are obviously Trekkers too

Which is what makes it so ironic.

so why are they so mean? Is it because they were picked on in school and now they're acting out revenge by picking on Trek fans themselves!?

I think there are a lot of factors. Opinions are repetitive but no one complains about an opinion they agree with or expresses annoyance at opinions they agree with. The negative reaction is only to opinions that are disagreed with. Basically, instead of countering an opinion and explaing why they think it's wrong, you have people who are essentially saying "I can't believe you're posting your opinion again!" It's not so much opinions vs opinions as it is opinions vs disapproval of those opinions.

Then there is the Human Factor. You have people who can no longer be bothered or willing to post their opinion because they don't want to deal with attacks, "picking on", or having to explain who they are as a person and how they're not this Stereotypical Strawman. That gets annoying too. It's a two-way street.

Even when I was looking forward to ST XI, I could deal with people who weren't if they had valid reasons. Even if they don't, people are free to like or dislike whatever they want for whatever reason.

This is what I wonder: do people express opinions to express opinions, do they express approval or disapproval for either of its own sake, or are they trying to supress counter-opinion or at least try to get them so annoyed or frustrated that they'll shut up? Seems to me like an exercise in Darwinism: survival of the fittest. It's not a matter of whether or not an opinion is right so much as whether or not it has might. An opinion inherently can't be right or wrong, but an opinion with enough might will pursuade people into thinking it's right.

None of this actually has to do with ST XI at all. It's all social/anti-social and sometimes even political. Yes, political. You could have people who are die-hard for ST XI and they'll never admit to anything they remotely dislike about it. You could have people who are die-hard against ST XI and they'll never to anything they remotely like about it.

There are several factors.

The Internet is a place where people can vent their frustrations on anything in real life and take it out on people they've never met. I think people are more willing to insult you from a computer screen than they are to your face. I don't mind discussing straight opinions even with people who disagree with mine. The world would be dull and monolithic if people thought exactly the same. The personal stuff though? People seem to be here for different reasons and they seem to want to get different things out of the Internet. I know some like to use the Internet as their own personal battleground but if I want a battleground I'll go outside. The Internet doesn't have to be a battlefield.

There are plenty of things in the outside world are either beyond our control or difficult to control. It's hard to change a real world and sometimes we can't change it at all. Online we have a choice. We can choose to be one way or another. We can choose to have our community be one way or another. We're not bound by age, experience, or any other external factors. Online we have the mental freedom to be whatever we want. It's just a matter of what we choose to do with that freedom. The Internet can be wonderful or a complete wasteland, or anything to do in-between, but it's entirely of our own choosing.

My main question: do we make the best or even pyschologically healthiest approach to using a bulletin board in general. Do you, in particular?

I think people sometimes need to step away from it instead of constantly looking at the same things over and over. Generally speaking. A bulletin board is designed to put more focus on things, more frequently, than you would otherwise focus on them if you weren't reading about them everyday.

http://www.trekbbs.com/showthread.php?t=73426

 

[Lord Garth]

Hmmmmm.