Reply #263: I liked this post [View All]

[BlancheSplanchnik]

and agreed with the OP. I think the OP makes a very good point, that how we behave towards each other has consequences. I don't subscribe to the "oh it's nothing, just the internets" meme. It IS something, because it's human behavior.

There's still cooperative discussion that goes on here too, though. I mean, there's alot of snark, but the are also a good many people who have high personal standards that they pretty much live up to. I mean, Up to which they pretty much live.

On the subject of snark, it seems to have become the culturally kewwwl thing, I guess--which I think was very much reinforced during the "reign of error". That repuke (and I say 'puke' in the most pejorative way possible), figurehead role modeled boorish swaggering for eight years. How could that not affect cultural norms? (on that note, there's a fairly recent book that I'd like to read, called "The Culture of Snark".)

I'd say dextrous verbal dueling has always been a power thing, and jockeying for power is part of human life. Compulsively seeking to feel powerful is a pretty base substitute for developing self-respect, I guess. The question --or the question for me, anyway, that I try to internalize-- is whether or how consistently I can live up to my goal of being conscious of how I'm treating someone. Would I respect someone who behaved as I'm behaving? Who do I respect and can I take their example?

And it's true, the talkin' and fightin, is fun. I'm just getting more conscious of the wheres and whyfors of it.

I guess the best anyone can do, it they're concerned with doing their best, is try to think about what one does and improve from there.