Theos-Talk Archives (February 2002 Message tt00353)

In a message dated 2/10/02 4:53:37 PM Central Standard Time, 
eldon@theosophy.com writes:

<< 
People can get especially nasty on a mailing list, where
they'd do and say things they'd never do to someone in person.
It's like road rage, where once behind the driver's seat, someone
vents their rage on others on the road, and perhaps a mild-mannered
person becomes a freeway demon, terrorizing fellow drivers!
>>

Mailing lists are an interesting phenomenon.

In the old days, it took time to communicate if you were not face to face or 
one on one on the telephone. Writing a letter took time, then it had to 
mailed and then you had to wait for the mail to deliver it and maybe get a 
response. This left time for reflection. 

With mailing lists there is no time for reflection needed. One may simply 
pound on keys in anger and hit the send button and wish that one had better 
sense but it's too damned late!

And there is something about online in general that makes us look different 
than we really are. Me, I'm pretty much the same cynical, happy fellow I am 
on my keyboard, but I have friends (and not just Theosophical ones) who 
become totally different people online than they are in real life.

Chuck the Heretic