We Need To Rethink Online Discourse

The internet, it is a wonderful place full of pictures of naked people who enjoy being sexually liberated. It is also a place filled with people who have little to no filter on their desire to spread anger and hatred. All while sitting behind little avatars cackling maniacally at their entirely useless scrawlings on message boards, comment sections, and private messages. I’ve never understood this desire for the latter, always noticing little bits in comment sections on sites like Instagram and Twitter, with little actual criticism of ideas put forward. You particularly see this with bloggers or anyone voicing an opinion, who by all means, you should discuss the ideas or question portions you’d like to know more on, though it’s become common just to hurl abuse.

For once, I am not making side glances at politics (that much), no matter how much I’ve been reading political biographies of late. I am, instead, talking directly about the constant urge by some to seek out and yell about things they don’t necessarily like, but nonetheless, feel a longing to yell about their irrational displeasure. To pull this towards that light political tangent: You’ll often find this along political divides by those who have quickly grown apathetic to the discourse required in a lot of major cross-party discussions. One side calls the others authoritarian wackos, while the others call their opponents some form of a Nazi. Often there is no qualifier or proof, they are just straight-up hurling abuse.

To ground this back to the internet-based reality without politics, you simply need to look at anyone with an opinion that is voicing it. Most commonly, this line in the sand is drawn in entertainment, a line that dates to pre-internet forum boards. Spock and Kirk Vs. the space Nazis with good PR in Star Wars happens to be the oldest debate within modern nerd circles. Yet, more and more, we see striking cross-sections of fandoms and/or general viewership, readership, or otherwise simply asking for something to be annoyed about. Differing opinions lead to claims that something is bad without stating what exactly caused such a strong outburst in the first place.

There are several billion people on this planet, millions of whom trawl the internet looking for entertainment or news. Yet, somewhere along the line of realizing there are several billion of us, we’ve drawn these invisible altruistic lines of idealism around ourselves. We demand that those around us and those that come into our little bubble of the internet to agree with us wholeheartedly. This is something none more apparent than when you do as I do: Shout about things on the internet with broad strokes, in an attempt to show either something is good or bad, in my opinion.

This is something that can often be exemplified when you post something such as an article, a YouTube video, or the likes of a lengthy Instagram post; opinion-based “content” that is very one-sided. However, that’s the point of it. It is one person’s opinion that you’ve either stumbled upon or sought out. Yet still, we have these constant dividing lines with a chasm between two people, with one instigating with vitriol in response to something rather mundane. Often that strong vitriol comes in the form of insults that have nothing to do with what seemed to have caused such offense. Shocker, it is the internet.

I see no reason to go into the details, but this recently cropped up on one tiny thing in an ocean of other opinions I’ve made. Opinions that I’ve made clear on this site alone, several times. Every time something like this comes up, something that results in comments such as (previously sent my way), “I hope you go kill yourself,” or the much tamer bland insults and swearing, I don’t get annoyed. I don’t get upset, I don’t see it as something personal, and moreover, it doesn’t become personal because I don’t let it. Nevertheless, the conclusion is always one of confusion as to why someone seeks to call for someone else’s head in such a manner.

The trouble I do have with this lack of proper discourse, in favor of abuse, with those online is the fact I know others don’t take it the same way I do. Some do and will be greatly impacted by another online claiming transcendent power over them all with strong rancor under it all; All because of something so mundane as opinion. George Carlin (Warning: Link contains strong language) made a great point when he said: “Well, I have a right to my opinion, and my opinion is that you have no right to your opinion.” Carlin died before the internet became the cesspool it is today, but he was right on the money.

My point here is that if you have nothing but pure disdain for something I’ve said on a game, developer, publisher, film, TV show, book, or anything, direct it straight towards me. I’ll happily ignore it if it is nothing but insults and abuse, that doesn’t bother me. However, we all need to have better conversations (not spurious shouting matches) about things we either do or don’t enjoy.

All the same, when you’ve sought out or stumble upon someone’s opinion in an article, YouTube video, or anything that isn’t a conversation you are currently having with that person, you have two recommended options. Either shut up or be respectful and have a proper discussion. Otherwise, you are just adding to a divide you openly speak out against. In other words: I have a right to my opinion, and my opinion is you have no right to your opinion.