I tend to be very pessimistic when it comes human behavior, in case you have not been reading my blog. I am a firm believer in the Most People Are Idiots mantra or MPAI as outlined by Vox Day and his dread ilk, but I was probably an adherent before I heard about it.
In any case, I have come to this conclusion largely because of two things. For one thing, I believe that every single human being is a sinner and is naturally inclined to do what is evil. Most of us tend to do these evil things behind closed doors or we do it openly and try to claim that such actions are not evil. It really does not matter, because we all have an inherent knowledge of good and evil. Even madmen and psychopaths know what is right and what is wrong, they just tend to not really care.
The second reason I have come to this conclusion, that most people are irrational morons, is because of my exposure to the various people on the Internet. This is largely due to the anonymity which the Internet provides in most social settings, such as blogging or discussion boards. Even Facebook can be faked if you know what you are doing.
The trouble is, when people do not who you really are and where you are, they tend to be more candid in their discussions. The natural human tendency is to not hurt or insult people openly, but to do it behind the backs of our victims. This is played out in cases of “Cyber-Bullying”, for example, where children are harassed by other children online. The sad fact is, they could easily just walk away from the social medium they are suffering under, but they do not. At least with government skool bullies, you are compelled to go to them.
In any case, I have seen Bible-thumping Christians forgetting about the second greatest commandment and abandoning the instructions to encourage one another. Instead, because of petty disagreements, they will jeer, insult, and behave incredibly rudely toward those who they are suppose to be united in Christ with. It is amazing how much human filth I have read and been the target of by others who would not behave in such a manner if we were face to face. It was amazing how much human filth I could target against others with my keyboard, of which I am sorry to any who read this and have been subject to serious, unwarranted keyboard abuse from me.
Perhaps I am a bit oversensitive to these matters. Maybe I take things too personally. But at the same time, I find such behavior to be appalling and it is disconcerting to me that such things go on.
Do not misunderstand me, though, as I am all for anonymity. I would rather try and remain as anonymous as possible on the Internet than to have my name be required to be shown everywhere largely because I do not want most people to know who I am or where I live on the off chance that I someday have a large following. Of course, that if that happens I may have to reveal who I am anyway.
In any case, I really just wish that people would be more respectful of the ideas of others. It is a sign of Internet maturity to say to others that you disagree with them without any rude or insulting words strewn in.
But most adults are mature enough to properly manage their finances let alone be respectful of others. Such a waste of a species we have become.