"Don't confuse people's posts with their real thoughts. That is as bad as confusing posts and people."
This is what you were doing. You thought the post was the person writing the post! Which is quite naive, you know!
"you see only censored thoughts
and censored feelings (or even faked feelings)
highly censored in most cases- though often censored bizarrely, for this medium"
Most on SI tend NOT to overly censor their behaviour--not nearly so much as face-to-face (the reasons for this are obvious, and need not, I think, be dwelled on here). As a consequence of this it may perhaps be argued that SI is a less civilized milieu than many others; but that is not what we were discussing; and your introduction of censoring vitiates any argument that they are unnatural people. In fact, people on SI have little to hide other than their address which is best done by disguising their birth name.
It is funny that you would introduce the off-topic of censoring with such a tone of disapproval. Can you possibly, as an educated adult, be unaware that assessment of behaviour for appropriate expression is the hallmark of ethics, of social structure, and indeed of civilization itself. The history of our civilization is inseparable from the type and prevalence of censoring which informed our personal and social values and ethical precepts.
Look, you don't lick your plate in front of the kids; you don't tell your banker how ugly her new dress looks; and you don't make sexual noises while daydreaming about the night before while pushing your cart through the supermarket.
To consider that the ability to censor shows an inability to assess, evaluate, and judge one another on SI is certainly self contradictory; and it certainly says nothing about their ability to form loyalties, alliances, and friendships based on the type and degree of their information sharing.
There can be little doubt that most people are more authentic on SI where they MAY lick their plate and scratch their feet without losing their waitressing job. But it may be reasonably argued that SI is less "civilized" overall than face-to-face, due to the less proximal nature of the intercourse. But that was not your argument! Your comments on censoring seemed ill considered (and frankly--quite silly).
"And I don't see why you have to keep using pejorative words. I'm trying hard not to insult "you"- whoever you are"
LOL! BUT of course you are trying very hard...<g>
I do hope I did not use pejorative words. I would be unhappy with myself if I had. You must remember, if you ever find a pejorative word to you from me (and I surely hope you don't)--that SI members are less prone to censoring their authenticity in this informal medium. |
