Although I haven't had specific experience with a real royal jerk online directed at me, I do see a lot of online bullying - especially with games. Sometimes I think that people feel empowered to do whatever they want because they're anonymous. Like the old men going online to try and meet some thirteen year old little kid: it probably wouldn't be as bold in real life, but it would probably still happen in some capacity.
People who act like assholes online are usually to some degree the same in real life. I'm talking about the passive aggressive people who will make snyde comments about someone, or tease them behind their back. Online just makes it easier to do directly to a person while still having that 'behind the back' feel. They're still doing the teasing and the belittling, but they're doing it directly at the person. However, they're still hidden from view and from reprimand.
But is there a difference between this and the typical bashing we do while playing together? For instance, while playing with my boyfriend and his friends, there's a lot of trash talk and teasing. The difference is that we have clear knowledge of where the limits are and even if something wrong is said, we understand it's not meant to be harsh. I think some of this happens online as well, but we don't have the social context to take it the same way.
Does that mean we should accept treatment like in the article "Bow Nigger"? No. What I mean is that there are the absolute assholes that are doing it to be intently harming to another person. But there are some who are trying to take the same friendly-kidding trash talk that we do in real life and using it on online games. Maybe it's a combination of having more respect for people and being able to take a (possibly mishandled) comment here and there.
Just remember -
1- There's no social context online for when you're kidding.
2- Racial slurs or group stereotype talk is not ok.
3- Guys hate being beaten by girls - especially if it's pointed out in public.
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I love your reminders. I feel that people can tend to become more of an asshole online as you pointed out. I feel with not having a face to face communication, people find themselves becoming a different kind of person. One that doesnt normally say and/or do ceritan things find it easier to let it all go. Although on the other side as an arguement, I wonder if those are trash talking why do they feel that people just assume that there is a social context online, why do people think that using racial slurs online is ok but in person they know it is offensive and wrong. And for the thriteen year olds out there who (arent as innocent as we would like) are seeing this going on and are having this kind of example put forth to them, and maybe insigating it themselves. What as adults who think it is wrong, can we do about it, if anything?!
ReplyDeleteI do think it's hilarious that these same people sometimes get angry if you remain entirely quiet, as I sometimes do. With no reaction, they've wasted a breath. Or maybe made themselves feel a little better.
ReplyDelete*After losing badly* "Nigger!" And then he thinks to himself, "Yeah, I showed him!"
But how much of this particular racial slur has been brought back into society? Ten or fifteen years ago I don't remember ever hearing it aside from an occasional history lesson and even then it was "the N word". I understand people wanting to take the power back by using it in some contexts, but it seems like everyone's adopting it and only some are being called out on using it. If people keep using it as a slang term, why are we going to keep telling kids not to use it?
ReplyDeleteMind you, I'm not making an argument in support of it being used, but it seems like using it doesn't have the same stigma -generally- as it used to.