Public Opinion Can Be So Cruel Of Little Mistakes
StormLiong
Join Date: 2002-12-27 Member: 11569Members
Join Date: 2002-12-27 Member: 11569Members
<div class="IPBDescription">especially on the internet</div> Note: This is my first shot at the discussions section. I have read the rules but excuse me if I have broke any by mistake
I have encountered on numerous times many "internet" thread news that usually go along the typical story of this
1. A person does some embarrassing action.
2. Someone post a thread about it in a forum.
3. Everyone finds it funny and laughs at it.
4. Pages upon pages from people just expressing their laughter at the action and saying their "pwned" messages.
4. A name for the embarrassing action is formed
5. Members of that forum start posting other similar threads about it in other forums
6. The internet community knows about it
7. At times maybe even CNN will report it.
Kind of a very general description but let me highlight a few examples (details might be a bit vaugue)
<u>Thados</u>
Currently in the US World of Warcraft forums (Tichondrius), there is this <a href='http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?FN=wow-realm-tichondrius&T=28196&P=1' target='_blank'>ridiculuous thread</a>.
The gist of the story is that Thados (and another player) were chasing a rival player. The rival player jumps off a cliff but has the ability to land unharmed. Thandos and his friend did not and blindedly followed the rival player to the edge of the cliff and subsequently died.
The rival player writes about it in the forum and Thados genuinely says he was merely testing his parachute but it failed.
From this other players start writing about how much of a whacked out player Thandos is. Like the time a player dueled Thados, beat him but Thandos comes saying along the lines that he let him win.
It grew so out of proportion that now someone has even printed shirts with Thados's famous line "I pwn you with easy". Every other server forum now has a thread about it and other forums as well. Well now including NS as well I suppose but at least I'm not joining the mass ridicule.
That the short story. It has really gone so bad that even Blizzard had to intervene and tell everyone to back off.
<u>The Star Wars Kid</u>
Some kid decides to reenact a light sabre battle in front of video camera. Obviously he enjoys Star Wars and loves the idea of light sabres. The video ends up in the hand of another classmates who thinks it is funny and post it on the internet.
Now as far as I've read (this was so long ago though, so correct me if Im wrong), majority of responses where ridiculing the kid. All I see is a kid playing with his light sabre. Yes he was passionate about it but what is so wrong about that? Public opinion saw it and just mocked him. Remixes of the videos of him are now all around. And now he gets the name "The Star Wars Kid". For those that do not know it yet, the star wars kid name is Ghyslian Raza.
An article to read about the background
<a href='http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59757,00.html' target='_blank'>http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59757,00.html</a>
It is probably that masses just like to see how stupid and embarrasing some people can be. Its even more assuring when everyone thinks the same way and begin to mock it to no end. Every forum or fad has this phenomena happening (I guess you can call it that). Everquest had the Cecil incident and NS had the "Skorpions that hovers" (At least that wasnt so blown out of proportion)
It can be entertaining but what I fail to understand is how people will not just stop. So a person was a jackass in a game or a person did something that was a little awkward. Does not mean that one can go on to cotinuously mock it I feel.
Hopefuly I've brought out the point that how sometimes public opinion can be really be insensitive and that the masses just love seeing people getting embarrased or seeing genuine jackasses.
Edit: Spelling & Grammer
I have encountered on numerous times many "internet" thread news that usually go along the typical story of this
1. A person does some embarrassing action.
2. Someone post a thread about it in a forum.
3. Everyone finds it funny and laughs at it.
4. Pages upon pages from people just expressing their laughter at the action and saying their "pwned" messages.
4. A name for the embarrassing action is formed
5. Members of that forum start posting other similar threads about it in other forums
6. The internet community knows about it
7. At times maybe even CNN will report it.
Kind of a very general description but let me highlight a few examples (details might be a bit vaugue)
<u>Thados</u>
Currently in the US World of Warcraft forums (Tichondrius), there is this <a href='http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?FN=wow-realm-tichondrius&T=28196&P=1' target='_blank'>ridiculuous thread</a>.
The gist of the story is that Thados (and another player) were chasing a rival player. The rival player jumps off a cliff but has the ability to land unharmed. Thandos and his friend did not and blindedly followed the rival player to the edge of the cliff and subsequently died.
The rival player writes about it in the forum and Thados genuinely says he was merely testing his parachute but it failed.
From this other players start writing about how much of a whacked out player Thandos is. Like the time a player dueled Thados, beat him but Thandos comes saying along the lines that he let him win.
It grew so out of proportion that now someone has even printed shirts with Thados's famous line "I pwn you with easy". Every other server forum now has a thread about it and other forums as well. Well now including NS as well I suppose but at least I'm not joining the mass ridicule.
That the short story. It has really gone so bad that even Blizzard had to intervene and tell everyone to back off.
<u>The Star Wars Kid</u>
Some kid decides to reenact a light sabre battle in front of video camera. Obviously he enjoys Star Wars and loves the idea of light sabres. The video ends up in the hand of another classmates who thinks it is funny and post it on the internet.
Now as far as I've read (this was so long ago though, so correct me if Im wrong), majority of responses where ridiculing the kid. All I see is a kid playing with his light sabre. Yes he was passionate about it but what is so wrong about that? Public opinion saw it and just mocked him. Remixes of the videos of him are now all around. And now he gets the name "The Star Wars Kid". For those that do not know it yet, the star wars kid name is Ghyslian Raza.
An article to read about the background
<a href='http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59757,00.html' target='_blank'>http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59757,00.html</a>
It is probably that masses just like to see how stupid and embarrasing some people can be. Its even more assuring when everyone thinks the same way and begin to mock it to no end. Every forum or fad has this phenomena happening (I guess you can call it that). Everquest had the Cecil incident and NS had the "Skorpions that hovers" (At least that wasnt so blown out of proportion)
It can be entertaining but what I fail to understand is how people will not just stop. So a person was a jackass in a game or a person did something that was a little awkward. Does not mean that one can go on to cotinuously mock it I feel.
Hopefuly I've brought out the point that how sometimes public opinion can be really be insensitive and that the masses just love seeing people getting embarrased or seeing genuine jackasses.
Edit: Spelling & Grammer
Comments
I'd say it's good. Make a big mistake and provide hundreds of thousands of people with some laughs, and you do more than most comedians.
<i>epichairekakia</i> is one of the most popular forms of humour.
In other laymen's net ebonics (non 12 year old AOL dialect): ****ing net has a bunch of ***s who laugh at everyone, when in fact most of those ***s are pathetic themselves, and if anyone got a hold of their homemade sex tape, we'd be ****ing laughing at them as well.
This general decay of humour isn't just confined to mocking others as well... it's basically with any running gag as well. (e.g., AYBABTU, God kills a kitten, etc.)
The fact of these matters though is that the masses prove themsleves a stupider stupid than the supposed subject who was ridiculed for being stupid in the first place.
To those suffering from the ridicule, I'd like to quote the saying that "any publicity is good publicity". Congratualtions, you are stars of the Internet. Maybe not the way you would have wanted it.... but still!
The same can't be said for the canerous, unwashed masses who sit dilligently, fish lines at hand, waiting to fish out some "embarassing moment caught on tape" so they can point and laugh.
What, may I ask, is the more impressive? The fish? Or the fisherman? The FISH I say!
To all those who are ridiculed, may I provide some sort of comfort in saying that I for one am looking forward to joining you once I get hold of a good camera and tape myself doing some odd, (but nevertheless <b>clean</b>) act to join your ranks.
To the rest of you, I say:
<a href='http://www.edthesock.com/editorials/editorial44.shtml' target='_blank'>Inspiring rant that has no relevance!</a>
<span style='color:turquoise'>User Warn Level was increased by 5 points for this unconstructive post.</span>
<span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>This post has been edited by <b>Self-Moderation S.I.R. ver. 3.1</b> on Feb 26 2005, 08:25 PM</span>
<span style='color:turquoise'>V An Additional 15 points was added to attempted edit V</span>
Addressing the originally poster, it is how society works. The major emphasis is the fact that those people knew to a certain degree the consequences of their actions. Yet, they did not take counter measures. That Star Wars kid did something silly, and he even had the audacity to tape it. Or maybe somebody caught him on tape. Why wasn't he doing this in a secluded area? And if he did tape it, why didn't he put it in a safe location.
You learn from your mistakes and move on.
What I think its bad though is when people will not just drop it. Make a fool of yourself well thats fine. You deserve the mocking. But no one deserves to be put down or ridiculed on and on constantly. There is a line to drawn (where it should be drawn comes down to each situation).
I am glad the Star Wars Kid one has died down. The Thados is the new one. The guy cant log on to the game without EVERYONE in the server laughing at him everytime they see him.
Overall, I think it is just yes these ppl do deserve the mocking and ridicule because we as a society think so. But there has to be a limit to it. Not like as if they did a crime. Even then criminals dun get that sort of mocking/ridicule. If they did, the courtrooms would be full of screaming public.
Go back and read it to find out what I think.
Well said Confuzor.
Also, this is fairly typical early-mid teen pack hierarchy mentality. As long as you're in the group laughing at someone else, they aren't laughing at you.
Ever notice how many "non-conformists" look alike?
I'll keep my opinion short and sweet.
You want to act like an idiot, do it in private and off camera. You want to act like an idiot and get attention, post it on the internet, just don't whine when people make fun of you (and they will make fun of you) it’s the way things work on our fabulous intarweb.
A problem arises when you are put on the internet by someone else without your permission...its hard to trace and impossible to repair. Shouldn't have a hard time finding a lawyer to help you out though, provided you can find the snake that did it.
What do you expect; you have a place filled with immature kids and over eager opportunists inspired by the past success of other adventurous morons. (Virgin Mary grilled cheese anyone?)
We've all had this experience in high-school, you say something stupid that’s mildly amusing at the time, and suddenly all your friends are repeating it; they mention it every time they see you. It <i>never</i> gets old for them. It's done in a half mocking half I-lack-conversational-skills-so-I’ll-bring-this-up way. Naturally when you have the internet it's that effect x 100.
Then take into account the aforementioned "opportunists" and you have custom made cups, shirts, hats, bras, thongs, tote bags, stickers, all sporting the latest dumb internet phrase that <i>never</i> gets old. <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Take the whole thing with cecilantes as another example.
Basically, if you hate someone, and they do something embarrasing, you are much more likely to point and laugh. If it's someone you like, you are much less likely to laugh at them.
The internet is as rude/cruel/stupid/funny/moronic/interesting/insightful as the people who use it.
The internet is as rude/cruel/stupid/funny/moronic/interesting/insightful as the people who use it. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually the internet can only be benevolent in nature, and never malevolent. But it is the us, the users, who are rude, cruel, funny, moronic, interesting, insightful which ruin the greatness of the internet. The internet is unpeccable in theory.
The internet is as rude/cruel/stupid/funny/moronic/interesting/insightful as the people who use it. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Actually the internet can only be benevolent in nature, and never malevolent. But it is the us, the users, who are rude, cruel, funny, moronic, interesting, insightful which ruin the greatness of the internet. The internet is unpeccable in theory. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Maybe your internet is impeccable, but my internet is not. I'm assuming that all the entities talking on these boards are actually AI, which the internet placed on itself for my amusement.