This post is in response to a post by Christina Pirello at The Huffington Post, but an interesting thing happened in the writing of it. I intended to argue with her but by the time I finished, I found myself agreeing with her.
Have we really changed at all?
No, I’m not in favor of Internet censorship. But maybe everybody, myself included, needs to lighten up a bit.
Back about a million years ago, when people were beginning to be people, one had to see someone in order to kill them, to actually touch them and feel the life ebbing from them. Then came spears, which made the task easier. Then catapults and bows. Then guns. Then bombs and airplanes. Now, wars can be conducted by remote control, without any contact with the people one has decided should not exist. This is a very bad trend.
Along comes the internet. It makes it easier for us to say what we think. It makes it possible to say “I think you are a moron and a moral degenerate. The world would be a better place if you did not exist and I fully intend to drink champagne and dance on the day you die.” I have written that very thing about numerous Republican office holders. It does not cause anyone physical injury or necessitate escalation of the argument into the physical realm.
The internet is, like atomic energy or heavier than air manned flight, a two-edged sword, a mixed blessing. We can use it for good or for bad. Obviously, we’re going to use it for both, because that is just who we are.
www.gurukalehuru.com 
And one thing you should self-censor is telling the internet public when your going to be on vacation, burglars love that sort of info.
When you’re going to be, sorry for the typo.
Attention, Burglars! If you decide to pop in while we are gone, please feed the Boa Constrictor. His name is Bernie. Thank you.
Nope. We haven’t changed. We are still 100% incentive driven. In internet comment sections the incentive tends to be more about ego than about creative solutions or compromising. Beating one another over the head is a fruitless endeavor. All that energy could and should be directed at solutions to real world problems. Absolutely nothing will be solved by bullying one another for hours on the internet.
have a nice vacation…
Yeah, but the thing is: a club is tangible; these words are not. Go ahead: call me an ass. Write the coolest put-down evar!! Either way, I don’t have to read this. It means nothing unless you get me to pay attention and apply meaning to your words.
To that end, maybe we should focus less on being “civil” and more on paying less attention to those dick-wads whose opinions mean jack-shit. Because, really, I can’t control anyone but myself and if I let your words bother me, then it’s my own fault.