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When I'm not writing about my experiences in this journey called 'life', I'm singing and uploading my own interpretations of modern music. Click on "Cover Songs" to hear them, or on the YouTube logo on the right to see my YouTube channel.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

'Net Wars: Attack Of The Trolls

If you've ever been around middle aged or elderly people, you are no stranger to their constant bickering with regards to the way the world is today, and how much better things were back in 'the good old days', even though the so-called 'good old days' for a 50 year-old may be considered a part of the 'modern era' for a 70 year-old. Still, the premise is simple - before 'now', everything was 'better'.


Most of us cringe during these conversations, but I must say that in some ways I have to agree. However, while most of the older generation complain about music, fashion and cell phones, my main grouse with today's world would have to be the way we fight.


Travel back in time with me a couple of centuries. If modern theatre and books are to believed, living in the 19th century was a difficult proposition! If you survived child birth, it was a miracle! And then you had to pray for a succession of miracles so that you wouldn't die from smallpox, cholera or tuberculosis, because thanks to the non-invention of modern medicine, once you got one of those diseases you were doomed to spend the rest of your short life surrounded by other sick people in some dungeon quarantine. And then if you made it into your twenties, just when you'd turn to pat yourself on the back for a job well done you'd most likely find a dagger, sword or some other sharp object protruding from it. But at least that you might have deserved!


See, back then there was a strict code of honour surrounding the way we solved problems, at least among the higher social classes. If you ever insulted or mocked someone, it was their honour-bound duty to challenge you to a duel to resolve the quarrel. I'm talking about the sort of duels written about in Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Three Musketeers". It may seem medieval to us now, but back then it was a socially acceptable form of conflict resolution, that left no room for errors, was swift and decisive.


Fast forward back to the present, and look around you. The world has become one where it isn't the law makers that rule the land, it's the lawyers! A few punches thrown at an annoying customer or a rude waiter and we get sued for everything we own. Hey, God bless the judicial system; they may have resolved countless disputes over the years, but for every 100 cases there's always one where somebody sues McDonald's for making them fat.


So somebody goes and says "the pen is mightier than the sword", and all of a sudden we have an answer - hate mail. Bring on the internet, and now we have hate boards for everything under the sun. Of all the sad and lamentable changes that have occurred in the last quarter century, the internet wars have to be the saddest. On kottu we have our resident trolls, and while some may find them witty, funny and/or pure evil (depending on whether you've been 'outed' by them) I am decidedly neutral about them. Faceless, nameless people pontificating from the shadows - I'm bored already. However, my concern is not so much about the trolls, but our reaction to them.


Personally, this whole drama with NB is just a reflection of how sad we as human beings have become. I'm not saying this because of what he did, but rather for the way we all retaliated. We somehow got it into our heads that this 'war of words' could actually be won by the party with the most scathing and sarcastic post written about the other. So we have a little back and forth between the forces of evil aka Bawa and his chocolate-covered minions and the forces of the little downtrodden people aka the rest of the blogosphere (except The Whackster, who is firmly on the fence). The same argument applies to the trolls, who scour the blogosphere looking for 'unworthy' posts and go on to eviscerate them in agonising detail. Then we get all offended and try to retaliate by feeding them more material to 'troll' on.


Really, what is the point? I for one am as sick of these trolls as I am of internet threats and blackmail. "Do this else I will publish your address". If you HAVE my address, why not come ring the door bell and we can settle this like men? "Look at what so-n-so wrote. It is utter tripe! Laugh with me at his idiocy!" So someone doesn't like your writing. Oh no. This means you must either a) retaliate and try to one-up them or b) crawl under a rock and die from embarrassment.


Sad.


If only we had people like this in World War II. I can only imagine the look of utter incomprehension on the Polish head of state's face if, instead of being invaded, he was 'bombed' with hate mail by Hitler.



Bottom line? Bloggers are generally considered to be 'lame' - don't vindicate that accusation by getting into a virtual battle of insults.


14 comments:

Jerry said...

Oer...

Dammit, you're right.

Naal said...

wat the....??

Ya man! *resigned sigh*... Ur right!

but its fun nonetheless!..:D

Just Chillin' said...

I agree with you a 100%, Gehan.

I too am solidly on the fence as Whackster it...

Just Chillin' said...

(is)

Makuluwo said...

I didn't want to get involved in the drama either really, but it's REALLY hard not to call the douchebag a douchebag when his douchebaggyness surpasses a certain level of personal tolerance.

Gotta agree though that the best thing you can do to antagonists is ignore them.

Sach said...

Couldn't have said any better myself.
Cheers!

Sabby said...

Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

WHY is everyone agreeing with you?! =S

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Makuluwo said...

Cuuuz, Sabby, you can't fight fire with fire? :D
And I demand you bring back your blog! Hmph.

N B said...

Hooo Just saw this. Been running around with flights & flights, one more to go before I reach my final destination. Anyway let me respond since you have mentioned my name here.

"evil aka Bawa and his chocolate-covered minions"

WTF? Get to know NB and you would realize he is NO EVIL. BTW, chilli choco was never mine and it was proved many times if you have been following it. Get your facts correct. I have done many things with my own blog, so there was no need for anonymous blogs. It’s not for people like NB who have the nerve to say what they want to say.

As for trolls, I guess padashow aka indi should be around for the simple reason that he is so much fun. I disagree with you. I am all for Padashow though I don't agree with his anonymous identity that’s pretty obvious.

You say “I am decidedly neutral about them. Faceless, nameless people pontificating from the shadows - I'm bored already”

Really? Why not we see some HEADS to those HEADLESS music clips then Gehan? This is funny. I mean you are semi anonymous yourself but you are fed up of anonymous people? Good joke Gehan.

Dude, you don’t know the full story, how it started with NB and RD and why it started, what went wrong, who is to be blamed are things that are known only to a few bloggers. And you are certainly not one of them. So don’t break your head over this now. If you don’t like what you see, just go to another. It’s that simple dude.

When you walk on the street you do see many things that annoy you. Internet is no different either. If you come across stuff you don’t wish to see, first accept that its part of life and that you can’t do anything about it. Then just get on with other pages. Choice is yours really.

Yes, I admit I have a major issue with these anonymous assholes. Not because I don’t like what they say. It’s only because they don’t say it using their own names and identity. That’s not too much to ask for from a civilized society? Is it?

BTW, this anonymous thing is a Lankan phenomenon. Worldwide stats show about 90% of bloggers are named bloggers who are genuine. In SL, it’s the reverse though. I don’t know why and I don’t wish to know either.

Long ago I promised you I won’t expose you no matter what. That still stands. So don’t worry. I’m not the person to break my own rules. Get your facts correct. Don’t say things because you need to say something. When you do, you look an idiot. Just like that lifeless spider, the newbie trying desperately hard for some attention it lacks these days.

Thanks for using my name. Hope you got the blog hits you had in mind when you wrote it. I’m sure NB did help in the process.

Gehan said...

NB - i just read ur comment and i HAD to reply before i went to sleep.. hopefully u will read this b4 u board ur bus.. i mean, flight.. to wherever ur going.. very james bond of u, i must say, reading my blog from an airport... :)

look, dnt flatter urself.. i didnt mention ur name in my title or anythin, so im not tryin to "get hits" using ur name.. thats really cute and all, but i must disagree..

i wrote abt trolls and ppl having an online war of words, hence i mentioned u.. my post is not about ur actions (pls read that paragraph again), it is about OUR reactions to UR actions.. so im not lookin for 'the full story' and 'getting my facts' etc.. u have obviously not understood da purpose of my post... surprise surprise...

when i walk on the street and i see something i dnt like, i make a note and i move on, and then i warn my frens about it so that they are prepared.. im weird that way... this was me tellin the blogosphere that u and the trolls breed on our reactions, nothing more, and that we should stop feeding that to u..

i have no issues with anonymous bloggers, i HAVE issues with anonymous ppl PONTIFICATING from the shadows.. missed that word i think.. so yea, ur argument abt me showing my face kinda falls flat there..

and lastly, i choose not to show my face cos im vain.. have u SEEN my groupies?? all that without showing my magnificent visage.. imagine the carnage if i DID? they'd storm the hill country trying to find me..

heh heh.. :-)

RealNB said...

Why do you guys waste time with this guy Buruwa? I am the realNB, a really nice guy. I have nothing to do with the above NB moron. I don't out anyone but me. Please come visit my site and get to know Real NB (No Balls). Hey MoronNB, you deleted my comment from your site (The comment was "Out me No Brain") Hey! Why don't you out me? really, if you are the real one you should be able to do so, right?
(I am very sorry Dark for using your site to send a message to fake NB)

N B said...

You are a frog in a well. No point talking to you really. Least you don't seem to undertstand Mobile lifestyles... reading blogs on the go, watching porn on the go etc... The World out there is BIG. Come out of your cell. Explore, learn, grow up. Here I end. Good luck :-)

Gehan said...

LOL!!!!!!!

u watch porn 'on the go' and ur asking ME to grow up?!

again, i repeat.. LOL!!!!

Jerry said...

...That explains that weirdo with his hand in his pant pocket at the three wheel stand, staring excitedly at his phone
:D

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