Writing.Com General Discussion

How often do you see harsh reactions to people making/admitting to mistakes online?
When I was online more, a lot. Making a mistake seemed to be just opening a gate for abuse to come piling in; admitting a mistake meant people questioned you and your legitimacy. It does not matter if you admit the mistake and make light of it or are genuinely penitent, the fact you made a mistake makes others feel superior when they dop not have that feeling anywhere else, and so they pile on. Or they join in with the mindless sheep-mass.

What do you think causes such reactions?
Two things - people think that computers have no consequences. That it means nothing. That because they cannot see them, there are no people on the other end of the line, just faceless drones. They dehumanise who they abuse and then abuse because they need some outlet because their own lives are so bereft of something they consider important.
         Then there is the fact people do not seem to understand that every right you have comes with a responsibility. Or they do not care. "I have a right to say what I want!" (Well, actually, you don't; even that amendment in the US Constitution - as much as that means anything nowadays - has limits, and has been tested in courts.) The problem is, like most groups, they think their rights trump everyone else's, and if someone shoots back, then suddenly they are the victim, not the instigator.

Do you think these reactions are justified?
No.

I wish the Internet was like it was back in the 1990s. No socials, no hyper-connectivity, just a means of communication and research across the world.