This conversation really ties into some of the thoughts I had been having lately about private vs. public and the nature of the Internet (and blogs, since I'm starting to get into blogging right now.) I just put up a poem on a blog I'm a part of -- it's really a community blog, made up of members of the SF (science fiction) community (editors and writers) with very interesting political/media discussions. My contribution was a poem, the first poem I have written in 10 years.
I'm going to try to write up some of these thoughts on blogging, journalism, public and private spaces sometime this weekend so you guys can chime in (or tell me that I'm full of it!) Judith Dinowitz Editor Fusion Authority http://www.fusionauthority.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Larry Lyons" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 2:12 PM Subject: RE: A good thing > The interesting thing is the anonymity aspects. A similar thing is watch > people in their cars in traffic (only if you're not driving that is :). They > think they are fairly anonymous. Thus you get all sorts of private behaviors > that you don't normally see in public - nose picking etc. > > anonymity is a real disinhibiter. > > larry > > -- > Larry C. Lyons > ColdFusion/Web Developer > Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer > EBStor.com > 8870 Rixlew Lane, Suite 204 > Manassas, Virginia 20109-3795 > tel: (703) 393-7930 > fax: (703) 393-2659 > Web: http://www.ebstor.com > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done. > -- > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 12:09 PM > > To: CF-Community > > Subject: Re: A good thing > > > > > > I remember the case (psych major here) and while anonymity > > was a factor, I > > think that the factors of indifference to others and fear of getting > > involved were more important. As foolish as it may sound, the > > city was a lot > > darker then and there was a lot more fear around. The people > > who heard the > > attacks knew her, they just didn't do anything till after she was dead > > (almost 50 minutes after the first attack). > > For those who want to know what we're talking about, do a > > search on "kitty > > genovese". > > > > If you want to go through the archives and write a profile on > > me, have fun. > > :) > > > > > Anonymity is also quite dangerous. People are far more > > likely to be engage > > > in unacceptable behaviors when anonymous than if they were publicly > > > identified. In the 1960's there was a case where a woman > > was brutally > > > murdered in New York in a development with quite a lot of > > people looking > > on > > > from the surrounding apartment blocks. When investigated > > later, most of > > the > > > people reported that they thought someone else would be > > contacting the > > > police. In an experiment in the 70's the researchers put > > pictures of the > > > residents beside their apartment balconies. The researchers > > found that > > this > > > lack of anonymity resulted in far more pro social and pro community > > behavior > > > than before. > > > > > > > If a psychologist went through our > > > > posts they could probably build a rather accurate picture of > > > > each of us. The true us. > > > BTW Michael, as a former psych person you want me to go through the > > archives > > > then? ;) > > > > > > larry > > > > > > -- > > > Larry C. Lyons > > > ColdFusion/Web Developer > > > Certified Advanced ColdFusion 5 Developer > > > EBStor.com > > > 8870 Rixlew Lane, Suite 204 > > > Manassas, Virginia 20109-3795 > > > tel: (703) 393-7930 > > > fax: (703) 393-2659 > > > Web: http://www.ebstor.com > > > email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done. > > > -- > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] > > > > Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 9:34 AM > > > > To: CF-Community > > > > Subject: Re: A good thing > > > > > > > > > > > > The fact that the anonymity gives the people involve the > > > > ability to interact > > > > before any bias can come up is the good thing. Even if it > > > > does later on, > > > > hopefully it will result in the 'TV-like morality lesson'. > > > > Even one person > > > > treating another like a fellow human being is a good thing. > > > > And as for being sanitized, I think its quite the other way > > > > around when it > > > > comes to email. We post our thought without much editing > > for content, > > > > grammer or social ques. The slips, rants and other things > > we post tell > > > > others a lot about who we really are. If a psychologist went > > > > through our > > > > posts they could probably build a rather accurate picture of > > > > each of us. The > > > > true us. > > > > > > > > > Is it a removal of bias when you deal with someone > > > > anonymously? On the > > > > > surface, it seems like it works, but as I see it the bias > > > > hasn't been > > > > > removed, only obfuscated. > > > > > > > > > > The interaction is able to take place without a > > > > preconception or prejudice > > > > > based on appearance, and that can certainly be good. But > > > > that doesn't > > > > really > > > > > mean that the bias doesn't exist. To take an obvious > > > > stereotype example: > > > > if > > > > > you put a prejudiced white person in a room with a > > prejudiced black > > > > person, > > > > > the bias is there. If they interact online with no > > knowledge of skin > > > > color, > > > > > the interaction may proceed normally, but what happens if > > > > they then meet? > > > > We > > > > > want to believe that a TV-like morality lesson will be > > > > learned and that > > > > the > > > > > racist person will realize that the other person's skin > > > > color doesn't > > > > > matter; however, in my experience the bias comes rushing to > > > > the forefront > > > > > and the racist person may become even more incensed feeling > > > > they have been > > > > > betrayed and lied to by the other person. It's not > > > > rational, but I've seen > > > > > it happen. > > > > > > > > > > I'm not saying that obfuscation is all bad. As Patrick > > > > said, it may help > > > > > break down the "Us and Them". However, does it have a flip > > > > side? Do people > > > > > intentionally hide their color/race/religion/culture in > > > > order to interact? > > > > > Do those aspects become like a dreaded albatross and > > > > something people come > > > > > to wish to shed in order to become a nameless, faceless > > "sanitized" > > > > person? > > > > > If we are sanitizing, does that cast those troublesome > > qualities as > > > > "dirty"? > > > > > Where is the line drawn between being proud of our > > > > differences and being > > > > > hindered by them? > > > > > > > > > > Kevin Graeme > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________________________ Structure your ColdFusion code with Fusebox. Get the official book at http://www.fusionauthority.com/bkinfo.cfm Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/index.cfm?sidebar=lists
