--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "wayback71" <waybac...@...> wrote: > > I think there are a few reasons for this - > 1. people want to connect with other people, even if the > only way to do so is to disagree (negative attention is > better than being ignored for some people)
I think you're correct about this. On another level, the *illusion* of "connecting with other people" is probably even more important for those who mainly sit alone in front of a computer and rarely connect with real, live people. ? 2. the internet/chat room format allows for this rehashing > of strongly held views so easily, since you never see or look > the other person in the eye. Would you behave the same way > in person? I doubt it. This is also true. There have been any number of studies on "flaming," a phenomenon that is common on the Internet but rarely exists in real life. Besides, can you imagine how boring your friends would consider you if you kept repeating the same old things and trying to suck them into the same old arguments every time you saw them in real life? Maybe we can hope that Raunchy can find something other than "women as victims" to talk about in real life, and isn't as monotopical about it there as she is on FFL. We can *hope* that, anyway. :-) > 3. People are frustrated, especially when it comes to fairly > serious issues - like whether the planet is is going to heat > up and change life dramatically about 30 years from now, or > whether someone like Sarah Palin might be the most powerful > leader on the planet in 4 years. Those Are big issues, and > more than disagreements, they are frightening. And since you > can't discuss your fears with people in person, why not turn > on the computer and behave in ways you cannot do in the flesh? Excellent point. Add to this that arguing is a way of pretending that you are somehow *in control* of all these things you're afraid of. You can spout theories and pretend that they would work. It's a little like kids whistling while walking past a graveyard at night, to pretend they're not afraid. > 4. probably most people behaving in the way you suggest > would benefit from turning off the computer for a few hours > and taking a long walk and then doing some volunteer work > in whatever area interests them, or simply helping a neighbor. Absolutely. > Volunteer as a lunch aide at your local school, hold babies, > pick up trash, take a yoga class, try tai chi, be a Big Brother > or Sister, clean your house, bake some bread and take it to an > elderly neighbor - anything but typing away for hours about the > same ideas. Again, we're back to the olde standard said by almost every spiritual teacher in history: What you focus on you become. Argue "women as victims" almost every day and *of course* you started thinking like a victim.
