29 July 2008

Hyperbole: The Internet Dickwad Theory

http://www.pennyarcademerch.com/pat070381.html
I try not to ascribe to hyperbole, but I have noticed it has a home. It festers, as disease-bearing entities often do, in seedy places not meant for the faint of heart. And sadly, it is becoming a method accepted in the vacuum of rational thought for conveying sentiment.
I speak, of course, about comments on the internet.
To me, the comments section and a Tijuana back alley are conceptually equivalent. People that exist there try to goad dim on-lookers into fights, others proclaim loudly who are smug in their power, others act as little jesters tittering away at something silly, and still others try in the face of all these to hold rational discussion without being assaulted.
It is the "man on the street" interview given more time and having no repercussions.
Not surprisingly, very very little of value is communicated in these fora. Oh sure, there may be some rudimentary grading system allowing the stronger voices to be understood. But this is no more than the biggest bouncer on the corner. Sycophants wish they were that strong, or had the ability to project themselves that well. Haters, well, they hate.
One could argue this is good for America, the ability to let go of decades of pent-up frustration at not being heard by those in power. But the therapy ends with the person typing, for only you believe 100% of what you believe. Even strong dogmas have people that stray from the main narrative.
I argue that this "blame the other" method of discourse is damaging. People who feel compelled to shoot other citizens for their beliefs are criminals. Organizations who feel compelled to shoot other citizens for their beliefs change the body politic. It's loosely known as war. Yet this is how war starts, with leaders falsely believing that they must villify one group and be themselves considered victims. Eventually one leader makes a call to take up arms, and if that leader is powerful enough, the followers will do just that. If the targets defend themselves, it's war- if not, it's genocide. Either way, it's hell.
But if we can't sit across from people with whom we disagree- strongly, violently disagree- and explain ourselves in a calm and rational manner in an attempt to gain understanding, then how are we different from a pack of chimps seeking to ostracize an outsider?
Right now a leader need not lead people to their visions away from the center. The leaders are so far away from the center that there is division amonst the populace. That is the flaw with leaders nowadays- they must be myopic, shortsighted, and deliver hyperbolic campaign rhetoric in order to continue to suckle at the public teat. These are the leaders America complains about. Until Americans can truly at their core accept a unifying force with whom they disagree but know that their input is considered and allowed to influence decision, flawed leaders will be what America continues to get.

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