I find that whenever someone says something completely devoid of decency or intelligence, claiming that the internet should be taken less seriously is a common defense either by the perpetrator or those who support said perpetrator. Personally, I've grown tired of it. I find that this thought process is merely an excuse for people to not own up to the things they say. A cop out if you will. While it is true that not everything on the internet is to be taken seriously, the internet, just like anywhere else, is a market place of ideas. Ideas are constantly being exchanged from one person to another or multiple people every day, and just like in the real world ideas and thoughts expressed will garner various reactions. With very few indicators in written format to express sarcasm or that one is not being serious, it is that person's responsibility to make that clear, otherwise they should not be surprised or offended when someone doesn't like what they say.
Just a small rant. What do you guys think about this excuse? How often do you run into it on forums/youtube/etc.?
All the time, and I put it in the same category as theists who react to atheists saying that we have to respect their beliefs.
Quote from: MrBogosity on September 18, 2011, 01:08:37 PM
All the time, and I put it in the same category as theists who react to atheists saying that we have to respect their beliefs.
Yeah. On a similar note, I also get, "but I was only trolling" every now and then too. I don't even count them as separate things at this point since they basically mean the same thing.