#ouchy #yolo

Internet, we need to talk. In a nuanced, thoughtful, intelligent way. I don’t want this to turn into some kind of knee-jerk confrontation. But it will, won’t it? You’ll end up citing the Nazis while frothing at the mouth, won’t you? That’s what you do. Every. Single. Time. What’s wrong with you, Internet? Why can’t we just agree to disagree? By which I mean, of course, agree that you’re an idiot.

There’s incensed Internet drama everywhere I look these days. Journalism drama. Publishing drama. GamerGate. Oh, GamerGate. I’ve tried to make sense of you, I really have, but every attempt drives me back to the immortal words of Cracked:

“Gentlemen,” we said amid the stunned silence, “do you realize that if what they’re saying is true, then this is still the most pointless fucking bullshit anyone has ever forced us to read?”

I love you, Internet, but sometimes it seems like you’re mostly an outrage factory. A hate-inducing tweet or blog post appears, and everyone in its target audience attacks like a school of piranha, erupting into vituperative geysers of rage and scorn — usually without ever clicking through to the primary sources, which often tell a rather more nuanced tale.

Read more here Us vs. Them: What’s Wrong With You People?