rabbit@buster.ddmi.com (Dr. Roger Rabbit) (12/18/90)
In article <1990Dec16.113452.19023@wbgate.wb.com> ss@max.wb.com (Steven Spielberg) writes: >What hostility everyone exhibits here!! I was warned about this by >the computer-type that set this up for me. He explains the mail problem as >follows (I understand none of this because I'm not a hacker): > I know. This place has got to be the most dismal example of rudeness and inhmanity known to man. One of the problems with electronic communication is that you aren't looking the other person in the face and things that we take for granted like vocal intonation and facial expression just isn't there. A colleague of mine wrote his dissertation on just that topic. ("Behavioral Patterns in Electronic Relationships", PHd dissertation, A. Forkner, 1987, UCLA) I personally have been fascinated by the total removal of inhibitions to verbally abuse others that has been exhibited on USENET. USENET does have its many good attributes, but this is NOT one of them. I am firmly convinced the the government has the axe poised to kill it (at least the prevent it from being carried on the govt. funded NSFNet) and this kind of behavior does not help a bit. What scares me is the possibility that this kind of behavior will carry over into real life as more and more people become "tube literate". It would really be scary if we had a bunch of "Joe English"'s running around insulting people and starting riots and the like. >To the fellow who posts the episode credits - keep it up, and to >"Dr. Rabbit", call me at that number that I sent to you via e-mail >and we'll see about getting together. To the rest of you - Ciao. > Will do. (To the rest of the net: Sorry - he doesn't have an e-mail address yet). >Oh, and no one that I know has approached me and asked about USENET, so >the person who claims that I said that I didn't know anything about >USENET is fibbing. > Some people on the net are consummate liars - don't let it get you down. Take Care, R.A. Rabbit -- >>> BAN: Nuclear Power, US Intervention in South America, Toxic Waste >>> (Including dip) Trash Incinerators, Nuclear Weapons, Poverty, >>> Racism, Sexism, Specieism, etc... Write to: Toons for a Better World, >>> 2001 Yatza St., Toontown, CA 90128 E-MAIL: rabbit@buster.ddmi.com