"Internet Argument" Discussion

[space_raptor]

I'm sorry for posting the rick roll browser stealing thing when I did, Randall, honest

[GCM]

Yes, we are all in fact people and that is not a fact that should be obscured by the portal of a computer monitor.

Heheheheheheheheheheheheheheh.

Portal.

[pegasos989]

This comic is completely true. Rememer, the people you talk to on the internet are real people

Yes but also remember that they aren't, really.

At least, they aren't necessarily the people they say they are. In internet, what people tell about their sex, skin color, sexual preference, education, job, experience... Everything... Is more often a lie or exaggeration than not. When talking about anything, there suddenly comes up that a lot of people on those forums are actually majoring in those subjects, are experts in them because they have been working with them for a long time, etc. etc.. When talking about discrimination, a lot of people say something like "That doesn't bother me even though I am * myself" even though what they should say is "I'm not really * myself but I don't think I would be bothered by that if I was...". Then again, many who fill the criteria don't say it because they want to be interpreted based on what they say, not what they are.

Also, you and me are the only two people on this forum. I own all the other accounts.

Except Google [Bot].

[SneakyMongo]

Everyone in any internet discussion has a PhD in the field under discussion, and everyone online has an IQ of 140.

[Cryopyre]

Flight: DO WANT

[tendays]

If you can't spell "argument", don't start a topic, you #!@$* !

(Yes, this was ironic)

[Jest Phulin]

This reminds me of a favorite saying of my brother. (Note how I use the passive voice to shift flaming away from me. Er, not how the passive voice is used....)

Arguing on the internet is like competing in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still an idiot.

True, some (most?) people do exagerate their qualifications when hiding behind a monitor. But they are just as real as you (and when you figure out how real *you* are, you can better understand their reality).

[Quixotess]

*grouse grouse*

Too often in this comic, the women act as non-characters who only serve to contribute to the character development or other part of life of the men. This was why I liked Choices so much--finally, a story without men to balance all the ones without women.

*grouse grouse*

[cbgoding]

Ha, yeah I'm not even close to my normal self when on the internet. I'm a /b/tard, and yet, a /gent/.

A troll, and yet, a good poster.

It all depends on where I am, I suppose.

[benjhuey]

Arguments? On the Internet? Well I've never heard of such a ridiculous claim in my whole life!

[keithc]

This comic is completely true. Rememer, the people you talk to on the internet are real people

Yes but also remember that they aren't, really.

The Internet. Where men are real men, women are real women and cute 13-year old girls in skimpies are real 45-year old FBI agents

[SlyReaper]

Damn, this is important. Someone is wrong on the Internet!

[GCM]

Arguments? On the Internet? Well I've never heard of such a ridiculous claim in my whole life!

That depends. Arguing with other people that you don't know probably doesn't hold a lot of fruition. But remember, the Internet can be used to talk with family, friends, coworkers, colleagues, clients, bosses, and so on.

And of course, Randall. Not that I have.

[Jach]

I have no problem being an asshole to someone in person.

I'm with you.

Those mountains look so familiar.. *can't remember which comic he thinks they're from*

[joee]

Those mountains look so familiar.. *can't remember which comic he thinks they're from*

My first thought was http://xkcd.com/77/

[Dobblesworth]

They're just mountains, but Randall has used a similar greyscale-ish sketch of jagged peaks before. See Bored with the Internet.

I've probably had this before too many times. The internet offers anonymity and disguises your emotions and personal details, changing others' perspectives of you. Shove me infront of the countless forumites I've argued with over the years, and I think a rational resolution of the two viewpoints would have been achieved in less than 10% of the topic's specific duration on that board.

Of course, I would be more than willing to have such lengthy IRL flame-wars over a topic I know plenty on off the top of my head and that I don't need to spend 5 minutes composing my thoughts before submission.

Great comic, just perfectly silent except for the clattering of angry QWERTY keyboards (or DVORAKs) and the whirring of hard drives. Interesting onomatopoeia contrast to Journal 5.

[Bulvox]

The Internet. Where men are real men, women are real women and cute 13-year old girls in skimpies are real 45-year old FBI agents

don't you mean this?

[zrobotics]

It's the Internet!

Where the men are men, the women are men, and the children are FBI agents...and they're men!
(I stole this from somewhere, but I can't remember where I originally saw it, just kind of illustrates one of the drawbacks of anonymity.)

[audoue]

Not only this but it is alot ''easier'' to have an argument on internet, because some people just can't face the reality and they hide behind their monitor, and often behind their lies.

[Steroid]

But should we carry our civility over to dehumanizing media, or should the advance of the medium imply that we ought to be dehumanized?

See, I'm not convinced that blanket civility is a good thing. There ought to be some place where two people who disagree can just tear each other to pieces without caring about the other.

Remember, at least one of these guys is dead wrong about whatever they're arguing about.

. . .

You know what, never mind, flying/hovering girls are hot.

[screech]

This comic is greatly improved by imagining a quiet "whoosh" effect.

Also, the two threads for this should really be merged. They have both grown too big for one to be disregarded.

[ThatGuyCalledPete]

Hmm, this comment made me think...

This comment made me think that right now I need to find a smoking hot, intelligent, funny, out of this world babe (erm - aka my wife), and start a huge Internet fight with her.

Then just wait for flying girl, so we can patch things up. One-way ticket is fine though thanks.

-- Pete.

PS: Yes I am married, no I do not live in the same country of my wife, yes this is frustrating, no I don't recommend it, yes it's working fine for us, no guarantee it would work for you, yes we are special.

[Unforgiven]

My solution to this problem is simply to not be an ass on the Internet either.

[cyberia]

When I first read the comic, I read it as the girl swapping the two guys around to show that everyone's pretty much the same.

Also, the mountains look a lot like these ones: http://xkcd.com/154/

[Glenn Magus Harvey]

This comic's alt-text rings quite true. What with the psychology of perceiving something as human/inhuman--from words on a computer screen to dots indicating enemy targets on a military radar.

[Random832]

*grouse grouse*

Too often in this comic, the women act as non-characters who only serve to contribute to the character development or other part of life of the men. This was why I liked Choices so much--finally, a story without men to balance all the ones without women.

*grouse grouse*

We don't technically know the gender of the ones not depicted with a hairstyle (sure, we know it's a guy sometimes, but it's clearly not always the same person). Or the one with the beret.

[KevorkianKat]

I would hazard a guess this has something to do with this post:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=23886

and the related diatribe on CNN:

http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-36235

about gay marriage and the 2,689 posts (and counting) arguments.

[Callidor]

I've been an xkcd fan for several months now, and I've read all the comics. This is my first time (I think) posting in an individual comic thread. This is absolutely true and perfectly presented. Way up there with http://xkcd.com/235/ as my favorites

[InvisblePinkUnicorn]

Let me guess... he had a cool drawing of a mountain, and wanted to do something with it.

I say that mountain deserves better.

[Random832]

...only serve to contribute to the character development...

Excuse me, the what?

I think what you're trying to get at is that they're merely used as props rather than being characters in their own right - but, let's be honest, so are the men, and the non-gendered figures you are assuming are men.

[jimic79]

Now, be nice, because the people on the other side of that text are people too!

[Hoshi no Kabii]

Honestly, I don't this is entirely the reason for me. When I communicate with people outside of machines, I often reenect arguments in my head. The problem isn't because I'm concerned about the other person's feelings, but because I'm too shy and don't think fast enough to carry them out. Of course I'm concerned about the other person's feelings most of the time, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to shout at them. I'm also probably afraid of having mass amounts of people hate me for my actions. If I be an ass on one forum, people won't think any less of me on a different forum. The same is true for threads, really, as long as I don't make myself look like a genuine dickhead.

[Korvost]

This is one of those xkcd comics that gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

[Wordplayer]

This particular strip is magnificently on target and is immediately one of my favorite xkcd strips.

An interesting point to examine, however, is WHY people tend to behave much better in person than they do on the Web. In my opinion, there are two main reasons: Empathy, which is much easier to have with a person you actually see/hear and thus have much more reason to acknowledge as such (i.e., the positive reinforcement aspect of in-person interpersonal relationships); and Fear of Consequences, which people have to expect to deal with in "live" situations that they don't often have to deal with in Internet situations (i.e., the negative reinforcement aspect of in-person interpersonal relationships).

Whichever force guides people toward better behavior, I'm all for it.


~Wordplayer

[Pesto]

[keithc]

Unfortunately, I'm just as argumentative in person as I am online. Most people don't seem to like this, so they try to change the subject while I continue to press their argument, and I come off as an ass who can't let things go.

If it looks like a duck, talks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

[keithc]

*grouse grouse*

Too often in this comic, the women act as non-characters who only serve to contribute to the character development or other part of life of the men. This was why I liked Choices so much--finally, a story without men to balance all the ones without women.

*grouse grouse*

Why is everyone assuming that the people without obvious hair are male and with hair female?

darn, didn't notice someone else made the same point.

[keithc]

It's the Internet!

Where the men are men, the women are men, and the children are FBI agents...and they're men!
(I stole this from somewhere, but I can't remember where I originally saw it, just kind of illustrates one of the drawbacks of anonymity.)

err, from my post a couple above?

but I can't remember where I stole it from

[Day Tripper]

The xckd comics with messages are my favourite ones. However I suspect that most people would not argue in person the way they do over the internet because in real life, the other person can hit you.

Too often in this comic, the women act as non-characters who only serve to contribute to the character development or other part of life of the men.

In this case I respectfully disagree, since the presumably male character also has a one-shot role to fulfill a storyline. Although I have noticed the lack of female "lead" character, and am eager to see the development of the Journal girl.

[RAPTORATTACK!!!]

Oooh, now I feel bad about being an asshole on the Smithsonian website...

How the hell does Randall do that?