Is it just me, or is Tangst being infested by flamers who hide behind the veil of anonymity and insist upon crass condemnation?
Anonymous
05:38:00 PM
4/10/2008
Post anything that you want - a story, a secret, a confession, a fear, a love - anything. Post twice if you'd like. And then share the site with your friends.
9 comments:
Having just said something about that last night, I have since given this thinking some reconsideration and now think it might not be fair. The anonymous people that aren't merely administrators hiding behind "Anonymous" have really no easy way of establishing an identity or referencing their actual name. They could just state their name but that seems to hold them to a higher standard even than us administrators - for all those who know exactly who Maverick or Pchis or Tinted or Dr A is, there are still some of you that don't, and if you're on the outside of the joke there's no way of finding out who we are short of just asking around.
All this to say that I think it is true that there are people that hide behind anonymity to flame, it is essentially difficult to change at this point the site, the inherent design of which allows this sort of thing to happen.
Welcome to the internet.
It isn't that I don't understand the practice of anonymous flaming. I've done some of it myself and the idea of noone knowing who you are gives you liberty to say that which you would not otherwise commit to words.
But it seems like there is a greater concentration of it on Tangst now than there has been before. Maybe I just haven't been paying that much attention.
And I definitely understand your point, doctor. For instance I myself am an admin but I'm posting anonymously to avoid being charged with complaining.
In fact, I might even be you. Who would know?
maybe you should read through the tangst archives more thoroughly. i've been reading from the beginning, and flames come and go naturally. if anything, the current flame trends are mild compared to some from the past.
You have a valid point, OP, but I think I agree with anonymous number 2 in that during this whole time that I've been reading Tangst there have been large fluctuations in flaming. Maybe we can hope for a better period soon.
Yeah, anonymous flaming is what Tangst was founded on.
As one of the founding members of Tangst, I must disagree with you on that point anonymous. The site was founded on the understanding that all of us have things that we have to deal with, and that we might find solace in realizing that others share the problems which we believed were unique to us alone and therefore insurmountable.
But yes, the flame rate on this site does tend to ebb and flow in cycles. An interesting case study if there ever was one.
Flaming is not what Tangst was founded upon, but it is a symbol of the purpose for which it exists.
Tangst is a symbol of the freedom and anonymity that the Internet could provide on some level. It's a place of free expression and discussion, and most of all, a place for complaint and the airing of issues both great and small.
I think if flaming were to disappear entirely, it would signify something greater: either a fear of reprisal, or of a general migration to a higher level of civilized society.
That being said, I wish flaming would go away, if it were for the reason that the tangsty audience were evolving.
I flame sometimes, anonymously of course, for a number of different reasons:
1. I'm pissed off in general and don't feel like being sympathetic. That seems completely within the bounds of what this site was intended for.
2. Whatever they say annoys me, whether it sounds just like whining or pretentious or whatever.
3. Probably more, I just don't feel like putting that much effort into this post.
On a side note, if you want to see a site that basically, encourages flaming, take a look at juicycampus.com.
That thing is despicable.
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