Hiding behind the Internet
Being at least an occasional denizen of the internet, it's a good bet you've heard one or more of these lines before:

"It's just the internet."
"lol Internet SERIOUS BUSINESS"
"I have to go do things in REAL LIFE."

No, sir, you have to go FAIL.

This sort of shit bothers me severely. I'd like to think most people are intelligent enough to understand that behind every computer screen, every user name, every wall of text, there's a real person. What exactly do you think this is, the Matrix? Am I wearing a leather trenchcoat and art deco sunglasses? Do you think I can dodge the little bullets of stupidity you're firing in my direction?

If the internet isn't reality, then where do you draw the line? Is someone you're talking to on the phone not serious business? Do I have to be within 200 meters of your esteemed person to be considered real life? Can I have some of your air, or do I not need it, since I'm just the internet?

People assume that because they don't have to come face-to-face with the people they're interacting with, it's okay to engage in behavior that, were you to meet in person, would get them punched in their groin. Almost ubiquitously, the sort of people who hide behind the internet are failures in their precious real life, and so retreat to the internet to gain some of their respect back. Unfortunately, the internet is just as real as they are. Their ability to socialize raking somewhere between a chimpanzee and a burning pile of dog shit, they lose on the internet too. The difference being that they can hide behind it and pretend they're still somehow superior to the people who just ridiculed them like the simian goons they are.

Don't get me wrong. It's fun and productive to try being a different person when you have control of the anonymity level. It's when you get the perception that it's okay to be a sandy little butthole - and then hide when the whirlwind comes - that you need to leave.

And then there's this little gem:



First of all, most special olympians > us. Whether I would have the pride and courage to compete in anything with a crippling disability is definitely up for debate.

Second, whoever made this originally just got owned in an internet argument and decided that a picture is worth a thousand words. I'm not sure it is, in this case - how many synonyms for pathetic can you think of? I'm only up to 13.

How about this instead?