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02/10/2005: "Internet Etiquette"
While discussing a variety of internet law issues, a guy in one of my classes brought up that he views the Internet as a public place analogous with a public street, and that one should behave online the way he would walking down a public street.
I can definitely tell that many people do not share this view, which is too bad, seeing how it might encourage some decency. Take the undesirable schmuck who sends naked pictures of himself to women online. Would this person walk up to a woman in real life and hand her a naked picture of himself? If that happened, that woman would most likely kick him in the nuts and then go after him with a sexual harassment suit. Online, she's just accused by undesirable schmuck of inviting such naked pictures and other stalkerish behavior simply because she has a public website.
And then there's the pompous, self-important "Casanova" who charmingly tells women online that they have "perky tits" and seems to see nothing wrong with it. As Melantha said, in real life, guys would be required to buy us a drink before subjecting us to such harassment. And after getting that drink, you can get the bouncers to drag the pompous idiot out by the collar of his shirt.
Of course, in real life, the schmuck and the Casanova are probably timid pipsqueaks who shrink and wilt under the glare of a woman who senses their inferiority. When they're online, they suddenly think that hiding behind a computer screen allows them to step outside the accepted boundaries of decency and act as no respectable person would ever even think about acting.
We really need a key on the keyboard that will deliver a good, swift kick to the nuts; it acts as a deterrent in real life, and no such deterrents seem to exist online.
Replies: 6 Comments
I guess that, going with your analogy, I would invite that sort of behavior by simply being in a public place and talking to someone.melantha, Thursday, February 10th
But, of course! If you didn't want someone to harass you in real life, you'd stay in your house and never leave. Isn't that so *reasonable*?Brooke, Thursday, February 10th
And if I did go out, I better not take any care with my appearance or bare any skin whatsoever, in case it FORCES someone to bother me...melantha, Thursday, February 10th
Damn straight! You FORCE people to bother you and call your tits perky since you don't have a members-only webpage. How could you possibly think that you can allow the Internet public to view a small slice of your life and still expect respect and privacy? Sheesh.Brooke, Thursday, February 10th
Mwahahah and of course, if it WAS a members-only site, you wouldn't have any respect because members-only sites are for people who get naked, and why would anyone want to pay someone to not get naked, and you should of course put some freebies out there for non-members. It never ends. Gah! Bastards.Tara, Friday, February 11th
I agree that people should have respect and tact in person and on the net.Little Willow, Friday, February 11th