Dear The Internet, This Is Why You Can't Have Anything Nice

[Berlin Expat]

23. The problem lies in the

inherent anonymity of the internet. When a person pecks away on their keyboard knowing full well that their identity is more-or-less secure, there's a group of folks out there who use this as the opportunity to hurl vile abuse, or express the most disgusting sentiments humanly possible.

There are some who do it to get someone's goat, or to play devils advocate, but there are some who are frankly little more than cyber-terrorists.

For instance, there's a fellow on a major U.K. newspaper site who routinely comments on the stories of the day, usually economically. One day, he pointed out something in a comment I'd written, and I could tell by his (or her) writing style that even though he (or she) was making a legitimate critique, which is fine by me, he (or she) was also being tongue-in-cheek about it. So in my response, I employed a similar method, and as he (or she) likes to pose as an ultra-rich, typical British conservative, I pointed out something to the effect of "one can't be expected to eat chicken every day" to which he (or she) responded that they only eat swan. I started laughing, and this led to a conversation between us regarding the consumption of various endangered species, and the best method for preparing them. This particular individual has a good sense of slightly absurdist humor, which I can appreciate, and as time has passed, I've come to enjoy reading his (or hers) absurdist comments.

I've only once encountered a truly demented individual, and I did what any responsible person would do. I reported them for abuse. And they got banned, and rightly so.