Mean People...

Okay, so those who know me understand that I am not opposed to the occasional affront to gentility, nor the well-placed bomblette to civility. But I believe David Pogue is right-on in today's NYTimes blog in calling for a time-out in both online grammer gnashing and etiquette bashing.

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/

Here is an excerpt:

Slashdot and Digg.com are extremely popular sites for tech fans. Each discussion begins with the presentation of an article or Web page–and then opens up the floor for discussion.

Lately, an increasing number of the discussions devolve into name-calling and bickering. Someone might submit, say, this item to Digg:

685 diggs. “AWESOME astronomy poem.” (posted by MetsFan 3 days ago)
Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky,Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.

Before long, the people’s feedback begins, like this:
by baddude on 12/11/06
What’s yr problem, moron. You already said it’s a star, why would you then wonder what it is. Get a clue, or a life.

by neverland2 on 12/11/06
Dugg down as inaccurate. Stars do not twinkle. It’s the shifting atmosphere that causes an apparent twinkle. Or were you stoned all through science class?

by mrobe on 12/11/06
yo neverland2–It’s a poem, idiot. Nobody’s claiming that stars twinkle. Ever heard of poetic license?

Honestly, the intellectual level of you people is right up there with a gnat’s.

…and so on.