thecel
narrow-orbits brachy-skull ogre
- Joined
- May 16, 2020
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The respect that a man receives from other men is a major source of his happiness. A shortage of respect is a major source of male unhappiness.
IRL, people use physical aggression as a means of respect enforcement. E.g. if someone calls someone a racial slur in an insulting way, a physically combative altercation will likely ensue. Knowing that disrespecting someone will result in a violent outcome creates a deterrent against disrespectful behaviors. Since everyone knows that disrespect may get them assaulted, people avoid being disrespectful.
Respect nearly unenforceable on a person-to-person basis in online communities. E.g. if someone calls me a “chink” on .org, it’s simply impossible for me to respond the way that an average male would respond if he were to be called a slur IRL. I can’t throw a punch; I can’t pull out a knife; I can’t point a gun.
Online, respect can only be enforced by moderator rule. But this reduces users’ freedom of speech and removes the ego aspect from respect. Ego is an important component of male respect, and respect enforced by rule of moderation doesn’t allow males to feel the ego boost of enforcing respect by asserting their dominance. I’d rather have a forum with free speech and plenty of disrespect than a forum with restricted speech and no disrespect.
IRL respect is flawed as well. Though IRL allows individuals to enforce respect between one another, the distribution of this capability is inherently unequal. Respect is nearly always skewed in favor of physically larger males. This power imbalance, ironically, leads to disrespect; bigger males bully smaller males.
Equal disrespect is a feature I love about online communities like .org. Unlike IRL, physical size plays no role in the enforcement of respect, so everyone is equally allowed to disrespect each other.
IRL Respect
Online Respect
IRL, people use physical aggression as a means of respect enforcement. E.g. if someone calls someone a racial slur in an insulting way, a physically combative altercation will likely ensue. Knowing that disrespecting someone will result in a violent outcome creates a deterrent against disrespectful behaviors. Since everyone knows that disrespect may get them assaulted, people avoid being disrespectful.
Respect nearly unenforceable on a person-to-person basis in online communities. E.g. if someone calls me a “chink” on .org, it’s simply impossible for me to respond the way that an average male would respond if he were to be called a slur IRL. I can’t throw a punch; I can’t pull out a knife; I can’t point a gun.
Online, respect can only be enforced by moderator rule. But this reduces users’ freedom of speech and removes the ego aspect from respect. Ego is an important component of male respect, and respect enforced by rule of moderation doesn’t allow males to feel the ego boost of enforcing respect by asserting their dominance. I’d rather have a forum with free speech and plenty of disrespect than a forum with restricted speech and no disrespect.
IRL respect is flawed as well. Though IRL allows individuals to enforce respect between one another, the distribution of this capability is inherently unequal. Respect is nearly always skewed in favor of physically larger males. This power imbalance, ironically, leads to disrespect; bigger males bully smaller males.
Equal disrespect is a feature I love about online communities like .org. Unlike IRL, physical size plays no role in the enforcement of respect, so everyone is equally allowed to disrespect each other.
IRL Respect
- more respectful overall
- more unequal distribution of respect because…
- physical dominance matters, which means…
- the small and weak get disrespected
Online Respect
- less respectful overall
- more equal distribution of respect because…
- physical dominance doesn’t matter
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