USENET and the 'CB Radio Syndrome'

[Aaron R. Kulkis]

Anonymous wrote:
>
> Many years ago, back in the 80's, I used to love talking on the
> CB or any kind of two way radio. I just has a bizarre fascination
> with being able to propagate modulated electromagnetic waves that
> could be picked up and listed to by others many miles away, and
> me being able to hear them as well.
>
> Talking on the CB radio, there was a phenomena known as "CB Radio
> syndrome"
> That is, because a person had a CB, they were realatively anonymous.
> Any dummy could pick one up from any electronics store for a reasonable
> price and install it in their car or home.
>
> Because people felt safe sitting behind a microphone in relative
> anonymity, it somehow transformed their personality into something that
> it otherwise probably wouldn't have been. They felt they could say
> anything,
> no matter how crass or degrading or hostile that "anything" might be
> towards another individual on the CB.
>
> When I first discovered USENET, as it is today, about 4 years ago,
> believe it or not I NEVER could have dreamed that I would encounter
> the same "CB Syndrome" here as well.
>
> If you think about it in a reasonable manner, first, it takes money
> in the first place to acquire a decent computer system capable of
> internet access and it takes some intelligence to operate the
> computer system once you have it. Second, it takes at least a certain
> degree of intelligence to 1. find the Usenet newsgroups of your choice
> and 2. become proficient at using a newsreader prog.
>
> In other words, when it takes at least a certain degree of intelligence
> and prowess to get to and access Usenet in the first place, why then do
> we see
> so much of that old CB Syndrome or "CB Dummy" phenomena taking place
> even
> here?
>
> Wouldn't you somehow, at least at the gut level, expect people of this
> apparent "computer age" caliber to be at least somewhat professional?
>
> But the same old CB Syndrome still holds strong, for reasons that
> sometimes escape me.
> Give a person a terminal and an ISP account, sitting behind a keyboard
> somewhere, the same mentality still applies. People clearly behave in
> ways
> that (Believe me!) they NEVER would if they were face to face with you.
> And we all know in our gut, everyone of us here, that this is the
> complete truth.

You certainly descreded "Jet"...

--
Aaron R. Kulkis
Unix Systems Engineer
ICQ # 3056642

A: The wise man is mocked by fools.

B: "Jeem" Dutton is a fool of the pathological liar sort.

C: Jet plays the fool and spews out nonsense as a method of
sidetracking discussions which are headed in a direction
that she doesn't like.

D: Neither Jeem nor Jet are worthy of the time to compose a
response until their behavior improves.