Scooter challenged me to make this final post of Blaugust a deeper post than some of the others I've written during the month. I was reading Xanziee's post the other day that was, in turn, inspired by Syl's post about the masks we wear, and whether they allow our true selves to be displayed. This thread of posts goes back even further to Jeromai and Psychochild, if you're interested in delving that far.
Syl and Xanziee both quoted from Oscar Wilde (if you can't see the pic): "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." Wise words, to be sure. But another wise man once said, "What I told you was true... from a certain point of view." There is a darker side to this story. "Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." Nothing insulates people from the consequences of their actions quite the way the internet does. From relative safety and anonymity, people harass and harangue others, threaten them, and even cause serious situations, all without apparent consequence. The mask can be a powerful, freeing thing. But is it the truth or a fantasy? And if it is your fantasy, how can you be sure people won't understand it to be the truth? What we do or say in cyberspace can have consequences in meatspace.There is a school of thought that games and other activities online allow us to live out fantasies that we would never dream of doing in reality. I'm not a murderer, but I can play a ruthless Sith Warrior on my PC. I'm not a street thug, but there is a game for that, too. Is the set of pixels that I control in the game a role or an avatar? Another school of thought, reflected in the Wilde quote above, is that these games offer us the opportunity to act outside the normal constraints of civilized society. Some people take that opportunity too far, becoming assholes—or worse—online. Are you a dick? Or do you just play one on the internet? Is there really a difference?
Do I talk about the dark thoughts that occasionally run through my mind? [I've edited this sentence a dozen times, still trying to keep the mask in place.] I know a few bloggers who have discussed their depression (and other ailments, other conflicts) that they can escape for a while here in cyberspace. But that escape has its consequences, too. I wish we could gather for one big group hug, and that that would solve everything. But it won't, and many of you would probably recoil from the crowd anyway. We can find solace with each other here, and offer our meager support with words of kindness. /Hugs to you all until we can find a way to shed the masks forever.
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It's over! Congratulations again to all the Blaugustian Aggronites. For hundreds of awesome posts, head over to the Blaugust Nook, where Bel is keeping track of everything and community members are sharing encouragement and ideas.
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Well done on the 31 completed posts! I really enjoyed this post, and the revelation that it was, in fact, the dachshund that has written them! ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha, yep. Who needs opposable thumbs?!
DeleteWonderful posting and grats!
ReplyDeleteIts true, I feel I wear less of a mask here than I do in real life actually. Well there are a few persons i can talk to like this irl too, but for the most part I keep my private "mess" a secret. And when it bubbles too much I use my blog to vent a bit.... But i never have any intention of hurting anyone.
Some of my RL friends reads my blog so im not that anonymous. Im about the same person here as in real life. A bit boring maybee. I have no urge to be a pirate or a troll in a game. But for them who do need that, maybee its good and it prevents them for being dicks in real life? or not? I havent a clue?
Im mostly a healer, nowadays, in game. I dont kill people, i try to keep them alive. And sometimes I can fly on a white pegasus over the mountains. That makes me happy :)
Group hugs!
Perhaps typical of my posts this one rambled between two subjects, only related by the concept of the masks we wear. I know a lot of people who are hurting, but put up masks like everything is OK. I know of others (I try to keep them out of my own sphere) that feel they can say anything from behind the anonymity of their online mask.
DeleteI always love how you write such great posts. They are well thought out and are extremely insightful. I'll miss you in Slacktember.
ReplyDeleteWell, thank you very much. I won't be going anywhere in Slacktember, I just won't be posting nearly as often as Blaugust.
DeleteGood posts. Love the slacktember word. That will be this month for me. :)
ReplyDeleteI thought about how we use masks to relay our thoughts. If we were to totally remove our masks, would any of us act any different from one another? If we have no filters and just spoke what was on our mind, would that be the real me? I think not. To me, the mask is who we are. That filter is what we use to interpret and relay the world we see. I may be Tyrannodorkus on my blog and Roger back home, but these are names. I think I use the same mask, but in all honesty, I don't always have a mirror to see myself, have to rely on others to do that for me.
Gradulations on getting through Blaugust. Was a heck of a ride.
Thank you very much. It was a heck of a ride. I think you're right, though. To some extent all we are is the masks we wear.
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