The internet tough-guys are out there — keyboard warriors who are spouting off antisemitic, homophobic, xenophobic, racist comments, full-on hate speech, and just being plain mean & hateful. But they’re cowards because they’d never say these things to your face. Why?
Well, you’re aware of road rage, where people go off in a fit of anger while driving. Right? But have you ever heard of sidewalk rage? I am pretty sure you haven’t. The scenario here correlates with the keyboard warrior situation where angry drivers fire off their anger while protected to the metal confines of their car while others feel protected by the anonymity and virtual untraceability of the keyboard. The Internet has created the bravest cowards!
The term keyboard warrior is a misnomer as ‘warrior’ implies that someone is empowering, accomplishing great things, and protecting others. In this case, ‘warrior’ doesn’t accurately describe those trolls who are hiding behind their monitor and using online communication to torture innocent people anonymously.
If these internet tough-guys were face-to-face, they wouldn’t act the same — they know they’d get their face busted. Being basically invisible online, the middle-school bully who never grew up feels powerful, and the resulting aggressive and self-indulgent behavior is posted for all to see via the Internet. Civil and reasonable communication has deteriorated through social media, which is not improving human relationships and behavior.
I try to help men improve their relations and behavior. Still, increasingly I’ve noticed a lot of alpha posers and fake alphas out there, especially those who are infiltrating social media, hiding behind their keyboards, and throwing authenticity, kindness, and confidence out the window. I don’t know why this is happening at such an alarming rate regarding communicating online. Perhaps these same posers online are posers in-person too, but I think that being behind a computer screen emboldens people to say things they usually wouldn’t face to face.
I have seen some super rude and inflammatory comments under my YouTube videos — flat-out posted to be hurtful and inflict damage. Also, explicit vernacular or profanity is completely unacceptable. In both cases, I just turn the other cheek when it’s directed at me. I ignore the trolls as challenging as it may be.
Behind the anonymity of the keyboard, the keyboard warrior can be the alpha male he wants to be without fear of being conquered by others.
Whether IRL or online, don’t spout expletives. It’s just bad taste to throw f-bombs in front of anyone because it shows an offensive and disrespectful side of you that makes people uneasy. You can also be perceived as someone with a limited vocabulary who can’t express himself adequately. What may seem harmless can potentially harm your image a lot.
Also, anytime in life, if someone does say something that rubs you the wrong way, rise above a touchy situation and exercise control…
