Is there a dissonance between your off-forum character and your online character? The question came to me reading a thread. Do we behave differently here than in a real life, face to face discussion?

I do. I'm much more restrained here than I am in real life

Seriously, I am. I'm quite an impulsive person and I've been in situations face to face where I have been quite cutting and combative in discussions (but not making it personal). But that could be because I used to work for our union and had to do a lot of face to face discussions with politically powerful people and being combative was a requirement of the job (as was knowing when to concede or to reach an agreement, after all the discussion is just a means to an end).

I find that a forum makes me think before I spray at someone. Having said that I know I can be a bit cranky here as well, I'm no saint I know that.

So what about you? Is there a dissonance between your personalities?

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Blowhards-R-Us

I don't think my character is so different on-line and off-line. I argue more on-line than off. I think I may work a few yayas out on line so that I'm kinder to people in RL.

I rarely discuss politics in RL. Most of the people I hang out with share my political views. We share information but we don't argue or debate.

Not discussing politics is a good idea. I should have listened to that advice years ago

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Blowhards-R-Us

I'm pretty much the same, really. Though I never call people names in real life. And I try not to here but I know RGS needs a daily beatdown to thrive.

Sgt Rock, the human hand grenade

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Blowhards-R-Us

Your lack of a brain ensures you are the same off online as on. Now tell us how you "feel".

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The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. Indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

-Bertrand Russell

Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable

-Laurence J. Peters

I never said that you had no right to have an opinion. I just said that it was, in fact, worth nothing.

-Maineman ( on 12 June 2007)

Boom! Off he goes!

Yo Rock! Relax....it's a nice quiet thread, quit scaring the neighbours with all those loud noises

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Blowhards-R-Us

Clearly one has more time to consider what one is going to say in ASCII than when one is engaged in a discusssion in real time.

I presume I appear somewhat more thoughtful in text than when I'm speaking because...well, because I am.

Add to that the fact that I'm a demonstrative person generally, which adds to the emphatic nature of my real life presentation, and I'm fairly certain that those of you who find me annoying in text would likely find me much more annoying in real life; and conversely,those who you who think me an attractive character in text, would likely find me even more so in real life.

Let's just say in a community as small as the one I'm living in now, there aren't a whole lot of people who I find interested in spending a whole lot of time discussing the kinds of things we talk about here.

For better or worse, due to my current propensity to seek real life solidtude, and add to that the fact that my eyes glaze over when small talk is on the agenda, so you guys are basically the people with whom I engage in thoughtful discussions with mostly.

That's an interesting question. It has occurred to me as well. It's hard for me to know if I behave differently or appear different than my offline persona. Certainly I have the same opinions but I'm not as well spoken, if that can be said about me, in real life. I have many I-wish-I had-said moments in real life and not as many here. Also, you can't edit real life. I probably don't got out seeking debate in real life they way I do here though maybe more so since discovering message boards 2 years ago.

I can however comment on how other people appear online versus how they appear offline since I email/chat with several people I've met on message boards. Of those I have met 2 and already knew about 5 already in real life.

Some of these people seem to me unrecognizable online or certainly different. And others not much different at all. Of course online we are all are speaking in front of an audience so naturally that changes things. The most difficult person for me to recognize online was my own brother, with whom I am very close. When he joined the message board I was on at the time he did some spoofs which I completely fell for and even his serious voice was nothing I'd ever heard before. His way of political discussion in real life is much more moderated but on the boards I sometimes wanted to slap him. LOL! Fortunately the Democratic candidate has long been decided so we are united on that front again.
Another friend of mine is a bit too garrulous and digressive in real life but her emails and posts on another board are exquisite. I really think she should publish a collection of essays.

Cranky? I never saw it. I think of you as the Mr Nice Guy of USMB. To the point but always civil with a sense of humor.

Do you neg rep anyone in real life, Anguille?

Yes, some posters are so elegant in their prose that I just sit back and admire it.

And the "I wish I'd said that" - I love the French expression ''l'espirit d'escalier", sums it up for me, except I can't say "bugger it, why didn't I say....." in French...but on the other hand in real life I'm probably more in need of a translation that says, "bugger it, why the hell did I say that?"

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Blowhards-R-Us

I'm scared of Gunny

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Blowhards-R-Us

Gunny is a wuss.

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"Why, it appears that we appointed all of our worst generals to command the armies and we appointed all of our best generals to edit the newspapers. I mean, I found by reading a newspaper that these editor generals saw all of the defects plainly from the start but didn't tell me until it was too late. I'm willing to yield my place to these best generals and I'll do my best for the cause by editing a newspaper." -- Gen. Robert E. Lee

Did I say I wasn't frightened of wusses?

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Blowhards-R-Us