Tuesday 31 May 2011
Keyboard Warriors.
There appears to be a phenomenon on the internet called "Keyboard Warriors". It's not something new, and in fact, has been building up and up with the rise in popularity of the internet over the past 10 years or so. Like a monster. Who or what are Keyboard Warriors? People who sit at the keyboards of their computers and type aggressive comments and abuse towards people who they hate or disagree with.
Not only aggressive, but obscene, insulting, and provocative words to anybody who comes into their line of fire. You can read their comments on websites such as Twitter, YouTube, and any forum you can find. Someone leaves a comment or opinion about something, and they are shot down in flames by a Keyboard Warrior because it goes against their view of the subject in hand. Cyber bullies is another description that can be used for these unpleasant people.
Why do Keyboard Warriors have a need to be extremely unpleasant when hurling their anger towards their targets? I guess it's a reflection on regular life... many people are unhappy with their lives for various reasons, and have a need to cause as much trouble and disruption to as many people as they possible can. There are those sitting at their computers who are bored and have nothing better to do than pick an argument with someone. They are safe in the knowledge they can say anything inflammatory to anyone they want, without fear of physical reprisal. What brave warriors they are!
I've been the target of a few Keyboard Warriors at Twitter. Comments of mine have been responded with abuse for no reason. One guy wrote that because I had food poisoning, I wasn't an American, and therefore a fag! Who rights something like that? A guy who is utterly frustrated with life and likely to shoot random people in his neighbourhood. Frightening. Another guy (it's always guys, by the way) responded to a derogatory comment I made about Ibiza, and asked if I had ever been to Ibiza, and if not, to shut the fuck up! Why does he care about my opinions? He doesn't know me. Seriously, if he had said that to my face, I would have punched him.
As I wrote earlier, these Keyboard Warriors think they're being tough and strong typing abuse to people, but would they spout the same words to the faces of the people they are abusing? Of course not. I used to get wound up by them, but no more. A simple reply of "I don't care about you or your opinions, so don't tweet me again" is suffice, closely followed by a blockade of their account. Or just cut straight to the block button. In other words, deleting them. Don't let the Keyword Warriors drag you down to their level. Rise above it.
Music Collections.
I started buying music around the time of my 14th birthday back in February 1980, and I built up a large collection of vinyl over the next 14 years. Albums, 7inch and 12 inch singles are on display on shelves in my home, but never played anymore. That doesn't matter, though, because I like the fact I have 14 years of music on vinyl that meant something to me over that period of my life. I would sell most of it if anybody was still interested in buying vinyl, but I am content to have it remain in my posession forever for nostalgic reasons.
With vinyl dying out around 1994, I concentrated thereafter on buying compact discs, of which I also have a large collection. I have sold many cds at Ebay over the past few years, but I still have a large cd collection I am proud to have bought over the last 20 plus years. I still play the majority of my cds that all sit quietly in the corner of my living room. I can show anybody who is interested that this is the music collection I have proudly built up over the past 3 decades.
Of course, the next step on from cds is mp3 downloading from the internet. Have I taken that step and "kept up with the times?" No! An emphatic no. I want the music I buy to be physically in my hands after I have paid for it. The clear plastic case with a booklet inside so I can read information about the item I have bought. I want to slide it into my cd player and listen to it. After listening to it, I want to file it away in my music collection, so I can pick it up again and play it whenever I want.
Can you do any of this with a mp3 music file? Of course not. It sits there on your computer or on your ipod, simply as something you click on to play. Nothing to look at or touch... just an anonymous file hiding away on a device. How can you show off your modern music collection now? Of course not. All you can do is show them a screen with a list of titles on it. A music collection of no character or special memories of when and where you bought the music. Soulless. The modern age of Hard Drive Music Collections.
It could be argued it's better having thousands of music files in one compact device than many cds lying about cluttering up the place. Not for me. I want to physically see my music collection, and not have it sit anonymously in my computer. I will not be converted, thank you very much.
With vinyl dying out around 1994, I concentrated thereafter on buying compact discs, of which I also have a large collection. I have sold many cds at Ebay over the past few years, but I still have a large cd collection I am proud to have bought over the last 20 plus years. I still play the majority of my cds that all sit quietly in the corner of my living room. I can show anybody who is interested that this is the music collection I have proudly built up over the past 3 decades.
Of course, the next step on from cds is mp3 downloading from the internet. Have I taken that step and "kept up with the times?" No! An emphatic no. I want the music I buy to be physically in my hands after I have paid for it. The clear plastic case with a booklet inside so I can read information about the item I have bought. I want to slide it into my cd player and listen to it. After listening to it, I want to file it away in my music collection, so I can pick it up again and play it whenever I want.
Can you do any of this with a mp3 music file? Of course not. It sits there on your computer or on your ipod, simply as something you click on to play. Nothing to look at or touch... just an anonymous file hiding away on a device. How can you show off your modern music collection now? Of course not. All you can do is show them a screen with a list of titles on it. A music collection of no character or special memories of when and where you bought the music. Soulless. The modern age of Hard Drive Music Collections.
It could be argued it's better having thousands of music files in one compact device than many cds lying about cluttering up the place. Not for me. I want to physically see my music collection, and not have it sit anonymously in my computer. I will not be converted, thank you very much.
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