I would cause gigantic family rifts and break lifelong friendships if I commented on Facebook like I do on Reddit.

This is a saying that, at least applying to the Internet, sounds way more prolific and true than it actually is.

Everything is context driven. If we are to presume that showing respect (the social expectation ignored in anonymous interaction), is hiding someone's true self then I call bullshit.

Being sensitive and respectful in a human interaction speaks volumes about a persons true self. They may have a singular viewpoint, but to imagine that not being a staunch and offensive jerk about such thoughts is disenginuous ignores a significant part of that persons constitution.

From what I gather, this notion suggests that a persons true self ignores social sensitivity. In no way do I mean this as demeaning, but autism is characterized in a way by this ailment.

If you are willing to say something in anonymity that you wouldn't say in polite conversation that means you are capable of expressing emotional sensitivity. That is certainly part of someone's true self.

Do I say things online that I wouldn't say in the same way in person? Absolutely. But do I find a wallet in a store and bring it to the store front to help someone else? Absolutely. A voice behind a mask is contextually driven, and hardly reflects the nature of a person. The actions of a person when anonymous reflects the nature of a person.

How many of the shitty, "I fucked your mom," kids on the Internet would call 911 and do their best to help you if they saw you suffering a real world problem. Anonymously being a shit head is age old. There are Roman carvings in bath houses that express the same sort of boisterous offensiveness that we today see online.

When there are consequences, even irrelevant to yourself, your actions define you.

/r/Showerthoughts Thread Parent