I have been on a few message boards in my life. In doing so, I always run across something that makes me laugh. It happened recently on a political board I post on and maybe it happens here too. You are in the middle of a discussion and people come to a disagreement. They start to split ways and people side with each another and soon the prescriptions fly back and forth. What do I mean by prescription?
It is the prescription of saying, "I think you need to get some help" or "From what I have read, I think you need to see a psychologist." Then people join in and start to try and examine each word that poster has posted and soon others are also offering their Internet prescriptions. It always seems to happen and each time I think it is so funny, because I see the image of a person going to the doctor and saying.
"Doc, I need to talk to someone, because bumblebee45 on the political board says I have issues with anger. Then surfingitup said I need to have better control. I wouldn't normally listen to them both, but jammer5000 said I did too and he is always so correct with his views."
I guess the point I am getting at, is that it seems amusing and odd to say these things. Because we don't even know each others real names in most cases. We do not even know each others personality either. After all, in my case, I spend maybe an hour on message boards per day, about three to four days a week. I read more then I write and I hardly say all that I would like too. I also say things wrong at times and forget to edit my words correctly. In that case, I find it hard that anyone in the world could know enough about any online name to prescribe actual medical treatment.
I was speaking about this to a friend and we were wondering. Do you think we read post from other people and reflect our own insecurities into the voice we apply to their words? Meaning, we think we are overweight, so every time someone mentions something about weight. We think of our own personal criticism and experience and apply that to the words of a person we never met. In our case, as former Jehovahs Witnesses, we have been expelled from family and judged unfairly for our life choices. So we hear and read criticism with the same thought of what happened to us with elders and other members of the congregation. I say this, as often I read something someone said and think, "interesting , I see their point." Then I will see a follow-up that says, "I do not appreciate what you said and I find it insulting" and I will wonder, "did I read the same post?"
and wonder what I missed.
So with my experience online. I have learned many things about people, but above all I have learned that I do not really know people well enough to tell them they need a psychologist if they respond in a way that is not myself. If I do start to get to the point that I listen to online words from people with names like catchinrays or susie00058 and direct my life by their words and actions, and find myself thinking I know enough about them to tell them they need psychiatric help. Then maybe I will need a psychologist. As my actions and words, might be telling me that I need to listen to myself closer and not the words of strangers online.
Edited by - whyhideit on 9 January 2003 21:29:40