The Mask (and Hypocrisy)

[sufi]

Nina C is hilarious and expertly uncovers some excellent psychological hijinx with masks

We all wear masks here
Questions

• Why and how do the masks give us license to say things we wouldn't get away with otherwise?
• Nina says she is a shy person in other situations
• is there a gap between our online avatars' identities and us, What's in that gap?
• & Does the online identity end up taking over the fleshy one? I think maybe it does... (Nina does some good experiments with that in this series)

and Hypocrisy

• Is it hypocritical to project a different (maybe more strident) persona online?
  
  
• Is Hypocrisy the worst crime imaginable ? It seems like it is, that discrepancy is often the reason for cancellations,
• Should it really be a hanging offense? There's nothing more disturbing that when someone we've put on a pedestal reveals that they are just another human, but are our expectations too high?
• Would have allowed them up on that pedestal otherwise??
  i'm still bothered that Greta had to take a boat all the way back from America.

 

[boxedjoy]

smoking! somebody STOP ME!

 

[luka]

mixed biscuits doesnt wear a mask he says its the imposition of tyranny and only serves to spread infection. he says look at Sweden, no masks, and they are the Ayran master race.

 

[luka]

groups of thuggish policemen are now positioned at the major London railway stations to enforce mask wearing.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

mixed biscuits doesnt wear a mask he says its the imposition of tyranny and only serves to spread infection. he says look at Sweden, no masks, and they are the Ayran master race.

I briefed you well.

 

[luka]

woops is very distressed by having to wear them becasue he says you lose the communicative resources of the face and every interaction seems hostile as a result.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

groups of thuggish policemen are now positioned at the major London railway stations to enforce mask wearing.

I have my useless visor for when I'm feeling less brave.

 

[luka]

barty probably hates them cos he is used to picking up girls in the supermarket etc and wearing a mask must make that nigh on impossible

 

[luka]

I have my useless visor for when I'm feeling less brave.

Matthew has one of those. `He wore it to his book launch but his bullyboy publisher forced him to take it off cos he said it made him look like a nerd.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

I do have a useless mask too: you can pretty much see me through it but it is so luvverly and breathable because of its shitness.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

Is it hypocritical to project a different (maybe more strident) persona online?

What annoys me especially is that bull sessions are impossible online without assuming a persona: expressed opinions have to be squared with every other of one's opinions and defended for eternity. There is little room for speculation, experimentation and depersonalised debate.

 

[luka]

every man has the right to have his ideas examined and judged individually is what Ezra Pound said. But he would, the big fascist.

 

[luka]

what is a bull session btw?

 

[mixed_biscuits]

A long conversation or discussion, although the term to me more specifically connotes late-night, semi-drunken philosophical chats in a fellow student's room.

 

[IdleRich]

Is Hypocrisy the worst crime imaginable ? It seems like it is, that discrepancy is often the reason for cancellations,

In the (not particularly good) book The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson there is a bit about how when you've abandoned absolute morality the only crime left is hypocrisy. He (or one of his mouthpiece characters) says that basically things reached a point where you could get away with anything as long as you were consistent, but would get murdered for perceived hypocrisy. His contention is that hypocrisy is actually fine and we need to start judging actions more.

 

[IdleRich]

mixed biscuits doesnt wear a mask he says its the imposition of tyranny and only serves to spread infection. he says look at Sweden, no masks, and they are the Ayran master race.

Old news - Sweden have just done a 180 - they're now throwing you in jail if you don't wear a mask and then throwing away the key.

 

[luka]

oh really.

 

[IdleRich]

What annoys me especially is that bull sessions are impossible online without assuming a persona: expressed opinions have to be squared with every other of one's opinions and defended for eternity. There is little room for speculation, experimentation and depersonalised debate.

It's true - since you said there was no way on earth there would be 200k deaths in the US this year I always assume that the opposite of what you say is correct.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

That was a gift from me to you.

 

[IdleRich]

I do find it hard to believe that you didn't know that the second you said it.