For my graduate course on elecronic writing communities, we’ve continued to read The Wealth of Reality: An Economy of Composition, by margaret Syverson. This week’s chapter follows a network’s discussion of the Gulf War. I can’t even begin to repeat some of the blasphemous ideas that a number of expatriots on the network, but I will admit that this is the first textbook in which I’ve actually written words like “bitch” and “fuck.” Of course, I’m supposed to be reading the chapter objectively and for information regarding the analysis of this particular network’s electronic interaction, but, there I was, interacting myself.
So, I can’t help but to analyze my reaction Syverson style:
The distribution of such writings (posts, articles, etc.) has reached all the way from the particular network (called xlchc) to my textbook to my computer and, in turn, to my blog as I compose this post and, thus, spread even further the ideas presented in the network discussion.
As for embodiment, I could not disagree more with the concept of computer forums being a “kind of academic utopia of disembodied discourse” (Syverson 151). I feel as much myself when I express my opinion electronically as I do when I converse face to face. I make a point to express myself passionately and so that nobody doubts the way I feel about issues. I think that as we become more and more comfortable with electronic communication, our discussions will seem more and more naturalistic, embodied as if we’re actually in person. That’s just my guess.
Those two things. That’s all for now. As for my anger as mentioned in the title of this post? Well, let’s just say that I’m impassioned about my feelings regarding any and all military efforts and I won’t stand for expatriot assholes putting down our efforts worldwide. Some of the participants in the Gulf War discussion wondered why they couldn’t all just get along and be objective; they thought it a shame that the network’s discussion had reached such heights of verbal violence and anger. Well, too bad. That’s what happens when you trample people’s sensibilities. Welcome to human nature. No?
