Oorgo

Caca Fracas

Ok I don't know if you guys have heard about this, and yeah, ok I may be way behind in the world (what else is new). It's a story about an internet mob that created itself to destroy a young woman's reputation for simply not cleaning up after her dog in a subway in Korea.

Online discussion groups crackled with chatter about every shred of the woman's life that could be found, and with debate over whether the Internet mob had gone too far. The incident became national news in South Korea and even was discussed in Sunday sermons in Korean churches in the Washington area.

Pure madness, but entirely believable, especially when you look at the size of the blog mobs that are out there. What would happen if someone did something that mu.nu folks didn't agree with as a whole... would they rise up, gang up and smackdown that person? Probably. Would they go to the extent of finding out everything about that person, where they lived, history of their life, sexual practices, etc.? Who knows, people act strangely when in large groups, and when all their peers are egging them on and ranting and raving. Look at the madness around the mobs for/against the braindead lady whose husband wanted to end life support and starve her to death. (purposefully leaving out name) That was nuts!

Something to ponder when you are lashing out in a fit of crazed lunacy about someone spitting on the sidewalk, or forgetting to zip up their fly, or picking their nose in their car, or not flushing the toilet. All social norms yes, but to what extent should we enforce them or feel entitled to enforce them?

Posted by Oorgo at August 4, 2005 06:04 PM Permalink - Category: Things | TrackBack