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Jeysie · 09-22-2006, 01:45 PM

On the one hand, I know that you can't always believe what you see online.

On the other hand, if you have to go around assuming everything's fake, you never get anything done, either.

I base my actions strongly on personal observation and knowledge. Therefore I'm very, very big on honesty. I don't even like white lies. I don't like finding out I've based my actions/arguments on false information, and thus made myself look like a fool, come to an incorrect conclusion (that I wouldn't have with correct info) and/or wasted my time. One reason why I prefer to stay out of politics and religion, actually.

If I found out someone was giving a false persona, and/or expressing false beliefs and/or information, I'd be pretty irritated and probably ignore everything that person said from then on out.

I actually *did* have that happen once... I knew a fellow online who had pretended to be an ultraconservative to see how people would react (and partly because he'd been struggling with his own belief systems). Eventually he grew guilty when he started to befriend some of the people he was fooling (and when I noted while debating with him that he didn't seem to really believe some of what he was saying) and admitted the whole deal himself, which the only reason I gave him a second chance. He seemed surprised when he found out I was far more upset over being lied to than over the beliefs he was claiming to have (which differed strongly from my own).

I have to admit I never understood the point of adopting a fake online persona anyway.

OFFline I can understand doing this. If you're a geek in a town full of non-geeks, or even just working in a place full of non-geeks, or somesuch, you tend to be "stuck". It's a lot harder (and sometimes impractical) to move to someplace you're not such an oddball. So you might pretend to be something you're not just to fit in better.

But online? The internet has *everything*. No matter what your personality, interests, beliefs, etc., you can probably find at least one place you'll fit in. So, given a choice between making the effort to be fake in a place you wouldn't otherwise hang out, or being yourself in a place you fit in... well, I'd much, much rather do the latter.

If you really feel a burning need to play another persona, join one of the hundreds of roleplaying forums/groups/sites/networks out there.

As for the YouTube girl... it's even worse. Why on Earth would you waste your time with this at all? All the time she spent on this could have been spent actually doing something *productive* towards her actress goal, like making a "real" indie film, or getting some paid/extra acting work somewhere.

Peace & Luv, Liz

09-22-2006, 01:45 PM	#25
Jeysie Diva of Death Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 1,402	On the one hand, I know that you can't always believe what you see online. On the other hand, if you have to go around assuming everything's fake, you never get anything done, either. I base my actions strongly on personal observation and knowledge. Therefore I'm very, very big on honesty. I don't even like white lies. I don't like finding out I've based my actions/arguments on false information, and thus made myself look like a fool, come to an incorrect conclusion (that I wouldn't have with correct info) and/or wasted my time. One reason why I prefer to stay out of politics and religion, actually. If I found out someone was giving a false persona, and/or expressing false beliefs and/or information, I'd be pretty irritated and probably ignore everything that person said from then on out. I actually did have that happen once... I knew a fellow online who had pretended to be an ultraconservative to see how people would react (and partly because he'd been struggling with his own belief systems). Eventually he grew guilty when he started to befriend some of the people he was fooling (and when I noted while debating with him that he didn't seem to really believe some of what he was saying) and admitted the whole deal himself, which the only reason I gave him a second chance. He seemed surprised when he found out I was far more upset over being lied to than over the beliefs he was claiming to have (which differed strongly from my own). I have to admit I never understood the point of adopting a fake online persona anyway. OFFline I can understand doing this. If you're a geek in a town full of non-geeks, or even just working in a place full of non-geeks, or somesuch, you tend to be "stuck". It's a lot harder (and sometimes impractical) to move to someplace you're not such an oddball. So you might pretend to be something you're not just to fit in better. But online? The internet has everything. No matter what your personality, interests, beliefs, etc., you can probably find at least one place you'll fit in. So, given a choice between making the effort to be fake in a place you wouldn't otherwise hang out, or being yourself in a place you fit in... well, I'd much, much rather do the latter. If you really feel a burning need to play another persona, join one of the hundreds of roleplaying forums/groups/sites/networks out there. As for the YouTube girl... it's even worse. Why on Earth would you waste your time with this at all? All the time she spent on this could have been spent actually doing something productive towards her actress goal, like making a "real" indie film, or getting some paid/extra acting work somewhere. Peace & Luv, Liz __________________ Adventures in Roleplaying (Nov. 19): "Maybe it's still in the Elemental Plane of Candy." "Is the Elemental Plane of Candy anything like Willy Wonka's factory?" "If it is, would that mean Oompa Loompas are Candy Elementals?" "Actually, I'm thinking more like the Candyland board game. But, I like this idea better." "I like the idea of Oompa Loompa Elementals."