Something I've noticed not just here, but all over the internet among the 16-24 year old crowd is an absolute lack of tactfulness. It's as if no one taught any of this young folks the value keeping your views, opinions and statements above brow. Most of the time when someone in that age demo voices an opinion against someone else, it's in a snarky, condescending tone, and has some sort of insulting rhetoric in it.
"It's not what you say, it's how you say it" is the phrase that always comes into mind. There are some times where a person makes a VERY valid counter point to someone's opinion...but it's completely nullified by them calling said person with the differing opinion a "dick", or "stupid". Or some other form of insult. Is that really necessary? Whatever happened to making a counterpoint on the merit of the original opinion WITHOUT having to belittle the person because their opinion is different then yours?
I already know part of the answer...the veil of anonymity the internet gives everyone. So in that most young people default to the most base of instinctual impulses...being an asshole. Takes little effort to be an asshole. Takes a monumental effort to respond to a person's statement you obviously disagree with in a tactful manner. But again...the majority of the younger crowd taking the easy road...which most of the time is also the low road. Now I'm not saying it's all young guys. There are quite a few out there that do take the high road. But they're few and far between.
It's not even a matter of respecting the person's opinion. The matter is common courtesy. If you were having the same discussion with the person face to face, would you act and respond the same way? If your answer was yes...there's issues there you might wanna' get in check. For the rest of us civilized human beings...the simple act of being courteous to someone with a different opinion then your own isn't unheard of, even on the internet. It shouldn't be anyway. But for whatever reason, the "cool" thing to do in this day and age throw tactfulness completely to the wayside and be an asshole to anyone who's opinion you don't agree with.
This is just a mild rant I had to type out. By all means, if you've got an opinion on the matter, do share.
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Not just limited to the younger generations, friend. [spoiler]shit I forgot to throw in a condescending insult :([/spoiler]