Sensitive camels

If you follow the Around the Dinner Table forum you probably know that a team of moderators operates behind the scenes to try to keep the level of civility high and mischief low.

This recent season - summer for me, winter for our friends down under - was uncharacteristically hot with interpersonal tensions and false identities and offenses taken and returned. During the same time I noticed (and was caught by) similar tensions on a professional ED forum AND on Facebook. It's like there's a global Internet warming going on!

One of our moderators, "The Mod Squad" as we call ourselves, said something recently that struck me as emblematic of the new world of life by Internet:

"I haven't noticed any deliberately contentious posts, so it would seem that people are taking offence at little things- but then again it is the straws that break the camels backs, and I suppose we are dealing with (and, speaking for myself only here, can be) particularly sensitive camels given the nature of the forum."

Even camels suffer from droughts that go long enough. I'm hoping for some cooling rains, myself.

Comments

  1. Laura

    Come to England. The rains have been falling steadily for two weeks now. Not much of a summer for barbeques but good for the wildlife: from the bugs that feed the birds; to the grass that feeds the mammals; to the humans who needed to cool off a bit....

    xx

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  2. I've noticed this on other Internet forums. I suspect it has to do with the lousy economy- the stress folks are feeling about their finances and/or careers spilling over into other domains.

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  3. Here's to some dry days in England and to economic recovery, and to a raising of the niceness quotient everywhere!!

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  4. Maybe it also has to do with the anonymity of the net. We are just more easily reactive to others we can't see in person.

    And, isn't hypersensitivity a part of the personality profile of many with EDs? If EDs are highly genetic in nature, then maybe we parents are also a sensitive lot.

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  5. Laura

    It worked - the sun has come up in the UK and the humor is back on the forum.

    Now if you could just spread a little of your fairy dust on the economy....

    xx

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  6. Humor is, indeed, the antidote!

    And yes, we parents are a troublesome, reactive, hypersensitive lot - especially when we're frightened. And what is more frightening that a child in distress?

    But it still shocks me how people can bully and shut people out the way they do. I wish there was a tear-meter where the more tears you cause in real life the lighter your text would appear until your words disappear - only to be restored to readability when you'd made recompense or done something wonderfully generous.

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