There are those who are, but just as many who are lovely. For those who are, it's easier to be rude facelessly than face to face, I suppose.

yeh its easier when you dont have to tak to them face to face. but i'm more sarcastic in real life! lol

ofcourse you can't see what your words have done to someone online like you can in person and the poeple on here will more than likely have no contact with each other ever out side of AB. So yes I am even guilty of it.

I find that many people can be extremely condescending and sarcastic online, but don't believe it to be a general rule. I believe that people are less inhibited online because there are no consequences. Much different when you are face to face and have to look them in the eye. Online you can debase someone to your heart's content and the most they can do is return the favor. In person however, the consequences can be far more severe. You can't just "Click" and ignore someone if they are standing toe to toe with you.

What you see is what you get, even as if you were talking to me face to face... "because you can handle the truth"!

It's always very easy to be strong and rude behind a computer screen! You don't have to face anyone and you can even search the net to back any argument you've started! Unfortunately for me, I can be pretty sarcastic in real life and although I am always joking, some people can't take it. LOL

I guess they think they can "be themselves" better than in person. That can be good sometimes but I think honesty is the best policy, online or in person...

They can't get hurt online opposed as to when you have your fists in their face

Yes, I do. And it's because they don't really have to face the consequence of what they say: they don't have to see your facial expressions or feel guilt. Plus, not hearing the tone of voice of someone could lead them to think you said something in a way you didn't, causing them to be sarcastic and condescending. I, myself, often have that problem of being too sarcastic online and not meaning it the way it seems.

I think that pretty much they are what they are. One lesson learned in life, is that people wil be who they will be. I do think that they are sometimes a little more at-ease on line. I suppose the anonymity facilitates that. Depends on their personal motivation I guess!...and a million other things;)

If they are it's due to them using anonymity to bolster their bravado. like people who drink and then tell others what they think. Irish courage I think it is called (no offense to anyone Irish). That false bravery stuff. Also you can say what you want without interruption and once you've said what you have via written word, if it's misinterpreted you can claim it wasn't intentional. You can back-pedal out of things. However the negative with this is that the written word is easily stored and remembered so you can't use 'I didn't say it that way', or 'those weren't my words' as an excuse.

Considering the people I hang with, I find the people online mostly sedate. Then again, I am even worse F2F. Be glad you all only know me as a screen name ;)

I am very sarcastic, in real life and on-line. It's not meant to hurt anyone' it's just the way my brain works.

Not just condescending and sarcastic, but just plain rude/crude and extremely offensive. I hope the majority of the foul I read on AB and similar sites is because they have anonymity (sp.) I don't hear those kinds of words used in 'real' life. It's a shame that with all this new technology, cell phones, internet; that morality has gone by the wayside. People are so busy chatting about what they are going to do later, that they are holding up a line because the cashier can't get a vital answer to a question, so everyone in line is stuck hearing a one sided conversation and waiting for the person to acknowledge the cashier, cells going off during class time (college,) theaters, church services, restaurants. The internet scares the heck out of me because my daughter, who is eleven, and is with me as I surf through AB and the language is horrendous. There's no reason for it other than for shock. Those who do this remind me of ninth graders, just flat out immature and childish. Almost forgot something that also irratates me-the lazyness which is destroying the english language. Is it really that difficult to capitalize the first letter of a sentence, or to type the word for. It doesn't take but may be ten to fifteen seconds to re-read what one has typed to insure one doesn't sound illiterate. Ah vell, time to step off my soap box. Great question, needed to let off some steam, I guess. In His grasp, <:))))<>< My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.--Psalm 62:7

I find the opposite to be true for myself. I am more sarcastic with people face to face rather than online, because sarcasm isn't easy for me to convey through the typed word without adding those pesky emoticons :) When you read the words of people without being able to see their facial expressions and mannerisms, sarcasm can come across as bitterness, all depending on the person doing the reading and their frame of mind at that moment.

Some people rely upon the percieved anonymity of the Internet. So some use it as a way to vent frustrations, without having the worry of getting punched in the face, or worse.

they don't have to see your ugly face ever again (just kidding :P). They can say whatever they want, but you don't honestly know who they are.

Yes, although I think it’s a question of culture. An environment informs culture. I.e. when in a class room, you perform the action, I call it "cultural duty" (sit at a desk, talk I cetin manner. Etc) words like condescending and sarcastic leave a bad taste in the mouth, it suggests that it’s not a good thing, But why? Using a different subject, to me it sounds like asking “why don’t Russians speak English?” I do feel that “online” cmc (computer-mediated communication) has a strong sense of ego, I don’t know why, I just feel its not so good at a high level.

Personally, I am less sarcastic on line because I have time to filter my thoughts and think things through.

People often say things on the internet that they would not say in person or on paper because of the perceived anonymity of the internet. Another reason they do this is because on the net they can spout off instantly without thinking about what they are saying. Of course not everyone is sarcastic or condescending on the internet, but it does tend to make it easier to be that way.

It is easy to get away with all kinds of rude comments on the web ,because there is little likelyhood of getting one's ass beaten as a result.In person it might be very likely.

That happens a lot, yes. Anonymity is the reason.

people are way cockier behind a keyboard and screen. people will say and do stuff they would never do face to face to another person... Ive been online for a long long time (pre net even) and ive met people that talked smack in private but get them in person and they are just fat,weak, wussies living in their mothers basement.

I really think so, and the reason is that you can assume whatever identity you want online and "get away with it" - no one is going to knock on your door that you snapped at on AB, so people get lulled into a false sense of security.

In writing, people tend to express their true feelings, rather than in person. maybe, its safer to speak your peace in an email, rather than take a chance on an assault, in person.

Yes I think so but this does not apply to everybody. People may be like that in real life too. Some people can only afford to be sarcastic to people whom they don't know or to people who they know couldn't get back at them. Or maybe they are like that because they are mad. Ü

YES. :o(

Of course they are, they find they are invincible on the internet because most of the time the people don't know them and they can be cruel and get away with it. That's why most people tell lies online too, to glorify or even degrade their life. People are weird...this includes myself

No.

I pretty much am the same. Online I type without thinking it through and face to face I speak without thinking it through.

im more sarcastic in real life but thats just me =D I believe if some people met who they are harassing they'd either be chicken or still do it.

Yes. But a good thing with the Internet is that you can't call someone you don't have met "fat" since you can't see him/her.

i'm the same person online and offline.

1) Online identities allow some extreme behaviours, because if you destroy your online reputation, you could still abandon that identity and start again with a new one. However, there are some regulating mechanisms. Your online experience will be better if your online reputation is better, so it is your interest to build yourself a nice reputation. So actually, most people have good manners online, and those extreme behaviour are only observed among few people. 2) Condescendence and sarcasm are not very widespread on Answerbag. They have been sometimes quite widespread in some forums in the first years of the internet, especially on technical ones, because of the bad manners that some technicians show when confronted with people who don't have any technical background. Because they did not like to have their bandwidth spoiled, those technicians were often quite sarcastic/condescending to people who came with beginners questions. For instance on a forum for HTML specialists, if some person came and asked questions about the basics, they could get this kind of reactions. Some examples of this attitude are "RTFM" ("Read The F*cking Manual") or "DYOH" ("Do Your Own Homework"). This means actually: you are wasting my valuable time with questions that you could solve yourself with a little effort of your part. 3) On Answerbag, people come to get helpful answers to their questions from the community. We don't reject any question. If a question is too silly or too easy for you, you don't have to answer it. But of course, we don't like to be flooded with idiotic questions either. So someone may ask such a question once in a while, but if they go on Answerbag every night to have their homework solved, they soon will get negative reactions.

Being anonymous allows people the freedom to say what they wish without fear of personal reprisal. This behavior is nothing new. Those of us who were around in the 70's and 80's who remember (or used) CB radios are intimately familiar with this behavior as well. In some cases, this is good as it allows people to become more open and frank with their opinions. However, there are those who abuse this ability. Modern day Trolls, such as those on AB, are the genetically inbred decendents of the anonymous hecklers and inciters who frequented the CB radio channels of yesteryear. <Cr*p! I just dated myself with the 70's comment, didn't I?>

Yes. There was a xkcd comic on this topic too.

Anonymity invites animosity.

Well, I'm just as sarcastic online as I am face-to-face, actually I'm probably more sarcastic face-to-face, but that's just my opinion.