On the internet, we are ALL digital.

In a thread, thanks to Lucidity, I came up with an idea. Tell me, can you tell what race I am? What religion I am? What nation I am in?

Thought not.

The internet is a system of communication that transcends all of these parameters.

We need to use this system to further our knowledge, our ideas, our very freedom that we all SO desire.

Yes, we all still believe in certain systems that will allow this to transpire. BUT, we need to forget about these divisive things of the past and move forward.

As you can see, I have taken on one of my favorite characters of fiction. I, saltheart am just a lovable giant, with a huge heart and a ferocious appetite for liberty.

Remember, I am only a digital representation of myself. Try not to place me into a box of societal restrictions. Listen to my ideas, not preconceived notions.

I will attempt to do the same.

Peace, from your friendly, neighborhood, fictional, giant, digitally represented by randomly organized thoughts across the ether.

Originally posted by saltheart foamfollower
In a thread, thanks to Lucidity, I came up with an idea. Tell me, can you tell what race I am? What religion I am? What nation I am in?

Shot in the dark: Puerto Rican, Buddhist, Australia.

No you do me.

Your observation is representative of a wonderful way to look at things and I honestly do commend you for it! In many ways a world which had the traits you have ascribed to the digital world would be a much simpler world to live in.

Unfortunately I think that all that really gets masked by the anonymity of the web is our faces. For some this is an avenue which allows them to express themselves in a more pure and honest manner.

For others it's like a cyber ski-mask which allows them to hide and to take their venomous thoughts to an even greater level.

Ultimately I would hope that we could all see beyond the visual cues here as well as in our everyday lives, and to at least learn to acknowledge and recognize our biases so that they might be discussed out in the open and then resolved as best they can be.

Maybe the way you see the digital world is a que on how we can start.

S&F. and thank you for posting this!

I like the thought you put into this theory.

Everything is just a reflection of living. Life is a matrix, so everything we create in life (including the internet) is connected by the ether of universal memory (the matrix).

Awesome post!

For others it's like a cyber ski-mask which allows them to hide and to take their venomous thoughts to an even greater level

I don't think my thoughts are venomous, but I am more honest on here than I am with people in public I don't really know. Where I'm at, quite progressive, they'd try to have me committed for my true thoughts. I think I might be going crazy...

Thanks everyone for your comments.

With a nod to Lucidity, this type of thing has crossed my mind several times.

A commenter brought up that some things we say here we would probably not say in our everyday lives, because of the anonymity of our existence here on the net.

I for a fact know this to be true of what I post.

My family thinks I am a combination of a liberal and a conservative wingnut, because of my libertarian beliefs.

For those that do not understand libertarianism, it is the belief that we should not ever infringe on another's rights and that as long as we harm no one with our actions, we are free to do what we will, if it could harm ourselves or not.

Back to the idea that we are just digital in nature.

Now, those that are venomous, sometimes I find myself getting venomous. I apologize for that, as I said, being libertarian does not mean I will not retaliate for apparent forceful actions. This is another libertarian or true anarchism thought, that a law or criminal action has been committed if FORCE has been exerted upon another.

But I digress from the OP.

Let us look at what the difference is between the internet world compared to the real world.

Internet-We can be who we want to be, without apparent repercussions. We can be whoever we want to be, without the real world boxes that are placed upon us.

Real World-We are defined by numerous things, including everything I mentioned before, but we are limited in that vision or existence. We are limited to preconceived notions by the very people we interact with, and those that see us as an entity quantified.

Will have to think a little more on this.

Thanks again for the comments.


[edit on 18-8-2010 by saltheart foamfollower]

Originally posted by saltheart foamfollower
Let us look at what the difference is between the internet world compared to the real world.

Internet-We can be who we want to be, without apparent repercussions. We can be whoever we want to be, without the real world boxes that are placed upon us.

Real World-We are defined by numerous things, including everything I mentioned before, but we are limited in that vision or existence. We are limited to preconceived notions by the very people we interact with, and those that see us as an entity quantified.


[edit on 18-8-2010 by saltheart foamfollower]

Interesting. But with talks of everyone having to wear a public "Digital ID" when surfing the net in the not so distant future strips away that comfort blanket of anonymity which allows us to speak our mind so freely on the internet without any "physical" repercussions.

I wonder will the abundance of freely spoken opinion suddenly diminish when you are consciously aware that people may know who your digital persona is in the physical world. I wonder.

Can I make a guess.

Your a white, Christian from Illinois

Am I close?

reply to post by dPD89


Yes, I think that is to be the downfall of the internet. We will have to be LICENSED to operate on the internet. Just as they did with vehicles. They will require us to be tagged, bagged and registered.

This is an inevitability, unless we come to an agreement. We have to or we WILL be controlled. This internet, is our actual last freedom, unless we can develop our minds to the point we can communicate without it.

Do not laugh, if 40 years ago, they told someone about what we do on the internet, they would have laughed.

Anyway, you bring a very important component to the discussion.

Davespanners-pretty close, I am a clear, spiritual entity, from the milky way. Sorry, but none of the things MATTERS does it? Really, does any of the things you mention matter?

Anyway, Illinoiiiiiiiii is close.

Well you said you were in Illinois in another thread, and then I just looked up the population stats for that state and saw that it's around 70% white and 80% Christian. I could reach a bit further and guess that you have some German ancestry somewhere in your family

It's true that age, race, sex etc doesn't really matter on the net, but it certainly does go a long way in shaping the opinions we form and thus what we say on the Internet, In my humble opinion

For the record: I do not particularly care who you are, your religious affiliation, where you live. I care to know of your philosophy. As we stand, ideas and thoughts matter more than physical traits. Do you stand for individuality and the isolation it requires or for communality where each shares with the lot... or maybe somewhere in between? Does that particularly matter? Probably not.

Frankly, online I'm a digital representation of an analog.

Sadly, the Internet reduces our infinitely incremental variability to an absolute, calculated bit depth. It is afterall simply information represented by the medium within which it exists. Fortunately that depth is limited, which forces the analogs to expand and extrapolate even further, ever-increasing, if not infinitely so, in order to expand the "resolution" the digital self is represented by.

Again sadly our attention span and our lack of resolution to see things through... those reduce our impact on the world's stage. We will say, in private, things we would never say for fear of being identified. On the Internet, we will bare all for the world to see and interpret as it will. Yet our Internet messages are treated as if they were in some way private, and we are afraid of the repercussions if we are not within the majority.

In the Internet realm we are digital, we are anonymous and we are imperfect.
And we are distracted.


Now, I only told you that so I could tell you this....

[edit on 8/18/2010 by abecedarian]

reply to post by davespanners


First off, I never said I was in Illionoiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. I may have said I had spent time there. As for German ancestory, never said that either.

Tell me, why do you HAVE to know my ancestory? Does it actually make a difference to the discussion?

Almost a problematic or obfuscational tactic. Do you agree with the postulate or do you not? Sounds almost like an Ad Hominem. Anyway, best wishes.

reply to post by abecedarian


So you agree.

And I await the bulk or your message.

if you are Christian but you want to use your brain and explore-share knowledge, you are not really a Christian, so get off your horse and admit you are part of the new generation of the non religious

I agree in general with your post ...

[edit on 19-8-2010 by DrunkNinja]

reply to post by saltheart foamfollower


Didn't mean to annoy you, I was just having a bit of fun as you asked if we could guess your race etc..

gets coat... leaves thread

Ohh and just for the record.

On the 18-4-2010 you posted
I see the rallies of the April 15th Tax Protests got ABSOLUTELY NO coverage on the MSM. Must be because there was no one there. Oh wait, in just my state of Illinois, there was reports that over 75k showed up.

So I apologies for trying to guess your race religion and where you live after you just asked if we could guess your race religion and where you live, and then guessing Illinois after you told us you live in Illinois



[edit on 19-8-2010 by davespanners]

reply to post by davespanners


Hmmm, I use to live in Illinoiiiiiii.

Wonder what the hell I was talking about? Glendale Heights. Use to work for GBA Firestone. But that was back in college years.

Anyway, thanks for commenting and could care less if you despise me. I want your attitude. I want your info. I want your idears. LOL.

Anyway, I am what I am.