you're like monkeys in a cage

[yarmfelder]

To the participants in comp.os.linux.advocacy:

I was watching a TV documentary about monkeys and
how they behave in captivity, and it occurred to me
that this newsgroup (comp.os.linux.advocacy), more than
the others that I sometimes read, is just like a monkey cage
populated by chimpanzees. You're always trying to gain
dominance over one another, always screaming wild
insults, denying the obvious, beating your chests
by pretending to know more than you do, and generally
being mean and cruel and thriving on the chaos
like a bunch of chimps. It's funny to watch, insofar as
it's funny to watch chimps go berzerk, however
it's clear after watching for only a little while that
like chimps you simply have no standards and that your
behavior is constantly sinking to the lowest depths.
It's a pity, because Linux is a good operating system,
the result of heartfelt generosity, and I'd hate to see
it dragged down by people who are more monkey than human;
and it's not that all of the monkeys are advocates for
Linux of course.

Furthermore, I note a distinct difference in degree between
the behavior of the monkeys in comp.os.linux.advocacy and
in many other groups, where participants are much more civil,
but one can see the same behaviors in all groups. And
I might add, that "reality TV" also shows us this behavior
but because people are showing themselves, the cowards
among them cannot become more monkeylike for fear of
feeling guilty or ashamed.

B. Yarmfelder