Abraham Biggs
I thought this article might be a good lead-in for a discussion on online communication. Some people insist that the medium of communication makes no difference and that they are the same in person as on the web. I would agree that certain topics and viewpoints are the same. I, for example, had a philosophical difference with the owner of another site, and after we spoke, we still had that same (very big) philosophical difference. But the point is that the style of communication is different. When you speak in person or in real time within a personal environment, the dynamics force you to communicate in a certain way. People are usually more respectful, and they tend to listen more. This senseless tragedy with the suicide never would’ve happened if there were people in the same room with Abraham. (The guy on the ledge which Prof. Cole mentions in the article is a different case since that situation creates an anonymous crowd similar to a web room.)
Larry posted some great articles about internet communication here.
This situation with the Mr. Biggs’s suicide is tragic. People need to show more compassion and civility, and the format of web forums makes it difficult. This is why I always encourage people to call. The Asian American activist/writing community is small enough that we can all get to know each other and talk from compassion rather than ego.
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