In a world moving at just over 1000 miles per hour (even without the help of the internet), impressions aren't what they used to be. There's no time to really get to know someone. Social networking sites give you a photo with baseball card stats about someone, but then you don't know what you want to. Their thoughts on time travel, the afterlife or maybe even how they feel about Kanye West. No, there's no time for that.
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| There's no time! There's never enough time!! |
In the real world (not on the internet), either a single impressionable idea lingers or you do, if it's the latter then I can predict the result. Because online you can always disconnect, but in reality disconnecting means the person is still there...awkward. So what's your thing? What sets you apart from the crowd? Well as an example, last year's Fifa World Cup did provide insight. Suddenly my neighbor was Argentinian (through his ex-wive's cousin's room-mate) or my colleague had suddenly become Dutch through...well he was Afrikaans so that actually made sense.
Demonstrating stereotypes in a lighthearted funny way.
The point is yesterday they saw themselves as the metal-head or the artist, today they were ancestral patriots (I won the ancestral lottery, my grandfather was Spanish). It's like a flip of the switch, a self-fulfilling role you choose for yourself. Even the "I-don't-care-what-you-think-of-me" roles end up being roles themselves, ironically.
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| Everyone loves the sociopath role! |
You've got one word or idea, how would you describe yourself? Is it where you're from, your hobby, a skill you have or even what you do for a living? While it can never be enough to make you a fully formed three dimensional human being, it has to be enough for the stranger on the street. Yes, I'm sure people still use streets, internet or not.
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Thanks for sharing your opinion too, we'll pick up the tab.