Stop being cowards, own up to your opinions in public

I hate the “CSC Confessions” page.

It draws my ire not because of the degrading image it paints of our institution (because college is such a dignified place to begin with), nor because of the half-cocked, logically questionable accusations leveled at The Eagle.

I hate it because anonymity is a horrible thing.

In an age where everyone’s phone is more intelligent than they are, anonymity has become synonymous with cowardice, cruelty, and, above all else, obnoxiousness.

The most sensible of people will quickly devolve into a blathering idiot as soon as they sit behind a keyboard or a microphone.

We’ve seen it before, whether it be teens allegedly driven to suicide thanks to online tough-guys or the faculty at schools brilliantly posting inappropriate jokes about their students. Why does this happen?

Some would argue that it is the fault of technology. After all, message boards and social networking sites the world over bear the work  of would-be trolls (see also: unfunny, lonely wastes of flesh) who make it their business to upset people.

Others, like myself, would say that true human nature is revealed in a place like the Internet. Take away a person’s accountability, and you’ll see what kind of human being they really are.

I shudder to imagine the browser history most “respected” individuals leave behind each day. So much of our social interaction takes place from behind a screen that empathy becomes a thing of the past.

If you’re one of the people that thinks trolling is funny or people need to get over it, congratulations; you are making the development of verbal communication look like a giant waste of time.

Another issue with 24/7 Internet access is that no one stops to think before they spout their opinion.

Within seconds, a statement, factual or not, can be spouted out for millions to grab hold of. Once it is out, the genie is never going back in the bottle.

Any complaint about your job or moronic picture of your 19 year-old self with a beer is traceable back to you the very minute it goes up.

Decades ago, an outrageous news publication or television broadcast required a web of phone calls or carefully-worded letters sent in the mail. This required people to do something strange: namely, stop and think. Is this really so outrageous that it’s worth my time?

If you do feel that your opinion is worth sharing, try something a little out of the ordinary and stand by what you’ve said.

It’s easy to spout nonsense and half-cocked opinions off on a Facebook feed where your friends and family will virtually high-five you. It’s difficult to put your work in front of a hostile crowd and say “try me.” As I said, anonymity is for cowards.

So that’s what I’m doing here: throwing down the gauntlet. If you think The Eagle is a paper written by leftist, card-carrying commies, I welcome you to throw your hat into the ring and do better. Alternative opinions have always been welcome.

The paper, so far, has had no takers. Don’t like the headlines on the sports page? Do something about it: write a letter to the editor. Otherwise, save your breath and some oxygen for those around you.

Some may call this rant hypocritical, because after all, I’m simply spouting an opinion through a medium other than a blog.

But at least I put my name on it.