Gender Confusion

[ronthepon]

This basic guessing of charecters creates some major misunderstandings. Quite some time ago, there was a poster I though was a wierd Indian man, instead I found a woman living... god knows where.

 

Also, when I had visited my first forum, I had conjured a mental picture of an extremely jungle like surrounding, with millions of people posting al the time everywhere.

 

In that kind of a situation, it's best to remain as a person interacting with ideas, not people.

Not that I say it's not absolutely valid here at hypography as a interaction method.

 

But in a case where there are hundred active posters, you tend to assign charecters to people, tend to form your own opinions of them. When you are mistaken... it may get ugly.

[TheFaithfulStone]

That's exactly what I mean Ron. I think we have these mental pictures of people typing away at their computers, and we tend to mistake that simulacrum for the real poster.

 

If "postings" could be considered a representation of the real person, then people's attempt to reconstruct the poster could be a representation of the representation.

 

A copy without an original.

 

TFS

[IDMclean]

I like to think of it as looking into a mirror which shifts with each poster that I read. I have this mental creation of other people. The part of my personality which is my Empath. He/She's metamorphic in nature, has to be, cause he/she always assumes the observable traits of the person I am talking/writting with. He/She varies from emotional to intuitive to logical, depending on the person I am communicating with and dependent on the medium that I am using to communicate.

 

This is to say that I have a mirror in front of my brain. Hypography is a mirror also. so what happens is that I get a continious reflection until the information bounces sufficently to pass through one of the half-silvered mirrors. Either mine or Hypographies. In the case of my mirror then I have something to think about and I might start the process anew. In the case of Hypography's mirror, then the information will end up as a post for others to read and respond to.

 

-Shamans have to concider all view points, or none at all.

His Foolishness the KickAssClown

[Turtle]

That's exactly what I mean Ron. I think we have these mental pictures of people typing away at their computers, and we tend to mistake that simulacrum for the real poster.

 

If "postings" could be considered a representation of the real person, then people's attempt to reconstruct the poster could be a representation of the representation.

 

A copy without an original.

 

TFS

 

Inspite of my ardent stand, I am as guilty as the rest TFS of formulating these simulacrums; I just don't like it & think this medium is better off without dragging everyone's cargo into the mix. I am, as Uncle Al once subtly put it, "tortured by input". (How's that for touchy/feely?) Not only do I not want to hear all the personal stuff here, I don't like hearing it in person, and in no case do I like being asked for such information.

Ron hits at the crux of the issue saying

This basic guessing of charecters [sic] creates some major misunderstandings.

Aren't these the same "guessings" in character as you apply person-to-person & we call bias? Don't they cause misunderstandings too? The mistake is allowing one's self to drift off into contemplation of such matters not germain to the issue, moreover matters that are none of your business.

Given that the web offers a unique opportunity to disregard these biases, I think communication of ideas benefits by taking advantage of this.B)

[InfiniteNow]

For me, someone's communicative ability plays a major role. If they cannot present a clear idea, and their post is not well presented, I immediately think less of their idea. I don't do this intentionally, but basically it seems that my unconscious self goes through this "they can't even present it, they clearly don't understand it" type process.

 

Some exceptions to the above? English as a second language and younger posters. It takes practice to eloquently elucidate in a manner conducive to maximal understanding and furtherance of a topic.

 

Back inline with the points in this thread, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Pyrotex and his wonderful wife. I had a very clear mental image of what he would look like, how old he was, and so forth. I was pretty far off, and I imagine he might say the same about his perception of me.

(Here's a link to the thread he began after:

http://hypography.com/forums/lounge/5596-hypographers-who-meet.html )

 

Quite an interesting topic of conversation TFS. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. :hihi:

 

B)

[TheFaithfulStone]

For me, someone's communicative ability plays a major role. If they cannot present a clear idea, and their post is not well presented, I immediately think less of their idea. I don't do this intentionally, but basically it seems that my unconscious self goes through this "they can't even present it, they clearly don't understand it" type process.

 

Interesting. Do we just draw these caricatures based on different criteria then. Rather than encounter someone in the street and draw conclusions based on gender, race, accent, we draw conclusions based on "internet criteria?"

 

You can't spell? You're an idiot. Can't use google? You're lazy.

 

Even in Turtle's perfect rational society, where people are represented wholly by the sum of their ideas, there are arbitrary criteria that exclude some from participating. What if one of the forum posters was dyslexic and we all just thought he couldn't spell worth a damn.

 

TFS

[Turtle]

Interesting. Do we just draw these caricatures based on different criteria then.

Yes precisely. Different criteria for a different medium. Does a radio host have a makeup person?

You can't spell? You're an idiot. Can't use google? You're lazy.

Maybes on those. Conditional on specific contexts. My spelling & Google skills have grown enormously as an emergent property of using this medium.

 

Even in Turtle's perfect rational society, where people are represented wholly by the sum of their ideas, there are arbitrary criteria that exclude some from participating. What if one of the forum posters was dyslexic and we all just thought he couldn't spell worth a damn.

TFS

Again, the speeling airs our a miner ishue. It is the ideas that count. The map is not the territory; the person is not the ideas.

I am honored you find my musings rational, if not perfect.:)

Kaffee bitte? :evil: Bier?:naughty:

[HappytheStripper]

So, I've noticed that we have kind of a weird balance of genders in hypography. You know like 90% male. I guess that's not that odd for the internet, but I keep mistaking posters for female when they aren't.

 

Now, I'm not going to name names, as to who's in the "thought-they-were-a-girl" crowd, but I just find it fascinating what the internet leads us to believe about people that informs all of our interactions - poorly.

 

Just how wrong are our opinions about who the other people on Hypography really are?

TFS

 

I visit a chatroom in MX .. called Canadian Stonerz .. I wont give you the room address .. I am a regular in this room and have been for some time .. I know most everyone of the regs .. however we have people coming in all the time .. new users to the room ..

 

I was in the room a few days ago .. talking with 2 new users and a reg/admin .. not to mention names .. and having a party to attend to the reg/admin .. he left .. okay .. thats not where it ends lol ..

 

The 2 new users in the room .. then concluded .. upon what they had perceived as the reg/admin being a she .. by saying I hope she has a good time .. .. and I secretly grinned .. they thought this reg/admin was a she .. and they couldnt be taller from the truth ..

 

In my good nature I tried to set the 2 new users straight .. however .. what you know and what you believe are two different things .. and open therefore to debate ..

 

This guy the reg/admin is a basketball player very tall and athletic .. and in reality hard to mistake for a women .. and was very upset to learn he had been mistaken for a female .. in the past few days there has been much discussion in regards to this topic ..

 

Maybe he has fully embraced his feminie side .. as we are all a mixture of male/female or ying/yang .. who knows .. ??

 

I asked the 2 new users why they had thought he was a she .. and the answer was surprising ..

 

The thoughts we have and the words we type .. play a large part in mis-interpretation .. and because we have no other clues to go on like body language or a picture .. we tend to conclude upon what we know through words .. with may be rather pre-judice .. however it does happn ..

 

Instant Communication .. requires the sender who has conceived an idea .. the receiver who interprets the message based on perception and .. interpretation ..

 

After all its the internet .. and anything is possible eh .. our opinions about who the other people will continue to be confused from time to time .. unless one asks otherwise ..

 

Ashley

[Mercedes Benzene]

I wonder if it is possible to put gender identification in hypography users' profiles...

:)

[pgrmdave]

For me, someone's communicative ability plays a major role. If they cannot present a clear idea, and their post is not well presented, I immediately think less of their idea. I don't do this intentionally, but basically it seems that my unconscious self goes through this "they can't even present it, they clearly don't understand it" type process.

 

i think thet u'l find if a pirsons spellings is bad or ther gramer is pour then u dont take em to ceriousaly. speshilly if they got txt spk 4 ever n the post. i h8 that.

[TheFaithfulStone]

i think thet u'l find if a pirsons spellings is bad or ther gramer is pour then u dont take em to ceriousaly. speshilly if they got txt spk 4 ever n the post. i h8 that.

 

:lol:

 

I don't think we should put gender in the profiles, it's kinda fun to guess.

 

I just find it interesting that every time I think someone is a girl they turn out not to be.

 

We don't really "know" each other in the same way we do in real life - although I know plenty of people in real life, and have no clue about whether they can spell.

 

TFS

[Cedars]

Then there are those of us who dont read a topic (until now) because they assume by the tread title its about transexuals.... :lol:

[InfiniteNow]

Reading through the posts makes me realize just how interesting the idea of gender stereotypes is, and how much it's evolved since the advent of the internet. What does it mean to be a "male?" What does it mean to be a "female?" Hmmmm....

 

 

Androgenously posting through this text-based, emoticon enhanced, url capable medium,

[Michaelangelica]

Exactly the way I feel, everyone is just a person I dont really think of it as girl/guy though sometimes it is obvious. I like how it works

I have been mistaken,on hypography, for all four sexes.

[TheFaithfulStone]

I have been mistaken,on hypography, for all four sexes.

 

Reminds me of something a professor once said to me - he said the big argument in Gender studies was whether there are six or nine genders. :lol:

 

I was left going "One. Two.... uhh... th... nope. One... Two...."

 

TFS

[ronthepon]

4? What do those happen to be?!

[Mercedes Benzene]

Reminds me of something a professor once said to me - he said the big argument in Gender studies was whether there are six or nine genders.

 

::shudders::