Critics of the Craigslist-style forums say the sites act not as healthy outlets for inevitable sentiment but as encouragement to troubled minds.
"I don’t see how that belongs on Craigslist," said Shari Julian, a Texas psychologist and frequent expert witness and corporate consultant on workplace behavior and harassment.
The Internet has been a great forum for what Julian calls "real communities" of cancer survivors or military families. But it has also nurtured an "artificial" sense of community among the hateful, she said.
"When you have a venue for ventilating rage, your belief in that rage is ratified," Julian said. "It increases their belief that their behavior is acceptable. Their behavior is applauded, seconded. In that case, it’s scary. It does seem to roll and escalate."
I’ve published a lot of offensive material over the years, much written by me. The above remarks resonate with me. I’ve noticed how mindless hate feeds mindless hate on my websites just as thoughtful posts lead to thoughtful emails.
