Internet flame wars serve the good of humanity

via Know Your Meme

By Helen A.S. Popkin

Almost two years ago, the feminist writer Irin Carmon wrote an insightful piece for Jezebel titled "The Daily Show's Woman Problem." She soon paid a price.

For having the audacity to call out liberal Shibboleth Jon Stewart about The Daily Shows Mad Men-era gender hiring practices, Carmon became the target of an all-out Internet flame war. As often is the case with these things, the ad hominem attacks went way beyond her theme or even her writing ability, and straight to her viability as a human life form breathing precious air. You know how the Interwebz do.

So when Carmon notes that Internet flame wars arent necessarily a bad thing, you can bet shes given it some thought.

Some writers drop flame bait, others just constantly "troll." Either way, there's a deliberate pushing of buttons for the purpose of causing outrage and attracting attention. Though construed as useless, time-consuming and distracting, in the not-so-humble opinions of many, this behavior can also be a force for good, Carmon argues.

First and foremost, they sometimes open up a space for a conversation that might not have occurred otherwise.

In Carmon's Daily Show piece, she noted that the Comedy Central showcase has a nearly all-male, on-air staff. With the exception of Samantha Bee, the then-recent hire of Olivia Munn was the first new female correspondent in seven years. As fiercely liberal and sharp-eyed an observer as Jon Stewart can be, getting women on the air may be his major blind spot, she wrote.

At South by Southwest Interactive, Carmon led a panel extolling the virtues of Internet rage, while noting the downsides. Titled Curing a Rage Headache: Internet Drama & Activism, Carmon and other media members, each of whom has been involved in their own popcorn-passing drama in virtual space, discussed how the attention generated by thousands of angry, irrational and completely engaged Internet users posting vicious comments can lead not just to indigestion, but also to positive change.

I am tired of watching racism, sexism, patriarchism and religious bigotry going unchecked, Carmon said. Then she brought up Rush Limbaugh.

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Internet flame wars serve the good of humanity

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