Taken from the comments section of the "Crazy Screechy Monkeys..." thread of Whatever, written by Andrew L:
"... a quote from J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of Babylon 5, who made a truly impressive (and successful) effort to keep an online conversation going with his fans for all the years the show was on the air. From August 8, 1996:
The good thing about the nets is that it's the great social equalizer. The bad thing about the nets is that it's the great social equalizer. Anyone with a modem has equal access, equal say. Which is terrific. We can be tall, short, fat, skinny, old, young...what matters is the quality of the thoughts and the clarity of their expression.
The flip side of this...if someone came toward you with a bright orange fright wig, dead cats strapped to his chest and a live parrot up his ass, you'd have sufficient warning that this may be a Loony, and thus avoid the person. On the nets, you don't get that kind of advance warning. There are some loonies here. They get the same access as everyone else, they can get on because they bought a modem, but they live for the singular purpose of making your life a living hell, because you have created something, they have created nothing, and they can only live with that contradiction if they tear you down. Some of them are literally psychologically disturbed, and potentially dangerous. And you won't have any notion who they are until one day, after exchanging private or public mail, the dog satellite goes by overhead and they turn on you viciously, start spreading rumors, attacking you in public...and you realize that yep, this person has a parrot up his ass."
