The comments on YouTube can get pretty savage also. There are pissed off zombies everywhere. Stay safe!

I agree with you, of course, that the school and workplace mass shootings have “a lot to do with the social alienation” I discussed in my piece. There are also the American love affair with the gun and the celebration of the lone avenger. Right after the VA Tech shooting, I wrote about it for Online Journal:

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/printer_1999.shtml

I agree with you, of course, that the school and workplace mass shootings “has a lot to do with the social alienation” I discussed in my piece. There are also the American love affair with the gun and the celebration of the lone avenger. Right after the VA Tech shooting, I wrote about it for Online Journal:

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/printer_1999.shtml

I should add that the worst public behaviors I’ve ever observed were in Vietnam. If you’ve been there, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about. Vietnamese rudeness is no secret to any objective observer, Vietnamese or foreign. Vietnamese uncivility is not an international problem simply because Vietnam is a tiny country, with mimimal influences worldwide, unlike the US, which is not just an empire but THE EMPIRE. Vietnamese bully their wives, children, domestic servants and each others, America bullies the world. If you can read Vietnamese, I’d recommend Nguyễn Gia Kiểng’s “Tổ quốc ăn năn” as a book that examines, brilliantly and in depth, flaws in the Vietnamese character.

I’m talking about day-to-day interactions. I’ve travelled to many countries, mostly in Europe and Asia, and I must say that Americans rank rather high in the polite column. In many places, people would just shove you out of the way to get where they’re going. They’d elbow you in the rib and not apologize. Even in my city, Philadelphia, one of the least friendly in the US, according to a recent survey, people are pretty civil for the most part. When they’re in a car, however, it’s a different story.

Also, good to see another Viet writing for DV.

Thanks, I’m very glad you like this piece. I’ve never heard of internuts, but it seems like a word that might stick. For a portrait of a real internut, check out this piece I wrote for Online Journal:

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2559.shtml

Cheers!

Internuts —
The phenomenon that occurs when someone becomes a badass when addressing others on a message board.

It is a common practice for the reticent, meek, and cowardly to make bold statements, on the internet, knowing there is no way to be held accountable.

The poster was getting badly flamed, so threatened to kick everyone’s ass. His anger made his internuts grow.