found this a while ago.. thought it was relevant..
by David R. Kendrick
What Makes a Fukhead?
The Fukhead may display all of these characteristics, or some of them, or
only one. Some may love a Fukhead like a brother, some may think their
brother is a Fukhead. What is incontrovertible is that for all of
humanity, there are people that you would rather not have to deal with, and
those people, throughout history, are the Fukheads.
Ever since the dawn of time, Humankind has been divided into two camps:
Those who were welcome in the camps, and those who weren't. Stanley
Kubrick's film classic 2001: A Space Odyssey best depicts this early
schism in human ancestors: At the side of the communal water stream, the
social apes whacked the antisocial apes over the heads with bones.
Over time, religious tradition, social science, and human evolution have
recognized the basic division of mankind into social and antisocial camps.
The antisocial have been shunned, excommunicated, pressed into exile, and
even hunted as the social group has forced the antisocial from its camps,
cities, and homes.
With the advent of the Internet as a force in popular culture, this schism
has not only survived, but become stronger and more readily acknowledged.
In the new Information Age, the antisocial face new pressures, such as
flaming, Usenet death penalties, and being netcopped, and they even have a
new name.
They are called Fukheads.
But what makes a person a [:-censored]head? You cannot tell a fukhead just by
looking at the e-mail address, or the Web site, or even by the newsgroups
the individual frequents. A fukhead is a person who, through the pattern
of repeated behaviour when dealing with other Netizens in IRC and Usenet,
demonstrates certain characteristics and a repeated inability or
unwillingness to change or modify his/her behavior to conform to the
social code of conduct called "netiquette."
These are the characteristics that make the Fukhead:
A Fukhead Must Have An Exaggerated Sense of His/Her Own Importance
The Internet fukhead will come to the table insuperably convinced of
his/her own correctness and of his/her immediacy in any debate or
discussion. For example, the non-fukhead will join a discussion
cautiously, reading over the prior correspondance and offering an opinion
thoughtfully. The fukhead will come plowing in without regard to the
established parameters of the debate and without regard to the existing
participants.
The fukhead, when challenged, will then state some fantastic-sounding
credentials to justify and bolster the strong opinion. When challenged
further, the fukhead will usually display anger and refuse to further
substantiate the presented credentials, some sort of "I already said so,
and that should be good enough for you!"
At this point the Fukhead has demonstrated an exaggerated sense of his/her
own importance: He has presented an overriding opinion which, in the
fukhead's mind, should be definitive and cease all debate, and the
fukhead will be unable to understand why the other Netizens will not
accept his/her opinion on sight.
A Fukhead Must Refuse to Abide By Common Social Rules
One of the most common traits of the on-line Fukhead is the absolute
refusal to follow common social rules. For example, the fukhead will use
racist or sexist terms, will use inappropriate references to bodily
functions, or will otherwise not respect the rules of society.
Fukheads will frequently use a persecution defense when they are asked to
cease their antisocial behavior. They may claim that they are being singled
out because of their unpopular viewpoints, or that they are victimized by
the nebulous "political correctness" movement. These claims attempt to
avoid the obvious cause of the challenge, which is the antisocial behavior
itself, by demonizing the reaction to the behavior.
The Fukhead's refusal to abide by common social rules is therefore
manifested. In the early chapters of history, such refusal to abide by the
rules of the group would lead one to be unwelcome by the fire, or to be
tarred and feathered. Now, though, it is just one more characteristic in
the profile of the Fukhead.
A Fukhead Must Never Back Down When Caught In A Lie
It is so easy to obtain all sorts of facts on the modern Information
Superhighway that it is hard to imagine anyone attempting to lie, simply
because it is so easy to get caught in a lie and therefore have your
credence demolished. That does not stop the on-line Fukhead.
The on-line Fukhead will lie about where he/she is, what he/she does, who
he/she is, and what he/she knows. For example, a Fukhead will claim to be
an attorney, even though there are several on-line directories of attorneys
which do not include the Fukhead. A Fukhead will claim to be in a certain
geographic location but not be able to provide details such as the street
on which he/she is located, yet the Internet provides many detailed maps
and guidebooks and even services which tell you how to drive from your
location to any address.
Yet this abundance of proof and truth does not deter the Fukhead trait of
mendacity. "I never said that," claims the Usenet fukhead, yet the Usenet
archive can give you chapter, verse, and message ID. And, as befits the
Fukhead, when you challenge the Fukhead and prove that the [:-censored]head has
lied, the Fukhead will usually respond with a completely irrelevant
ad-hominem attack. Such is the way of the [:-censored]head.
A Fukhead Must Keep Coming Back Without Mending His/Her Ways
"Don't you ever learn?" This question is one of the most frequently asked
of wayward children or oft-injured adults. But when asked of the Fukhead,
the answer is always, "No." The Fukhead does not learn.
"Why must you come where you're not wanted?" This question has been asked
of the socially deviant and challenged since the dawn of time. Yet the
Fukhead will keep coming back, over and over again.
The Fukhead will defend his or her inflexibility by saying, "I have every
right to my opinion," and "I have every right to participate in this
discussion." And, in the egalitarian world of IRC and Usenet, the Fukhead
is correct. But the Fukhead will find that other participants, who do not
appreciate the Fukhead's presence or contributions, will make use of tools
such as "Ignore" commands or killfiles. These tools would not exist if it
weren't for the Fukheads.
You can count on the Fukhead to shriek "Censorship!" when you tune out
their input. You can count on the Fukhead saying rude things about you
when he/she is sure you're no longer listening. But it will never occur to
the Fukhead to approach topics and people differently, and never, ever
occur to the Fukhead to avoid venues where the atmosphere is unfriendly.
This inability to exit gracefully is a distinguishing mark of a Fukhead.
A [:-censored]head Will Change His/Her Beliefs To Suit The Situation
Fukheads are dedicated to one cause, furtherance of self; and they are
committed to only one opinion, superiority of self. All other causes and
opinions are secondary to the Fukhead. The non-Fukhead may change his/her
opinions from time to time, or support or abandon causes throughout life,
these changes usually come about when new information is learned, or when
circumstances change. The Fukhead, however, changes opinions and causes as
readily as a non-Fukhead might change shirts.
A good example of this change of opinion was shown by a notorious net
Fukhead in relation to a specific issue. Originally, the Fukhead held
that unsolicited commercial e-mail was evil and a nuisance. The Fukhead
put himself on the record as holding that opinion on more than one
occasion. However, when the Fukhead and his Web site were dismissed from
one ISP after another for rules violations, the only ISP left over which
would host the Fukhead's Web page was a widely-reviled purveyor of
unsolicited commercial e-mail. The Fukhead then, as circumstances
dictated, reversed his opinion on UCE and became a booster of that method
of advertisement.
Fukheads change friends as needs dictate, aligning themselves with and
against other Fukheads seemingly without regard to history or common
sense. In fact, it is not uncommon for Fukheads to be at war in one Usenet
newsgroup and aligned in another. Rational people may agree to disagree,
but the Fukhead's limited focus and lack of loyalty allow the Fukhead to
fight with friends and agree with foes so readily that there is almost no
distinction between the two. But this changeability makes the individual an
unworthy foe and an untrustworthy ally -- and hence, a Fukhead.
by David R. Kendrick
What Makes a Fukhead?
The Fukhead may display all of these characteristics, or some of them, or
only one. Some may love a Fukhead like a brother, some may think their
brother is a Fukhead. What is incontrovertible is that for all of
humanity, there are people that you would rather not have to deal with, and
those people, throughout history, are the Fukheads.
Ever since the dawn of time, Humankind has been divided into two camps:
Those who were welcome in the camps, and those who weren't. Stanley
Kubrick's film classic 2001: A Space Odyssey best depicts this early
schism in human ancestors: At the side of the communal water stream, the
social apes whacked the antisocial apes over the heads with bones.
Over time, religious tradition, social science, and human evolution have
recognized the basic division of mankind into social and antisocial camps.
The antisocial have been shunned, excommunicated, pressed into exile, and
even hunted as the social group has forced the antisocial from its camps,
cities, and homes.
With the advent of the Internet as a force in popular culture, this schism
has not only survived, but become stronger and more readily acknowledged.
In the new Information Age, the antisocial face new pressures, such as
flaming, Usenet death penalties, and being netcopped, and they even have a
new name.
They are called Fukheads.
But what makes a person a [:-censored]head? You cannot tell a fukhead just by
looking at the e-mail address, or the Web site, or even by the newsgroups
the individual frequents. A fukhead is a person who, through the pattern
of repeated behaviour when dealing with other Netizens in IRC and Usenet,
demonstrates certain characteristics and a repeated inability or
unwillingness to change or modify his/her behavior to conform to the
social code of conduct called "netiquette."
These are the characteristics that make the Fukhead:
A Fukhead Must Have An Exaggerated Sense of His/Her Own Importance
The Internet fukhead will come to the table insuperably convinced of
his/her own correctness and of his/her immediacy in any debate or
discussion. For example, the non-fukhead will join a discussion
cautiously, reading over the prior correspondance and offering an opinion
thoughtfully. The fukhead will come plowing in without regard to the
established parameters of the debate and without regard to the existing
participants.
The fukhead, when challenged, will then state some fantastic-sounding
credentials to justify and bolster the strong opinion. When challenged
further, the fukhead will usually display anger and refuse to further
substantiate the presented credentials, some sort of "I already said so,
and that should be good enough for you!"
At this point the Fukhead has demonstrated an exaggerated sense of his/her
own importance: He has presented an overriding opinion which, in the
fukhead's mind, should be definitive and cease all debate, and the
fukhead will be unable to understand why the other Netizens will not
accept his/her opinion on sight.
A Fukhead Must Refuse to Abide By Common Social Rules
One of the most common traits of the on-line Fukhead is the absolute
refusal to follow common social rules. For example, the fukhead will use
racist or sexist terms, will use inappropriate references to bodily
functions, or will otherwise not respect the rules of society.
Fukheads will frequently use a persecution defense when they are asked to
cease their antisocial behavior. They may claim that they are being singled
out because of their unpopular viewpoints, or that they are victimized by
the nebulous "political correctness" movement. These claims attempt to
avoid the obvious cause of the challenge, which is the antisocial behavior
itself, by demonizing the reaction to the behavior.
The Fukhead's refusal to abide by common social rules is therefore
manifested. In the early chapters of history, such refusal to abide by the
rules of the group would lead one to be unwelcome by the fire, or to be
tarred and feathered. Now, though, it is just one more characteristic in
the profile of the Fukhead.
A Fukhead Must Never Back Down When Caught In A Lie
It is so easy to obtain all sorts of facts on the modern Information
Superhighway that it is hard to imagine anyone attempting to lie, simply
because it is so easy to get caught in a lie and therefore have your
credence demolished. That does not stop the on-line Fukhead.
The on-line Fukhead will lie about where he/she is, what he/she does, who
he/she is, and what he/she knows. For example, a Fukhead will claim to be
an attorney, even though there are several on-line directories of attorneys
which do not include the Fukhead. A Fukhead will claim to be in a certain
geographic location but not be able to provide details such as the street
on which he/she is located, yet the Internet provides many detailed maps
and guidebooks and even services which tell you how to drive from your
location to any address.
Yet this abundance of proof and truth does not deter the Fukhead trait of
mendacity. "I never said that," claims the Usenet fukhead, yet the Usenet
archive can give you chapter, verse, and message ID. And, as befits the
Fukhead, when you challenge the Fukhead and prove that the [:-censored]head has
lied, the Fukhead will usually respond with a completely irrelevant
ad-hominem attack. Such is the way of the [:-censored]head.
A Fukhead Must Keep Coming Back Without Mending His/Her Ways
"Don't you ever learn?" This question is one of the most frequently asked
of wayward children or oft-injured adults. But when asked of the Fukhead,
the answer is always, "No." The Fukhead does not learn.
"Why must you come where you're not wanted?" This question has been asked
of the socially deviant and challenged since the dawn of time. Yet the
Fukhead will keep coming back, over and over again.
The Fukhead will defend his or her inflexibility by saying, "I have every
right to my opinion," and "I have every right to participate in this
discussion." And, in the egalitarian world of IRC and Usenet, the Fukhead
is correct. But the Fukhead will find that other participants, who do not
appreciate the Fukhead's presence or contributions, will make use of tools
such as "Ignore" commands or killfiles. These tools would not exist if it
weren't for the Fukheads.
You can count on the Fukhead to shriek "Censorship!" when you tune out
their input. You can count on the Fukhead saying rude things about you
when he/she is sure you're no longer listening. But it will never occur to
the Fukhead to approach topics and people differently, and never, ever
occur to the Fukhead to avoid venues where the atmosphere is unfriendly.
This inability to exit gracefully is a distinguishing mark of a Fukhead.
A [:-censored]head Will Change His/Her Beliefs To Suit The Situation
Fukheads are dedicated to one cause, furtherance of self; and they are
committed to only one opinion, superiority of self. All other causes and
opinions are secondary to the Fukhead. The non-Fukhead may change his/her
opinions from time to time, or support or abandon causes throughout life,
these changes usually come about when new information is learned, or when
circumstances change. The Fukhead, however, changes opinions and causes as
readily as a non-Fukhead might change shirts.
A good example of this change of opinion was shown by a notorious net
Fukhead in relation to a specific issue. Originally, the Fukhead held
that unsolicited commercial e-mail was evil and a nuisance. The Fukhead
put himself on the record as holding that opinion on more than one
occasion. However, when the Fukhead and his Web site were dismissed from
one ISP after another for rules violations, the only ISP left over which
would host the Fukhead's Web page was a widely-reviled purveyor of
unsolicited commercial e-mail. The Fukhead then, as circumstances
dictated, reversed his opinion on UCE and became a booster of that method
of advertisement.
Fukheads change friends as needs dictate, aligning themselves with and
against other Fukheads seemingly without regard to history or common
sense. In fact, it is not uncommon for Fukheads to be at war in one Usenet
newsgroup and aligned in another. Rational people may agree to disagree,
but the Fukhead's limited focus and lack of loyalty allow the Fukhead to
fight with friends and agree with foes so readily that there is almost no
distinction between the two. But this changeability makes the individual an
unworthy foe and an untrustworthy ally -- and hence, a Fukhead.