Why Are People So Mean on the Internet?

I've been blogging and reading blogs on the internet for over four years now. When the blogging fad began, I thought that it (along with the word "blog") was pretty silly.

Now, I've come to really love blogging — for many reasons, one of which is how blogging connects you with other people.

While blogging can make you money, I love the higher calling of some bloggers to be a source of continually flowing information and inspiration for their audiences. (As Andrew Jones says, "be a spring, not a well.")

But here's something else I've noticed in the blogosphere: People are mean.

My suspicion is that it's the anonymity of the internet that causes things to come out of people's mouths that they normally wouldn't say in the company of others. Even so, the uncouth statements that I read on blogs and comments sections astound me.

As a Christian (you know, a follower of that guy Jesus who was pretty big on loving your enemies), I'm particularly flabbergasted by how crude and offensive other Christians can sometimes be towards each other. I don't care if you are hunting down heretics; you don't have to be a jerk about it.

I guess Jesus should've also said to love each other. Oh, wait… that's right, he did. (That reminds me. I need to add to my list of bad reasons to blog this one: "You want to pick a fight.")

The contentiousness of people just for the sake of being contentious confuses and irks me. If this is you, please stop; you're making the internet a much less enjoyable place for the rest of us.

What's the deal with this? Why are people so mean on the internet?