DIARY: Rant

Don't you just hate those poison keyboard 'chatroom' sites which encourage people to crush others on a whim at the touch of a key and without having to put a name to their vicious gossip.

Nasty comments relating to a victim's professional and/or personal capabilities are bandied around with truly shocking abandon.

You can tell that the cowardly perpetrators are close to, or have worked with, their victims. The intimate details that come out are appallingly petty and ridiculous and yet probably have the desired effect of reducing the objects of their gall and spite to a state of misery.

The question is, why must people stoop so low as to stick knives in the backs of others in such a cruel and public way?

I suspect that there is probably a lot of low self-esteem and a sense of failure among the cowardly participants of this internet slander room - IceRed.

It's doubtful that they would ever have the guts to talk to their object of hatred face to face and sort out their problems.

That said, I do appreciate the irony of slagging off anonymous message boards like icered when this rant is just that.

Still, I would go the distance to defend my right to remain nameless while castigating others.

The difference here is that I am not singling out any poor soul in particular for unsubstantiated mud slinging and defamation of character.

Nor would I ever do that.

I am in fact standing up for decency and integrity. So go and look at the website if you must, but shame on you!

Whoever you are and whatever you want to get off your chest, send your rants to rant@media.com.hk, and we'll print them anonymously.