Have you ever encountered road rage on the Internet?

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Let’s ignore simple disagreements. Those are easily explained. But what about those times when you say something like “The sky is blue,” and someone responds, “No! The sky is blue.” That’s the kind of “road rage” I mean.

Let me give you an example. In a discussion about YouTube censoring videos that reflect conservative points of view, I mentioned that “... it isn't the government restricting free speech.” A respondent commented, “I gather you have not read the Constipation for a while. the first ammendment [sic] does not ap[ply [sic] to the actions of private businesses that do not use the pubic [sic] airwaves?”
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NOTE: For those unfamiliar with the annotation “[sic]” means that the preceding text was copied meticulously including any errors.
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This respondent is well known for comments such as this. Despite the fact that I acknowledged that I was complaining of censorship by a private business and not the government, the user focused on the fact that constitutional protections of free speech do not apply to anyone but the government. Okay, maybe I should have been more explicit. Also, the typing errors are common enough and should not be indicative of anything amiss. However, the use of “Constipation” for “Constitution” could be worrisome. Maybe he was just trying to be funny (although there’s nothing funny that I can see in that word substitution). In another discussion thread he responded, “Anyone decent would gave left atby he fir da t racist or anti-semitic chant [sic]”. I suppose that could be explained by anger.

Again, it is not any one example that makes me suspect a disorder, but rather the pattern of behavior that gives me pause.

No, I’m no psychologist. I’m just a reasonably educated person looking for an explanation, one that will help me communicate better. However, after countless incidents like this, I’m beginning to wonder, what chance have we?

And no, I’m not talking about the pop psychology of “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. That’s simply one ideologue insulting another.

This pattern of communication sent me exploring the Internet for a possible explanation and I found Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder.

“Social (pragmatic) communication disorder is characterized by difficulty with the use of social language and communication skills (also called pragmatic communication by professionals). A child or teen with this disorder will have difficulty in following the ordinary social rules of communication (whether they are verbal or nonverbal), following the rules for storytelling or conversations (each person takes a turn), and changing language depending upon the situation or needs of the listener.”

 Psych Central

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The cited article goes on to state “Difficulty understanding what is not explicitly stated (e.g., making inferences) and nonliteral or ambiguous meaning of language (e.g., idioms, humor, metaphors, multiple meanings that depend on the context for interpretation).”

Two questions came to mind after reading this: (1) Do such disorders persist into adulthood and (2) Do such disorders impair written communication as well as verbal communication. If you research further, you will find that the answer to both is yes.

Thus, when you enter the arena of debate on the Internet, be patient. Among the many issues you will have to deal with above and beyond the topic of debate, may include a handicapped individual. You can no more be angry with them for their misunderstandings and malaprops than you can be angry with a cripple for limping.