Remember when everyone started hating on the TV show “Friends” because it didn’t depict minorities? Of course, for the four or so seasons up until that point it was widely applauded as being America’s most perfect comedy and all that crap – by many of the same people that suddenly switched over to criticizing it later.

This was extremely amusing at the time because, well, most affluent white people actually really did (and still do) hang out together at urban coffee shops, have shallow little adventures with each other, and don’t ever incorporate minorities (unless they’re hot). I think most critics were actually pretty OK with this idea at the time because most of them fit that description. Those that weren’t OK with it never enjoyed “Friends” to begin with, but their voices were ignored right up until the time that they became interesting. Then the backpedaling begin, almost purely because it was the thing to do. Basically, it was safe because everyone else was going to finally back them up.

To gank a phrase from Seth Godin, “piling on is safe and fun.”

Fast forward to now where there’s beginning to emerge a tremendous backlash against a certain four-lettered social news website that’s been on the hate list a lot lately. This same little website made the cover of Newsweek BusinessWeek once – you may have heard of it. It has been lauded, and now it’s being hated by some of the same people, primarily because everyone is alarmed about how adolescent it’s “become.”

This whole “piling it on is safe and fun” is ironically the exact idea behind this particular website itself. We all know about the anonymity that the internet offers and have all probably taken advantage of it to have a little outburst and/or get something off our chest. This particular website distills this anonymous bursting to an almost sublime, effortless form. With a single click you can join the masses in accepting or damning a homogenized and distilled idea.

That’s why we started to see the “bully in the schoolyard” effect from this website. Of course it’s going to be a lot more fun picking on something when 1,243 other people have got your back.

This was a logical extension of the idea, and it’s interesting to see that it’s also what is happening with the backlash. Do you really think something “changed?” Arguably, the actual inherent functionality found in “piling on” is adolescent. It’s safe. It’s easy. You can hide. Not very mature. These “emerging” critics are doing this exact same thing.

I’m not trying to scold those criticizing the site, much less those that love it. I’m just trying to comment on the irony I see coming from both sides of the table.

It just makes me further respect and admire those around me that think critically from the start, for better or worse. They may look like they have bemused, and perhaps even confused looks on their faces, but I think they’re pretty damn smart people. They participate, get their hands dirty, yes, because they must know, and because of this they’re also not going to do a sudden 360, scream “FAIL!,” and then tear the whole thing apart. They live in a place that isn’t nessicarily divided by a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down” decision, but instead just plain-old critical thinking, tinkering and discussion. Yes, there are those that can live happily somewhere in-between a “digg” and a “bury,” or a “up” or “down” vote.

No it’s not safe. It’s sometimes not fun. But still, it’s great. I wonder, is getting outside of the realm of binary opposition the mark of a true geek?