Drive-by disses

On the surface, this is a story about grownups, not teens, but for that very reason it might make a great family discussion point. Joseph Steffen, an aide to Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich (R), was forced to resign last week because of his damaging chatroom posts and emails about the Democratic mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley, the Washington Post reports. "Like millions of Americans for whom the Internet has become part of daily life, Steffen may have believed that what he wrote online was private and as a result felt freer to say things he would not have said in person. But when his online discussion of the intentional spread of rumors about ... Mayor O'Malley became known, his 'private' statements led to a very public dismissal." It's that "disinhibition" that the experts talk about. "People are less comfortable maligning someone face-to-face because they don't want to see the reaction of the other person," according to the Post. "On the Internet, where people think they can remain anonymous, there are fewer inhibitions" (for the teen version, see "Cybersocializing, cyberbullying" in my 9/10 issue).