We live in an incredible era of instant information and communication, but that doesn't mean our minds have become instantly intelligent. In fact, email can make some people downright idiotic and rude.
Back in the days of snail mail, if you wanted to send someone a poison pen letter you had time to ponder your words. You could write and rewrite until your prose was perfect and then take a close look at what you'd written. More often than not you would decide the recipient would really be better off not receiving your rant.
But in the modern age you can blurt it out in an instant, without giving much thought to what you are saying and why.
And who hasn't had a red face and sinking sensation in their stomach when they intended to forward a snide comment about an email correspondent and realize they have hit reply instead?
It is so much easier to criticize by rapping off a few lines of vitriol and hitting send, than it is to (gasp, dare I suggest it) talk face to face with the source of your aggravation.
