Do you remember the days?

There was a time when Singaporean bloggers were cordial, non-judgemental and, dare I say it - liberal.

Was.

The comments left on metablogs, blogs and other websites that celebrate the idea behind web 2.0 resemble those on forums. Self-centred and self-congratulatory.

People used to be brown-ed. Now anything gets tomorrow-ed. I used to get excited, now I shudder to read.

It is interesting to qualify a comment like "I can crack racist jokes" with "because I am not racist and I read Uncle Tom's Cabin and To Kill A Mocking Bird.". "Gays should not be disturbed by my sharing of gay jokes with my heterosexual friends" with "because I am not a homophobe and I watch Queer Eye For A Straight Guy", "I think women are shallow" with "but I am not a misogynist and I love my mum!" The liberal use of slurs, making fun at the expense of others and general social mischief is so prevalent now. The line that separates humour and plain ole rudeness is constantly disappearing and re-appearing, shifting and changing, becoming increasingly wavy and at times, dotted.

Is the future self-assured and driven by a single need to satisfy self-interests? That spells hubris.