From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Website finds Israelis someone to fight with
A new website — part joke, part reality — provides Israelis with what some may say is one of their basic needs: someone to argue with.
The website — named, well, Someone to Argue With — is built on a simple premise. When users enter they are immediately asked which side they are on — right, in blue, or left, in red. They are then transferred to a chatroom where they can freely argue with someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum.
Thus, if a user clicks on ‘left,’ a chat page will immediately begin to load. As the user waits for an opponent, a message appears on the screen saying, “waiting for a right-wing fascist.” After a moment, an adversary appears, along with a new message: “A right-winger is connected. Good luck.”
If someone identifies more with the right end of the spectrum, the site will provide him with a “left-wing sonofabitch” — a derogatory term sometimes used in Israel to describe those of the leftist persuasion.
The site, which is described as a “chat roulette based on political opinions,” was originally developed by Eyal Geva and his brother as a joke, but quickly developed into something more. Geva told Army Radio earlier today that when he and his brother saw the vitriol right-wing and left-wing Israelis were hurling at each other on social media, they decided to open a platform where right-wingers and left-wingers could have private — and possibly more open-minded — discussions.
“On Facebook, people are identified by name and everyone can see, so they have to be harsh and be right all the time. We noticed that in one-on-one conversations, people are willing to listen,” he said.
The website itself is a little more tongue-in-cheek, promising users that “in a completely anonymous conversation, you will be able to bridge the wide gaps in the State of Israel — or widen them as you wish.”
