Anonymously Generated Content

I came across this piece of short anonymously generated fiction. These aren't always worth reading, but I liked this one and thought I would post it.

"If one were to visit "Burger Tex" in Austin, Texas, one would find what appears to be a normal restaurant at the first glance. There is a TV, A pool Table, several groups of patrons, and Hispanic cooks behind a sneeze guard, linoleum floors, fluorescent lights one of which is flickering lazily. After a short time, however, one will begin to notice things that appear to be just... off. One will notice that the pulley that releases the ball to the pinball machine is missing, one will notice that there is no bathroom, One will notice that no patrons are entering or leaving the establishment. They will have seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths of their meals and won't say a word to each other or their servers and will never excuse themselves to the bathroom. One will notice that the cashier will not ask you for money, nor is there a cash register. The menu would be handwritten with a sharpie, offering Burgers, Cheeseburgers, Salad, Tang and Coca Cola. One would not feel fear, dismay, awkwardness or a feeling of reclusiveness. One would feel nothing.

One would point to their choice on the menu, knowing not to disrupt the silence-only broken by the running sound of the old analog television. One would receive their food via the counter underneath the cashier's blank desk. One would continue to the toppings bar, without haste, and place all their desired meal, except...

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LETTUCE? HUH? JUST WHO THE FUCK OWNS A BURGER JOINT WITHOUT SOME FUCKING LETTUCE ON CALL???

Never mind it. One wouldn't want to stick out to their fellow patrons. One Continue on to their table, ignoring one's earlier outburst.

One would continue one's mediocre meal and throw one's wrapper away into an empty trash can with a fresh liner. One would turn around and see all of one's fellow patrons exiting their restaurant. One would feel rage and betrayal washing over their body. One would sit down and pray newer, more loyal peers would enter. One would continue to get up and order food that isn't there from servers who aren't there. One would continue to move until they cannot stay awake any further. One would fall asleep.
One would wake up, in an empty strip-mall sector without any memory of any dream of the night before. One would exit the best night of their life. One would exit a room of no worries, hatred, pressure to feel, care or choose. One would, in all human nature, ruin their own heaven. One would ruin the very thing they love.
One would continue their life as normal... but never feel the same feeling of relaxation when they left their ordinary life. A cookie would never taste as sweet, an orgasm would never give them the same rush, a joke would never give the same shock value. One would descend into their own personal hell." -Giant Clank /x/

This type of fiction is particularly interesting to me. In the past, writings and other artistic creations were ostensibly created for money or some personal gain, but the motive behind this is less apparent. What would be the purpose of putting thought into something and then throwing it to the masses without signing your name? It is usually simply for feedback, amusement, and even so that it can be copied.

The copy paste function is something that anyone who has spent more than a few hours with a computer is aware of, but what most people are unaware of is the subculture that has cropped up around it. The anonymous boards of the internet have provided a new forum for a digital generation of folk tales. Stories generated by unknown anons, merely so that they may be copied and pasted by those who enjoy them. Alteration, and improvement on the original is often encouraged, and if a piece strikes true with enough people, it may just live on to be pasted again and again.

An interesting aspect of this is the anti IP attitude of this culture. While most of the media industries are loudly reminding all of the pirates out there that IP isn't generated for free, much on the internet seem to be proving them wrong. While not everyone is involved in these circles, it feels like a part of the free culture movement.

Of course, as with everything on the internet, most of these are far more short lived than a traditional folk tale, but the basic premise is the same. A piece of writing generated to express something inherent and common to those sharing a culture.

Maybe it is my Texas heritage that drew me to this piece. Burger Tex is a real place in Austin, TX. It could easily be that this particular piece of copy paste has limited appeal. At any rate, I reproduce it here, for you with the permission of Giant Clank who created it. He invites critique, and has a link to this page. If you have any thoughts, please leave critique for him in the comments section.