Beneath The Outer Shell

this blog was inspired by a dear friend of mine who goes by the false initials of BS. all jokes aside resulting from the initials of "BS"...BS has some really good insight into today's world.

BS sent me this article from msnbc and it was quite perfect with the timing of our most recent online conversation.

we've all been there, we've all seen it, and i would even argue that we have all even partaken in the act of anonyminity and the abuse of power that comes along with it. let's start with our cars. wouldn't our mothers be surprised if only they heard everything that came out of out mouths during a lifetime of living in an age where driving is necessary to function nearly everyday? even the nicest people we've ever known have been the victim, the cause of, or the result of road rage. we feel SO safe in out little cars and we are so isolated from the others on the road that it creates a false sense of safety that bends the mind into thinking we are better than we really are. we all feel that it's only the other drivers that suck. how many times have we heard, "the driver's in [insert state or city here] are the worst in the world!". whatever. i don't buy it. there are people and so-called studies that try and prove that people in certain areas are better or worse drivers than people in other states or cities. once again...i don't buy it. fine...if ya wanna play THAT game...have ya ever driven in Kenya, Africa? HOLY GOD HELP ME NOW! that's all i have to say about that!

but next, there are the people who love to be angry. hey, i've been there. sometimes when life throws you a miserable steaming pile...you just have to 1) catch it, 2) bitch about it, and 3) MOVE ON. some people seem to get stuck at #2. hey...as i said, i've been there before.

right now though, i'm talking about people who sign into online chat boards, forums, or ANYTHING where you can "post your thoughts" without anyone knowing who you are, where you are, how old you are, how educated you are, how uneducated you are, etc.

some of these people are the ugliest people you will ever come across, YET they may even be good hearted, God fearing, loving people in their "real" life....but yet...there they sit...isolated from society, and feeling safe to post whatever they want. they feel the need to only post as "anonymous" because they are too cowardly to take any responsibility for their actions. they get off on this. they enjoy it. they LOVE it. as i quote a friend of mine...they are "spineless, nameless turds." they wouldn't have the courage to stick up for themselves in person, even if given a machine gun of communicative powers, yet they have the gaul to post ugly remarks and spread hatred across the internet like a constantly growing vile virus. and we wonder why there is so much hostility and fighting in our technological world. the internet has only made it worse. this is a fact and this is serious.

once again...here i go, talking about my favorite subject i actually call myself an expert at thinking about. TECHNOLOGY and the advancement of it is NOT a good thing in the long run! sure, it comes off as a good thing at first, and then only after time...we start to see that not only can we live with the newest technology, but we are FORCED to accept, use, and live with the newest technology. some prime examples are: electricity, computers, cars, phones, internet, etc... it's all in my favorite read...it's free online and i talk about it endlessly and i think every single human should read it. The Unabomber's Manifesto and here is the link. it's the most mind opening group of words put together in sentences i've ever had the pleasure of reading.

in my opinion...anonyminity is for the weak. gee, anyone who knows me...knows my full name because of what i choose my screen names to be or my URL's to be. BIG DEAL! and if you don't know me and happen to find me online by accident...guess what...my username is actually my name. BIG DEAL!

listen, i'm not trying to say that everyone who goes by a different name is a terrible person. i'm NOT saying that AT ALL...some of my favorite people in this life will continue to go on with not being themselves, and i love them just the same...BUT why "hide" from the world behind a facade, an avatar, a screen name? anonyminity is NOT helping the world at all. what's wrong with being yourself AND just being safe AND making good decisions so you don't feel the need to "hide"?

my overall point is...that, with the internet...everyday is like Halloweeen for most users.