RANT: ONLINE PEOPLE
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--- rant began at 11:52am on 2007.08.26
I've been using computers since 1989. Back in 1989 the second big worry was leaving your kid alone when you're not home because strangers could call them and ask them shit. They were taught not to answer this and that if they didn't know them. Some parents even taught them "safety words" so they could be sure they were OK talking to the person. The biggest fear, though, was having your kid swiped while they play outside or while you're out in public shopping or going to the movies or whatever.
These days they speak of the "Terrors of Myspace." They go on and on about Facebook and Friendster, The Dilly and Yahoo Chat Rooms. All the predators of the world are in your homes! They are in your houses talking to your children!
Now, I'm not saying this is 100% untrue. It is naturally an avenue they are traveling. But. BUT. It's fucking madness. They're making it out to be entirely corrupt. Every single person you talk to online is a predator, unless you already know them. That's what they are trying to say. And what is even stupider, is people are totally believing it. Not all people. Not everyone is that stupid.
It wouldn't disturb me so much if it wasn't for the MASSIVE lack of hearing anyone talking about the dangers going on outside of the internet. I rarely ever hear anything at all about the need to watch your children when you're shopping. I see more and more little kids walking huge distances by themselves. The kids hanging out at Malls and in front of various stores late at night are getting younger and younger and more frequent. From just 10 years ago, anyway. And these are just my observations. I could be totally wrong.
What I don't think I'm wrong about, however, is the retarded fear that I bump into in the least likely people. Various people I meet online seem cool, smart, intelligent, wise, interesting and funny. Then I find out they have a deep seeded fear of everyone they meet online. They would never give out their real name to people they've even been talking to for several months. But they go out constantly into the public and have no problem giving their name out there. They'll have personal conversations seventy or eighty times -- but when it comes to, say, anything at all outside the computer, they freak out. Stalkers, rapists, murderers, thieves. That's what everyone is online.
One thing that stands out about the fact everyone thinks that they can't trust anyone online because everyone is mysterious and shady online -- they're online. Mirror. Look in the Mirror. You're online too. You are. Are you a bad person? Surely there must be other people like you online. Maybe that's a bad thing. But my point is this:
A lot of people are going to the store and wandering around in public these days who don't think much anymore about the fact that strangers pull negative shit in public far more than online. People are more comfortable out in public with strangers walking all around them in a society where, in almost all cases, if something happens they're not going to help you. They're not. You christians might think people are going to jump in and save you, but I assure you, they most likely will not. Sad to say. Sad to say. Too many times I've seen shit I don't like thinking about happen, and nobody jumps in. How could you? What would happen? More people hurt. Nobody helped. What are you going to do against a bunch of guys twice your size raping someone? What are you going to do against someone twice your size snatching somebody up? Beating their girlfriend out in public?
Grow some fucking common sense, people. You should know better than to believe what the media in the United States is telling you. Shame on you. Shame on you.
Disagree all you want. This is just my opinion. Bottom line is I think it's fucking rediculous to be so fucking paranoid about every single thing on the internet but have no problem at all wandering around in public. I know not everyone is like that. But enough are to make me wish I could zap people through their computers.
symphonyofnoiseonline@gmail.com
--- rant ended at 12:53pm on 2007.08.26