Originally posted by Belial
I amazes me the pure amount of stupidity and utter bullshit that goes on in these places. Sometimes I just like to sit in a chat and watch people make idiots of themselves. It also makes me glad I can come here for a stupidity detox! 
I might as well make this into a discussion. Why do you think so much of the web is polluted with such blatant racism, homophobia, ignorance, irrationality, and just plain bullshit and stupidity?
First of all, since most people are stupid and full of shit, it goes without saying you'll find it all on the internet.
Also, as S4R said - here, on the internet, you're free to fully express the level of unintelligence you possess without consequence - unless of course being banned from a site bothers you.
The internet embodies all that is wrong with humanity. Some examples of why I say this:
I hate advertising. On the internet, they spam you at will. Hit a web site, then you find yourself deleting mounds of advertising e-mails you never asked for. OF course the companies put there little disclaimers on them, and give you the chance to "unsubscribe", but you can't escape it. There's also those pop-up windows too. So the corporate world, or any poor scmuck who wants to advertise, can do it here much cheaper then a 1/2 minute TV spot.
In real life - you know a finite # of people. You make judgement calls on humanity based on people at school, family and friends, the few other people you meet in life, and the news. On the internet, you're connected to the world. You "meet" many more people. Yahoo chat rooms, for example - to me, it's a joke. It looks like people who just want to act internet tough, and prove they have thick skin - when in reality, they prove just what you observe, that they're ignorant and batantly stupid. The internet really is a place of freedom with very little boundaries. It shows that a majority of people are in it to take advantage of such freedoms. I don't know why people can't embrace the good things given to them - I think freedom is a good thing. But internet freedom gets abused by all walks of life.
Is this place real life? No - it's worse and better. The ONLY thing better is the lack of human contact - people can act so tough here, throw threats your way, but for the most part, it's all a joke. Yes, there are some who take advantage of their invisibility, and portray themselves to others in a way - then people meet over the internet - but some use it for evil purposes. Yes, this all happens in real life, but just a lot less on the internet. But it's worse then real life because of the lack of boudaries, regulations, laws, rules, and the inability to fully police the internet. So poeple come to the internet - and can throw the best of verbal tyrades without worrying that they need a get-out-of-jail-free card.
As a parent - and someone who uses the internet daily - I am trapped in a double standard. I like the internet, but work real hard educating my kids on it's dangers. They have there own computers, and I haven't put software in to limit access. I just hope they are wise enough to use it properly. So my son is 18 - how can I get angry if he was "caught" looking at pornography, when (cough,cough), my computer has passed a few of those sites
. I see no need for kids to have access to porno, but computers are necessary - they're needed in school, and they are a great research tool, and a tool of convenience. So I only hope he chooses not to go to those sites. My daugfhter - 16 - a very impressionable person. I think smart enough not to go meet someone blindly from the internet - but with an impressionable person, one never knows.
That's my take on the internet - at least from my ability to type my thoughts. I take it with a grain of salt - because I am intelligent enough to look beyond the facade of the internet, and find places that are to my liking (like this place). Even though this place is full of blatantly stupid idiots such as myself
, it's still fun.
