The Internet, by its very nature, provides a means for individuals from around the world to come together to share societal, political, religious, and other views. The court of public opinion is migrating (some might say, leveled) to online communication. In an increasingly mobile society, this is the new community, the new frontier.
The greatest challenge being the first rule of netiquette, “Remember the Human.”
This can be a difficult task when one feels provoked or otherwise injured. This is particularly so on the Internet. Where written communication is tenuous at best and misunderstood at worst. Where humanity is often stripped bare and vulgarity can be transmitted with the ease of a keystroke. Where the type of self-control we would generally exercise, were we face to face, seems to fly out the window in response to the slightest provocation. This seems especially so, when a cause (any cause) is involved.
While the debate has raged fast and furious in peer reviewed journals, courtrooms, universities, and the media, a little spoken of quintessential aspect is ever present. It is in fact, a very real, albeit dark, aspect of the Memory Debate. What I often refer to as the underbelly of the beast. The Memory War beast, that is. And those on all sides participate in this aspect. And so it was, and so it is, and so it shall be. The Internet has simply added a new medium in which to partake of an age old practice.
This is where things go bump on the net.
It is where the secrets are kept. Except perhaps in low e-whispers on the back channel and in private forums. It is an extension of real-world cliques, where gossip is the norm and those who are not in the club (a cult by any other name) are not only out, but dangerous and not to be trusted. Where prevarication runs rampant. Here, monsters and agents and spies are abundant, and loom larger than life. Here, there is no room for balance. There is no in between. And there is no life outside of the Internet. Anyone who thinks otherwise is most assuredly suspect. Above all, this is the place no one talks about. At least not publicly. It is, after all, considered bad form.
For survivors, it has the familiarity of a well-worn coat, where silence is golden, and powerlessness flourishes. Here, fear and hatred are lovers, distrust their bastard child, and the cause (any cause) is the ties that bind. At its most benign, it is toxic, and at the very least, it should come with a Surgeon General’s warning: “May cause one to loose their composure and engage in publicly embarrassing behavior.”
What is it that compels otherwise responsible and caring adults to act out destructive and hurtful behavior towards complete strangers? Are people living out some childhood fantasy where monsters and superheroes are real? Have we lost our minds and our humanity? Or have we simply become cynical in the face of the debate?
I cannot say that I know the answer. What I do know, is that I too, stand guilty of having partaken of this toxic elixir. I moved from being considerate of other travelers on this road we call life, to the point of being hurtful towards complete strangers. I regretfully engaged less than admirably, be it knee-jerking offensive and unnecessary remarks, taking gnarly verbal swipes, flaming, or otherwise inappropriate behavior. Somewhere along the way, I cast aside my integrity and stooped to the very behavior I found so appalling. I became the very thing that I so despised. And those who have fallen under the lash of my e-tongue will not likely forget. At least not any time soon. Words can and do hurt.
Thus, I am once more reminded of the first rule of netiquette. Perhaps it is time to return to the days of old and “Remember the Human.”
