CYBER GANGSTERISM

The culture of the new millenium is one moved by technological advances that cater to the fast paced, the ultra-new, the demand for immediate gratification. The immediacy of news and information has led to a communal meeting place that some call a "forum" and still others refer to as the "message board." The ability to congregate with people from anywhere around the globe at any time is an intoxicating notion. Gathering of information, sharing of opinions could only lead to the possibility of changes, movements and simply learning something new that one did not know before the encounter. Those are all positive ends Unfortunately, something that could be labeled a grand ambition is still prone to the imperfection of those that utilize or abuse the opportunity.

The rise of cyber gangsterism has grown to epic proportions in the past several years and today stands at it's all time worst. You have been there; reading an article on political policy or last nights NBA game or a fashion blog turns into a diatribe of racism, sexism, homophobia mixed with bad punctuation, misspelled words, CAPITALIZED FRAGMENTS TO TRULY GET ACROSS THE POSTERS' ANGER!!!!! Sigh. What the message board has turned into is an opportunity for those who sit in some basement in 'anywhereville' to gain power through their keypad. The ability to dehumanize, defame and debase faceless contemporaries, political parties or entire cultures.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said during a critical point in the civil rights struggle (In Texas the civil rights movement, but that's another post altogether) that people must learn to disagree without being violently disagreeable. Violence does not just come in the form of physical confrontation. Mental or spiritual violence can be just as harmful and in today's culture of high technology where interpersonal interaction is disappearing behind a DSL connection, the violence of tone becomes even more pronounced. The discovery of fire, the creation of the automobile were just as important as the advent of the technological age. The uses were many, the convenience revolutionary; yet there are arsonists and drunk drivers. Within every sweet thing hides a bitter taste. The trolls of the message board who use it to advance pure ignorance without needing the courage to face the object of their derision is a necessary price to pay for the access to those of good will who can inform each other and provide well thought out viewpoints in intelligent ways even in the face of disagreement.

But there are millions who wish they could meet the cyber gangsters of their favorite websites in the school yard just one time.