I Want to Talk About Internet 'cancers'
Whoa -- First let it be known that I have NO problem with people who post on the net anywhere, of retaining anonyminity. There are times and places where such a tactic is not only necessary, but prudent. HOWEVER. There is a plethora of people who surf the net, come across blogs, postings and other 'public domains' where under the cloak of anonyminity use their keyboard to ridicule, libel, and outright bully the person behind the blog or posting. Generally, these people have no prior history with their target. They simply exercise their ability (NOT A RIGHT, AN ABILITY) to behave in a manner that would make their mother's blush. It is tantamount to walking up to a stranger in public and running off at the mouth at them. Usually people who do this are considered crazy and given a wide berth by passers by. It is easier to do on the net, because their target has very little manouverability outside of deletion after they have read the nastiness posted against them. You can't just walk away - these bullies will return and return secure in their cowardice. They are another form of Internet Cancer and growing in numbers every day. They make the internet experience for a lot of people a sad and ugly thing. Often they are responsible for real harm and heartache and drive good people from good sites.
The only recourse that the targets of these small minded power trippers have is to either defeat them with reason and kindness or delete, delete, delete. To give in - to try to 'hide' - to lower oneself to their level gives them power. Like a bully in a school yard, the best way to handle these cancer cells is to stand your ground and refuse to back down. I know from experience that this can result in a nasty spillover into 'real life' at times, and though that is unfortunate, in the end it is the cyber bullies who will lose. They will lose because the more venom and ignorance they post, the more they prove their own lack of worth and they will never be taken seriously by people of character and integrity when they finally do come out from under their cloaks of anonyminity - except by like minded people of course. But people of intelligence understand that the grouping together of small minds does not make a big mind or an open mind. It makes only a gathering of small minds without an original thought between them, either individually or collectively. It creates a 'pack like' mind set that feeds eventually on itself, that shows no personal growth, compassion or imagination. They are predicatable and therefore in the end powerless to continue to engender hurt, anger, humiliation or fear in their 'favorite' targets.
Like the poor, cyber bullies will always be with us. After all - in many cases, cancer is incurable. It has periods of remission, but it is always there, in the wings, waiting to strike again. But net savvy posters are 'on to' these cyber cancer cells and know how to protect themselves, on the net, off the net and within themselves. To them I say - More power to YOU!
