Tired of the Internet

                After you read this you may think to yourself, "Isn't this guy a hypocrite?"  The answer to that question is yes.

                So I have reached the point in my life where I am tired of the internet. Not the technology itself, but the affect it is having on myself and my nation. The idea of having the whole body of human knowledge at my fingertips is greatly appealing and uplifting to my scholar's soul. The problem I am having is that the internet is also bringing more problems to our society than we can cope with all at once.

Here is a list of things I am struggling with:

                People's opinions and commentary on everything

                The lack of common sense and vitriol spewed by people because there are no consequences

                The rush to get information out first (usually incorrect information)

                Constant bickering between uninformed parties

                Constant social media bombardment

                Hate speech as the norm

                Assault on the English language

                De-sensitized young people

                Memes

                So many of these problems stem from the utter lack of feedback and repercussions from putting out any random thought that crosses your mind. Saying things on the internet that  would get you scolded or knocked out if spoken among real people seems to be a game among some of the less mature users of the web. Even normally polite people can be tempted to "flame" someone in a forum or chat room because there is no feedback from the community that says that this kind of speech is not acceptable.

                The problem going forward is that we are raising a generation of children who stare at the internet to see what everyone is saying instead of forming their own thoughts and opinions. This leaks over into their everyday life where they become accustomed to angry hateful speech as the norm and tend to ignore anything but the most "extreme" examples of any particular topic.

                Young people are also becoming used to the idea that everything they say is super-important. Social Media is partly responsible for  this idea because every person with an internet connection has a bully-pulpit from which they can shout any banal nonsense that comes into their brain. Now, normally I would think that it wouldn't make a difference if a teenager or young person tells the world what they are thinking, however the current crop of young people is used to the idea that their thoughts are more important than the thoughts of others. This leads them to ignore what other people have to say and it gives them a sense of entitlement and self importance that they do not deserve.

                I do realize that there are many great young people out there that are doing the right thing and making the world a better place. I encounter these kids every day and I know that these will be the ones running our companies and government in the future. What I am concerned with is an overall  trend toward obnoxious behavior.

                This problem is not limited to young people(although I think it will hurt them the most). Many "professional" media outlets perpetuate stupidity with their rush to get the story out first. Many times either getting the facts wrong or writing in a style that is almost incomprehensible to and educated person.  Personally, I would rather have a well written and sufficiently researched article a few hours  (or even a day) after a news story than a hurried incorrect piece of trash that is on the web seconds after the occurrence.  These are professionals that are getting paid and often times they are not even close to the actual facts in any story they right.

                Worse than the media outlets are the people who spend a good chunk of each day commenting on message boards and forums about the often incorrect media interpretations of things that happen. Here is a breakdown of how these "discussions" usually happen:

                Incorrect and poorly written article hits the web 

                Anti-social "internet expert" makes a comment

                Another "expert"  refutes his comment with something he read

                on another site five minutes ago.

                 For a brief moment the conversation might actually be reasoned or civil.

                 Another poster agrees or disagrees in an insulting way

                 Smart ass teenager posts something inflammatory to get people angry (trolling)

                Name calling and stupidity ensue.

                Made up stats and charts are posted

                More name calling

                Media outlet releases a more accurate but equally poorly written article.

                                Repeat as necessary

               So what can be done? Obviously I do not think that banning or limiting the internet is the answer. The internet is one of the greatest things that mankind has ever come up with. However, I do think that there is a limit to how much of this good thing we have in our lives. So going forward I propose that we all step away from our monitors and take a walk outside. Because at the end of the day what are we gaining by learning everyone's opinions on everything?

How to spot a political extremist.

       Many times, online especially, you will run across people who seem to be so far out beyond reason they cannot be reached.  Those who live inside their own distortion bubbles.  While identifying them in other countries is easy, as they tend to carry rifles and shoot at government buildings; here in America, we are a bit more tame.  We need a way to easily tell who they are, so as not to waste time interacting with them.  I have a few methods I would like to share.

       First is the easiest: they self-identify as part of a known extremist group, such as the Tea-Party.

       Second, and less obvious:  they post items online that rely on assumptions to prove "Facts".  Examples are: "working class people who vote Republican have been brainwashed because the Republican party is run by rich people." and "The Republican base fears Obama will take their guns because they are all ignorant red-necks."  

       Now before you point out the obvious contradiction, or say I'm picking on anyone, those examples were used only because I had seen them both in the last hour.  

       A third method of spotting extremists is to look for "The Emperor's new clothes" reasoning.  "This is so obvious only a fool not worth talking to, would disagree"  (Again, from the last hour or so.)

       Any single one of these will not mark someone out as an extremist.  We've all fallen into logical traps like these before.  The idea though is to not look like a Bigfoot hunter.  Not to insult Bigfoot hunters, as a group, I am just holding them up as the standard of self-delusional stupidity.  Ghost hunters too, for that matter.  If at any point, any evidence could be perceived, in an any way to back up their claims; they stop looking for any other explanation. 

       This is the same as the "Birthers" not accepting the President's birth certificate.  "The real one is from Kenya, therefore this one is fake."  No other possible explanations are pursued, nor are they accepted.  

       Another tack you will see is the: "This is based on real numbers", yet no source is given.  This one infuriates me more than the others because, if you are online already to post something, you can take the five freaking seconds to look up a source.

       All of these methods, you will see, discourage debate, contradiction, or conversation.  Some outright punish it.  In science, any theory which has no method for disproving it, is false by definition.  We need more of that logic here.  

       What I am saying is based on real science and is so obvious, no one but a fool could see it any other way.  The rich, gun-toting red-neck hillbilly, bible-thumping, right-wingers, will obviously disagree with this.  So too will the anti-gun, entitlement-program loving, liberals who are giving our country away to the illegals.  But clearly, as they disagree with this, they are fools.