The Internet, A Tool For Dissent Or Destruction?

I'm tired and literally sick today.


It's all ticklish fun and games until real lives are placed in immediate danger and INNOCENT people become genuinely fearful of sharing and posting anymore because someone has threatened them with a release of 'information' or worse.

It's the fucking peak of insanity when INNOCENT people may be physically harmed due to the actions of one or a few who are just 'fucking around' at the expense of other innocent people for simple laughs, or possibly even simple profits.

Extortion is a sociopaths game.

What in the fuck have we done by accepting this sort of thing as a perfectly normal and an acceptable 'risk' of merely posting in an online forum or connecting with friends in other social media? Where is the honor in using these 'skills' just to fuck with INNOCENT people? Now granted....there are
those who are not so innocent....and intentional jackasses often get what they deserve....but what happens when everyone is turned into a potential jackass?

Is it then 'open season' on everyone and everything? Are we to hold our brothers and sisters in contempt forever and let suspicion, anger and the spirit of 'vendetta' guide our minds into a state of permanent online warfare?

Somewhere , there must be a code of honor. Somewhere, there must be someone who is willing to draw a line...no matter what the potential 'danger' or percieved 'threat' may be for doing so. Somewhere, there must be those who are unafraid to call bullshit no matter the cost, wherever it's found.... even amongst friends.

I'm asking for the opportunity to be friends again, with whomever we choose.... to be able to openly share minds and ideas without fear of petty and juvenile acts of 'retribution', 'extortion' or even 'guilt' by mindless speculation and association. This might be impossible at this stage, in this community, at this time.... I really don't know......but it's worth a shot to me.

Also....It's important for any who care to know that I'm NOT pointing accusatory fingers at ANYONE, or ANY GROUP of people specifically. I'm simply addressing a disturbing and disheartening trend that I've noticed IN GENERAL over the course of the last several months in the CT community. Also, I must add that I AM NOT ABOVE GUILT OR BLAME in this general trend myself. In fact, the greater majority of us hold at least some responsibilities to some extent for allowing this trend to fester to this degree... I am guilty of once imagining that the only people who were ever 'targeted' were those who deserved it in the name of Universal Justice......and there is a large part of me that would still love to believe that.....but I also know that if one plays with fire long enough, one shouldn't be surprised when one gets burned on occasion.....so I know better and fully accept any consequences.

I hope that this is taken in the spirit it is intended....as a genuine plea for reason, sanity and some sense of universal honor....... let's break this Vicious Circle of self immolation if at all possible... if these skills are worth anything at all, then they should be used to fight the REAL criminals in this world.....those who endeavor to kill or limit our rightful liberties for personal, economic or political gain....and not against each other.

Hugs