Posted On August 11, 2014 By In Internet, The Scene

Internet, Have You No Decency?

 
 

I’m not sure why people think it’s appropriate to post graphic material on social media. It’s one of the questions that perplex mankind; akin to “What’s the meaning of life?” or “What’s on the other side of a black hole?” or “If you’re so fancy, and I already know, then why do you feel the need to sing me a song about it?”

Seemingly every day my Facebook feed blows up with memes about battered women and children, or a blog article about how a woman was brutally raped, or video of someone’s tragic death. Certainly my first thought is “that’s awful”, “How could someone do that to another human being”. But my second thought is usually “what the hell is wrong with the person who posted this?” I’m sure some people think they’re being crusaders for some cause and are doing their best to raise awareness. They are only perpetuating the horrors they supposedly want to bring to an end.

The latest offense of common decency and the one that has pushed me over the edge came over the weekend when it took less than one day after a tragic on-track accident took the life of 20 year old sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr. The video is all over the internet (Tony Stewart Sprint Car Crash). What this is meant to accomplish no one knows. What it actually accomplishes is more hurt for people affected by the tragedy, and screwing up the day of unsuspecting bystanders who want to use Facebook for nothing more than communicating with friends and family.

Every time I see something like that I get sick with emotion. As it’s likely meant to do it damages my faith in humanity; not just for the actions posted about but also for the poster. I mean for the love of god people, can we be decent enough to draw the line of internet rubber necking at some point before rape, death, and battered children? While we shouldn’t push things like this off into the corners of society and pretend they don’t happen, it doesn’t have to be pushed forcefully into all corners of society. Especially in the places where we go to escape and forget how brutish and awful life can sometimes be. For that . . . Shame on the internet.

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Jason Jordan is graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University in Political Science, a former local and Congressional campaign strategist, failed politician, sometimes writer blogger, public relations, and communications professional. His low tolerance for stupidity and cynical disdain for the direction of humanity gives him a knack for pointing out absurdity in the places where government, politics, international affairs and American culture intersect.