The Birth of a World of Hate

I’ve thought about this on and off over time, but never really pondered it. Having a thought about something is totally different than actually thinking about something. A thought is a fart in the wind, but thinking is a fart in an elevator. Like that analogy?

This morning, I was smacked in my chinny-chin-chin by the absolute hatred that permeates throughout the world wide web, specifically Twitter. We all woke up to the headline that Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he will resign from the Papal. It’s big news, because a pope has not resigned in 500 years. The reason is for health. Let’s face it, Pope Benedict XVI is not the healthiest of human specimens on this planet. I think it’s because it is impossible for a pope to workout wearing that funny hat.

For the first time in our lifetime, a new pope will be elected without that period of mourning and shock Catholic followers have to feign when an 80-something year old man “suddenly” dies.

Note: people die all the time, especially really old people. And 84 is really old, people!

I’m not Catholic, but I play one on television. Actually, I come from a Catholic family; however, my immediate family left the church when I was in grade school to venture over to the less rigid class of people on the Protestant side. The joke was on them! However, not being Catholic doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the position of the Pope. He is the head of the church here on the planet. I needed to make sure I said “on the planet” as my Protestant friends are waiting in the shadows to pounce and say, “No, Jesus is the head of the church!” Yeah, okay, Jesus is the head of the church, but we still need leaders here on the earth. Otherwise, why bother having pastors, priests, monks, brothers, deacons, etc.?

The Pope sets the tone for the Catholic Church. He establishes policy. He’s the face of the Church. He’s the guy everyone blames for all the problems in the world. Jesus could use a guy like that. I’m sure he’s tired of taking all the blame himself.

This brings me to today’s revelation: hate.

Yes, I wrote all that to only bring up this point. The internet may be the biggest crime against humanity in the history of the world. Like a frog in a pot of water being slowly heated to boiling point, the internet is cooking our souls. To be brief, we have the world and all its knowledge at our fingertips and we use it for lust and hate.

Upon Pope Benedict’s announcement, Twitter erupted with tweets like:

• From @JenzlWashington - Hey, @Pontifex: why don’t you die like every guy before you.
• From @hipsterscumbag - Hahahaha yes @pontifex, congrats on the retirement, now DIE
• From @snaisy - Resignation via slitting your wrists in a bathtub please @Pontifex.

That last one is a gem, but it isn’t the worst. There are plenty more where that came from, and much more vile and disgusting. I chose the more “socially acceptable” ones to showcase. If you would like to read more from the mass of degenerate hatemongers of Twitterland, click here.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this happen. Actually, it happens quite a bit on the interweb. There are three reasons for it, I think. One, they are safe in their own home and it isn’t a real confrontation. Two, they are hate filled people that are not satisfied with life. And three, they lack a meaningful education. I’m not just talking about academics, but I’m talking about a moral education, an emotional education, a social education, a how to be a good person education.

This is an epidemic of magnificent proportions. It’s not going away. It will probably get much worse as the power of the internet and social media climbs. I started social media to keep in contact with old friends, network with like minds, and market my work. However, most of my days are filled with filtering left vs. right, Justin Bieber vs. all music, religious vs. atheism, bigotry vs. tolerance, cats vs. dogs, boobs vs. butts, black vs. white, and so on. As each day passes, we become more divided, we label everything, we despise difference, and proclaim a new dooms day; we entrench ourselves in a cesspool of isolationism, fear, hate, and suspicion. Have we forgotten to love our fellow man? Have we forgotten our neighbors, our children, our friends, a total stranger? Is the world shrinking in our minds only as we spend more hours staring at a computer screen and less at the real faces that pass us by on the streets, at work, at school? What has become of us? Is this internet experiment not just the birthing of a hate filled world, but the birthing of the downfall of man? How can we stop it?

I’m second guessing my voluntary involvement in this great experiment. I second guess it everyday. There may come a time when I turn the switch off and never look back; however, until such time, I can do my part in not following the chaos of the masses. Will you? It isn’t easy. Group thinking is a powerful force. Taking part in the world wide web kills individualism rapidly and with great ease. When you sign on, whether you think you are or not, you are joining a mob. Guard yourselves with passion. Nothing is as it seems on the internet. It could be worse or it could be better, but it is never as it seems.