A Monster of A Forum

I find that there are many things about life that I do not understand. In fact, it is of such a numerous quantity that it would be impossible to mention all of them here. Highest (or at least one of the highest on my list) is the Internet community's inclination towards stupidity. It is truly amazing, and disturbing, how posting one's thoughts or feelings on the Internet can cause other Internet users to erupt into a frenzied emotional state. I briefly discussed a similiar topic in a previous post, mentioning how I post on a forum that is run by Monster.com entitled Vent!. You can even find various topics and replies to posts by others that I have posted there under my screen name Conundrum of My Mind. Most of my posts are about how I feel about my life since I use the forum to do as the title of the forum suggests and vent. Things bottle up inside me and I need to let it out. Other forum users do the same or want to ask for help on a particular problem. Most of the comments are from kind compassionate people with something productive to say. Notice how I used the word "most". Then there are the other users who are a complete mystery to me. They offer no words of encouragement and instead seem to get a sick pleasure from berating the person. These forum users apparently lack the ability to feel sympathy or compassion for others. That is a serious disorder, and if not corrected can (and will) lead to problems in life. (disclaimer: I have nothing in particular against the Monster forum. I only mention here for purposes of discussion and because of personal experience. I am sure that the attitudes I have encountered there are just as common at many other Internet forums and chat rooms.)

Although not an expert on child abuse (and never been abused, perhaps a little neglected, but not abused), I would have to say that these unsympathetic individuals were most likely abused when they were children by their parents or someone close to them, and when I say abused, abuse comes in many forms. Most of the time when people hear of abuse they assume that it involves violence or something of a sexual nature, and that very well may be the case. However, abuse can also be of a verbal nature such as a parent using insults or put downs (i.e. a parent telling their young child that the child is worthless or that the child will never amount to anything). Perhaps their parents never showed enough attention to them when they were a child or any sympathy or compassion when they needed it. Obviously these behaviors are learned. The natural normal instinct for humans is to offer sympathy and compassion for others as well as constructive advice that can assist the troubled individual. Anything other than that would be considered abnormal. Even animals in the wild are able to elicit care and concern to fellow members of their herd or pack that are in danger or injured (I guess that's more than we can say for some (not all) of the Monster Vent! forum users. Who says all humans are smarter than animals?).

I think some parents (particularly men) are afraid to show love. They are afraid to hug their child or to say to their child that, "Daddy loves you." Why? Is it a sign of weakness to show love? Is it better to call your child weak and worthless because they cry? Does that make your child better? What does it teach your child? If religion is supposed to teach us that Jesus was of a forgiving nature, would we expect Jesus to yell at a child, or anyone for that matter, for crying or needing help? My theory is that it is based on fear. Those individuals (such as some of the Monster Vent! forum users) are simply afraid that if they offer sympathy or compassion that they will look weak in the eyes of others for offering sympathy. How sad that it is and they pity I feel for them. You see, those who can offer sympathy and compassion for others possess a higher intelligence. These compassionate individuals will go farther in life because they don't think of themselves. They are able to feel for others, and others will see that too. Who would you rather have as a close friend, someone who only feels sorry for themselves and offers you no sympathy or someone who is able to feel and offer sympathy for others? Kind of a no-brainer there. The uncompassionate person is anti-social and will not be able to have many friends or at least for not very long. They will lead a lonely life till they realize that they need help. It is a disorder, but can be corrected.

Of course, most of the people that have this disorder don't think anything is wrong with them. It's always the rest of the world that is wrong. Perhaps the reason is arrogance. These type of people feel that they have all the answers. They really believe that they do. I had one Monster Vent! forum user (I believe by the user name Maighread) try to tell me some rubbish that depression is just an excuse and even when I provided medical evidence to the contrary as well as using valid medical terminology (which of course went over this person's head since they are ignorant. People like this still believe the Earth is the center of the Universe) about chemical imbalances in the brain, this sad individual is belligerent despite all of my supporting evidence. These types of disturbed people operate on the learned anti-social behavior and not from any form of logical behavior. If you look at the forum as a court room, which I wish more forum users would do, one would need to gather evidence to support their position and then present their findings. So many times the ADHD afflicted, over MTV'ed users there just impulsively react to a post that causes an abnormal rage response (glad I'm not driving on the highway with them or perhaps my very life would be in danger, which is a topic for another day) and then post something that is just plain stupidity (for lack of a better word). I'm not an expert but I have over twenty years as a sufferer of mental illness and I grew up with a mother who is mentally ill.

What these anti-social individuals need to do is take a deep breath, calm down, take a Xanax (and God knows you should be on it if your not), and, if you feel the need to respond to someone, do some research before you post your voice of absurdity. It isn't hard to do with the Internet staring you right in the face. hint: Google (Of course, before you do that you need to open your mind.)

Recently I posted a topic on Monster Vent! about an atrocity committed by American soldiers in Iraq who alledgedly raped a young woman and murdered her family which included a five year old girl. Someone at the forum had the audacity to try to make excuses for this behavior by American soldiers, saying that they are stressed out over there and that this happens. This forum user goes on to criticize me and asks me how well would I behave if I was in Iraqi right now as a soldier. To answer that, I would say that I would not resort to raping and murdering innocent civilians since I am not a rapist nor a murderer. You can't use stress as an excuse. It is the same as using the excuse that the person was on drugs or drunk from alcohol. It is not a legal defense. These conditions do not impair ones sense of right and wrong. If you do something while under those conditions such as stress or drugs, then you would most likely do it while not under those conditions. If you start using stress as an excuse, well I suppose then everyone can start raping and murdering because most people are pretty stressed out. What about police officers? They are in very stressful situations with their lives on the line. Does that give them a good reason then to walk into someone's home at random, rape any women living there, and then murder everyone? Of course not, just use logic. It's not that hard, but it does require that you think.

Although it was reported consistently by more than one source, I can't say for certain if the soldiers really did do what they are accused of. Apparently the forum user who wanted to lecture me is a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq and probably lives by the misguided motto that: America Can Do No Wrong (even if it includes rape and murder. I suppose we could change the name of the country to the United Nazi States of America).

It is true that I also stated that if these soldiers are guilty of what they are accused of, then they deserve death. I would imagine at this point one might want to ask me, "How can I have no sympathy for rapists and murderers"? I answer that question by asking this question: "How can the rapists and murderers have no sympathy for innocent civilians?" Did this woman deserve to be alledgedly raped by American soldiers who are supposed to be keeping peace? Even if she was a terrorist (which I highly doubt) does she deserve to be raped and murdered? So the logic behind this is, we'll show the world we're more civilized than terrorists by raping and murdering innocent civilians?

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Reflections Of

As I reflect over the topics I've discussed on my blog, I imagine there are probably some who might disagree with my opinions on the subjects I write about. They are free to feel that way and disagree with anything I write. However, I am also free to write as I feel and, in regards to the personal events in my life, free to describe the events as they occurred. I have not embellished in any fashion whatsoever any of the events that have happened in my life (I have no reason to since the truth is stranger than fiction). Believe me when I say, that there are things I wish that didn't happen to me the way they did, but they did. Those incidents also did some damage. My manner of damage control is to write about what happened. The truth is on my side but people are free to believe what they want. We do live in a free society. Perhaps some are afraid of the truth. I do not write with the intention of hurting anyone, but simply to set the record straight and to set myself free. It is good for the mind and body to do so. It is for my own sake, but with the hopes that perhaps someone else could possibly get something out of it as well. It seems today on the Internet everyone wants to tell everyone else how to think, how to feel, and what they can and can not write about. As ridiculous as it sounds, some even threaten to have them arrested. Arrested? For what? What crime has been committed? Felony to recite truthful personal experiences, opinions, and thoughts on the Internet?

Then I think millions of people around the world are committing felonies, and I'm sure the police have a special taskforce specifically set up to stop this from continuing.

No. Of course not (unless the United States became a communist country and no one told me. Why didn't someone tell me?). Like the police aren't busy enough dealing with real crimes like, say, oh, I don't know, maybe...murders, illegal drugs, and robberies. As far as reciting personal events that one has experienced, and their own opinions about said events, it is not a crime...at least in the United States and the rest of the free world. It is known as freedom of speech. I don't even have much profanity on my blog (I try to keep it as clean as possible). However, even if I did, I'm not sure that that is necessarily a crime either. If I threaten to kill someone on my blog, that would be a crime (and a really sick one too!). If I am telling a story of what has happened to me, that is not a crime (but it is if it isn't made into a movie! hint hint, Hollywood).

Remember:

• Only the people involved know what happened for certain
• I have nothing to gain from lying,

and, most importantly

• Aliens are among us (ok, I admit on this last one I went a little off topic, but what the hay)

Thanks for reading!

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