Is the Internet making us indifferent?

[TomOfSweden]

You know, those who know me know it takes a lot to get me angry. I feel that I’m a rather calm person who’s, generally, capable of reasonable, clear and open thinking. This however, hasn’t made me just angry—it’s made me fucking red hot angry!

So obviously our morals aren't deteriorating.

The crime itself just simply makes me want to vomit—preferably all over those fucking cowardly bastards before I hack their balls off with a rust knife to let the grovel and die in the gutter where they belong!

But what really disturbs me is that not one, not a dozen, not even one hundred, but over 600 people viewed this vile video clip before someone had the good sense and decency to flag it.

This is the Internet and this is Youtube. Both are very popular. 600 people could have clicked it between the time the first viewer saw it and flagged it.

History shows us that our morals and standards are cyclical, yet never before have we had so much information available to us. Never before has pornography been so freely available, although certainly this goes way beyond simple (fictional/consensual) porn. So, can or will the moral compass ever swing back?

I'm not so sure of that. What history does show is that moral values deteriorate in times of famine. But ever since about 1850 in the West, (1899 for Sweden) when famines were abolished, moral values seem to have been pretty constant. What changes is our demands on other people, or more specifically on how they display them. This is admittedly very hard to measure and psychologists didn't begin to do so systematically until the rise of behaviourism in the 1930'ies. It's a bit short time and quite a revolutionary period to draw any strong conclusions about anything regarding human morals.

But I'm with the geneticists. Human morals are intrinsic and are simply based on our ability to spread our genes while still surviving. Since we're basically pretty weak naked monkeys we need to cooperate. That's why humans are so kind to each other. We can't help showing compassion. Just like you displayed by making this thread.

But is it the Internet per se that’s actually responsible for the deterioration of our morals? Or, is it perhaps the ridiculously lax attitude of those enforcing the laws governing this kind of thing in the first place that’s the problem? I mean, “"If the content breaks our terms then we remove it and if a user repeatedly breaks the rules we disable their account,”... I say, fuck that!! One strike and you’re out fuckwit!!!

I think that the only thing Internet is responsible for is educating us on the state of the world. If anything it makes us more caring and more compassionate. But instead of feeling sorry for the abstract entity of "starving children in Africa" we're feeling empathy for concrete people and are given tools to do something about it. I don't see that as a bad thing.

(And, another thing, what if that video had been posted on this site, do you really think you'd be sitting here reading this if it had? Yes, size really does matter, doesn't' it?)

Are we, as a society, really becoming so indifferent towards sex and violence that this kind of real life horror is actually acceptable to so many?

I don't think it is.

And, finally, do you believe, as I do, that these young fuckwits should be castrated?

Only a few years back scientists found the empathy centre in the brain. Linked to things like psychopathy. What they found our also was that this didn't develop fully in the brain until we're about 21-23. So it should be quite normal for young kids to display psychopathic behaviour.

This is also supported by the fact that 99% of all rapes are carried out by 15-19 year old boys. The statistics vary between reports, but very little.

Young kids need to be closely monitored. A part of being young is doing stupid shit. I never raped anyone but I've done plenty of horrific things in my youth I wouldn't be able to do today. Sure, my situation was pretty extreme. I do think these kids should be punished, but castration? What would that say about our morals?