An interesting article I found over at ABCNews.com talks about how sites like YouTube can help wronged parties get their revenge by slapping incriminating footage up on the Net for all to see. Cyber-vigilantism appears to be on the rise.
It should be remembered, though, that another bellwether of cultural evolution, the daytime talk show, has taught us that lack of privacy is no deterrent for the vulgarly shameless and the shamelessly vulgar. When a man proudly admits, in front of millions, that he banged his sister twelve years ago and is now a grandfather, you can bet that YouTube won't curb all the naughtiness that's out there.
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Cyber-vigilantism bothers me... just like any other kind of vigilantism, actually. It makes for great action movies, but when it comes to real life I'm more of a law and order guy.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I think taking things into your own hands is sometimes justified--as long as things don't go too far. But that's the problem, really. Once the cat is out of the bag, it's really hard to get it back in. The Dog Poop Girl is an excellent example. In my opinion, it went too far. If I had to make a choice between no vigilantism and vigilantism gone too far, I'd choose the former.
I agree, but good luck to all of us as we try to enforce that conviction.
ReplyDeleteKevin
True dat. Mostly I'm talking about ideals. Reality is rarely as neat and tidy.
ReplyDelete