Blurring the Lines

I've finally managed to sever my ties to a game I have been playing on the internet for far too long. I've discovered the world of web-based browser games. Some of them are quite fascinating, but after getting sucked into the truly nasty politics of one of those games, I did a little research and found that nearly all of the browser games that have game and forum are nasty little mosh pits for what appears to be mostly young teen males to become verbal bullies. All of these forums prohibit racism, homophobia, and vulgarity. But I've never before experienced the level of verbal attack and nastiness that is on nearly off of these forums. Even WOW, which is not web-based, has this level of nastiness on its web-based forums.

I remember my teen years -- unrelenting bullying. This is nothing new. I had just forgotten how truly horrible teenage bullying can be, and how terrible my own personal experience was. Being on these boards revived my feelings, and it wasn't good.

I wonder how parents cannot know that their kids are bullies. I can't quite bring myself to believe that these kids parents would tolerate such behavior in their children; but there are bullying adults out there, and I suppose they find it "clever" and "precocious" when their young do it.

The level of nastiness I have encountered, viewed and endured on these boards is far worse than the bullying I bore during my teens. These kids are far more verbal, and thus far more inventive in what they say. What disturbs me is that they have no concept of how much harm their words are doing, nor do they seem to care. The harm has already been done to their spirits; they have lost all compassionate connection with other people and associate only with those whose separation from their fellows equals their own. For all I know they may volunteer at animal shelters, senior centers, or food banks. They may be happy participants in church activities, and show all the outward behaviors of caring loving people. But their words are poison, to themselves as well as the people they attack. And the anonymity of the computer bares the dark night of their soul.

I'm back in the world of REAL people, where motives are out there for all to see. It's much nicer, and more nourishing. I worry about these kids. I don't think they have a happy forever after life waiting for them. And that's sad. They are worth as much of our pity as their victims are of our compassion.