What have we done?

How much good has the internet done for the world? Surely, we've revolutionized our communication around the world, but to what extent?

I can't tell you the amount of times I've heard someone half my age saying things that would make a sailor blush. Where did this come from? When I was young, this may have been a small problem, but the internet's influence seems to have magnified tenfold.

More and more people are relying on internet for common everyday uses. It's hard to even find a phone that doesn't offer an internet browser, or at least email. While there's no problem with using the internet responsibly, I can't help but notice what's happening. It's hard to find a youtube video without someone commenting about how the people in the video are "gay" or "faggots." Most comments are much more vulgar than that. It's also hard to post any respectful comment without being verbally assaulted by others. What does this show young people?

What do you think happens when they see how certain beliefs lead to persecution? They become close-minded. What do you think happens when they see blatant disregard for other people's feelings and beliefs? They become disrespectful. I've experienced it first-hand on numerous occasions. While I'm playing xbox live, I constantly hear young boys calling people ever expletive they know. I've also heard kids who were eleven years old objectifying women. It's despicable.

All this being said, I think there's also a problem with passive parenting. Probably about 90% of the time I'm hearing these atrocious children, they're on games that are only for 17 years and older. This means that their parents had to have bought them the game. Not only are these games bought for them, but it appears that their access to internet is completely unhindered. I've heard kids cursing and yelling at the top of their lungs for hours at a time.

So what I'm wondering is: where can we go from here? Surely there's something that needs to be done.

Am I the only one wondering?

-Chris