Rock music, television, video games, and the Internet. What do they have in common? They have, at one time or other, probably even simultaneously, been crowned the scapegoats of the times. And this article, which came by way of Jay Rosen's Twitter feed, is just one example of how the Internet is fast becoming the most popular scapegoat.
It amazes me how deeply some people like to bury their heads in the sand, to the extent that even ostriches might be embarrassed by being outdone. But let me clarify something before I start my rant.
First off, loss of life is tragic, no matter the circumstance. I have lost enough friends to know that. When that life is one of a child's, there can be no reason or excuse proffered that can justify that loss. An old Chinese saying goes "The elderly should not be sending the young ones off", and I agree with that.
Secondly, I do not know the details of this particular case, beyond the fact that a 14-year-old girl has been murdered and there are two teenagers who are being tried for the crime.
My observation, based purely on the article, is that Miss Blatchford has totally missed the point. Her article is a reaction of moral outrage, of not recognising the web for what it actually is, and of conveniently choosing a scapegoat to rest her disbelief of what our world really is.
In the space of one article, she blames the web for having the cheek to harbour and develop groups which band together for their beliefs; for trashing the "grammar, spelling and literacy" of our youth; for not being able to play by the traditional media rules of keeping some things quiet; and then ultimately confusing a defense attorney's ploys to play the sympathy card with how evil the web is.
That last trick is not impressive by the way. Redirection only works on morons.
I find it amusing that she has not realised that the very points that she made are actually the strengths of the internet. "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" comes to mind, and I strongly urge everyone to consider the implications of those words. The "grammar, spelling and literacy" problem started a long time ago. The web merely showed us the true extent of this issue, and it is high time to take a closer look at your education systems for producing such literary butchery. How this is a consequence of the internet is frankly beyond me.
And the old rules of keeping quiet is, to me, more frequently used as an excuse for a cover-up than an actual practice of good journalism. This is one of the reasons why newspapers are dying, Miss Blatchford. Time to wake up and smell the roses.
It appears that Miss Blatchford has an agenda against the web to make an attack like that. Unsubstantiated, misguided, and looks like an amateurish attempt to confuse everyone who cares to read that column to think that the internet is the monster out to get us. The defense attorney's move has nothing to do with the internet. The murder, while it may be facilitated by Facebook and MSN, has nothing to do with the internet. The internet did not kill a 14-year-old child.
So if you do have an agenda, Miss Blatchford, nice try. Better luck next time. If not, then you are just an anachronistic creature who cannot handle change and cannot handle the truth. Neither makes for desirable traits in a columnist.
Ultimately, the internet is like a large mirror that reflects what humanity actually is. If you are afraid of the truth, don't look into it. No one said it's pretty, but I would rather be in the know than not.
This blog has moved to http://www.callantham.org/
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