By Carl Sampson
When Al Gore invented the Internet, he undoubtedly had a vision of an information highway that would wend its way around the world, placing all sorts of important and enlightening information at our fingertips.
Instead, the Internet is destroying civilization as we know it.
I shall explain.
Instead of broadening the flow of information to the average citizen, the Internet has narrowed it. Let’s say I have an interest in left-handed widgets. I can search the Internet for all of the information there is about left-handed widgets.
That much is fine, but because I have narrowed the focus of my Internet surfing to only the things that interest me, I won’t know about anything else.
As a result, instead of educating society, the Internet has created millions of ignoramuses.
I admit the Internet is good for some things, such as finding out which movie won the Oscar for best picture in 1969. (It was Oliver.) But beyond looking up trivia and other menial tasks that save me a trip to the library, the Internet is a waste.
In the old days – which I refer to as B.I. for Before Internet – most folks did an odd thing every day: They read a newspaper. In it was a variety of information, about the world, the nation, the city, the school board, your neighborhood, sports and other bits and pieces. Newspapers even included wonderful columns such as those by Art Buchwald and Erma Bombeck.
Every newspaper was different but they served a common purpose. They kept us in touch with the community around us. Even if we weren’t particularly interested in a particular bit of news, we knew about it and it made us better citizens.
The Internet doesn’t do that. Instead, it fosters obsessions and addictions. I know someone who is addicted to the game “World of Warcraft,” with which millions of people waste billions of hours playing online. Just imagine if they decided to devote that time to something worthwhile.
Like most addictions, it’s destructive, too. I personally know a guy who plays WoW constantly. He hasn’t left his house in three years. And, no, I’m not making this up!
The Internet is also the world’s largest sleaze merchant. Pornography – and I mean the really nasty stuff – is so rampant that it would make Hugh Hefner gag. It’s gross, it’s disgusting, and your tax dollars help put it there, since Congress forks over billions of dollars to subsidize the expansion of the Internet – into public schools and libraries.
If Congress wants to make the world a better place, it should kick the pornography merchants – who make billions of dollars a year demeaning women and everyone else – off the Internet.
Come to think of it, the world would be a much better place without the Internet at all.
