Double Lives

Have you ever ears the song online by Brad Paisley? Even if it isn't your type of music, the lyrics are really great. The concept is about the people we are online. You can be short, overweight, and live at home. But as the guy in the song says 'I'm so much cooler online.'  In real life I'm a pretty miserable person. Like I hate a lot of people and I'm so far from being perfect and decent. I have trouble trusting people. I'm painfully shy. And I can be really mean.  Online I'm more honest and I try to be a better person. Others are worse people online. I think it's about that shield of anonymity. For me I can be honest about how I feel and my beliefs and my past. Sure people can judge me, but if you judge me it doesn't hurt as much. I don't know you, and you don't know me. I can be out and fully supportive of gay marriage and equality and be a liberal. In my real life I don't feel like I can. So many of my friends are die hard republicans/conservatives.  For other people it's the opposite. If you don't know who I am then I can say whatever I want. I can tell you your an idiot, or whatever awful thing I want. It's that anonymity. It's also the protection of a screen. If you curse me out in real life I'll bitch at you, and maybe hit you. Posting on Facebook prevents that immediate reaction.  I think the anonymity has both it's advantages and disadvantages. It allows us to in a way be more honest and free to express ourselves. However, it also makes it easier for people to try to hurt you.  This has a few causes. One is that I follow two youtubers on tumblr. They have rude people send them all kinds of messages about being dumb, or ugly, or fags on anon. It pisses me off to see people abusing their anonymity. They are just doing these things to be spiteful.  The other reason being myself. Online I am an out of the closet pansexual. I've dated. I believe in equality for everyone regardless of race, sex, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. I'm a liberal independent thinker.  The last reason being a facebook post. Don't say anything online you wouldn't say to someone's face. It's cowardly and childish.  I think we all need to use our anonymity for good. Instead of using the Internet as a shield to hurt people lets use it as a tool to get good honest messages out there.  May life be as awesome as you are and DFTBA!!!!