There used to be a time, when the internet was first available for the public use, it was filled with curiosity and wonder. Typing random subjects into searches and going to l’hotel chat, talking with a random person with somewhere else on the planet.

Because it was all new to me, I wanted to have a positive experience.  hung out on forums that I found interesting. I even made my own website on tripod. It was all adorable childish things, because that’s exactly what I was, a child.

There was an innocence about the internet then, that just doesn’t seem to exist anymore.

The events that happened at UCSB this weekend, is a product of a strange lawless-ness that is a very prevalent part of the internet. The shooter made a string of videos detailing his misery and the groundlings of the comment section below, doing nothing but ridiculing, or encouraging the behaviour.

Elliot had a problem with women because of an unrealistic assumption put upon him by an outside influence. He claimed that his reason’s for his behaviour is because women are deliberately beautiful around him only to upset him. Their attitudes, and the way they dress anger him and he continues to just sit there deluding reasons for his actions.

in retrospect, I’m sure a lot of boys go through that phase in their life where they’re jealous or angry about not being in a relationship. They get filled with self doubt, and then try to find a way to get over that.

But this kid couldn’t do it on his own, and he was letting the world know this via youtube. Even if he wasn’t deliberately saying ‘help me’ it was heavily implied and the end he still wasn’t getting the answers that he was seeking.

In the aftermath is probably when I felt the most upset than I’ve ever been. Elliot was the one that was troubled and there are those out there that still have the gull to blame women for his behaviour.

I felt like I was going blind, thinking and talking about it with a friend.

I want to get to the point here: We’re going backwards. women are people, and they live like people. They sleep, they eat, they work, have friends, have fun. They do everything that people do. There is absolutely no reason on the history of this planet for them to be treated otherwise.

There’s a lack of common sense that no longer seems to belong on the internet. Is it because our perception is skewed? We’re sitting in front of the screen and human interaction is there, but it’s not real. We’re constantly looking at pictures of women (with whatever ungodly amount the percentage of porn is on the internet.) and we’re constantly making the same jokes over and over because nobody likes to think.

We say things like “spending your whole life on the Facebook makes you miserable.” “You’re a different person spending a week in front of your computer than you are when you’re out and being public.” and we just seem to sit there and read, and not do anything. Well what can you do? There’s a #YesAllWomen hashtag on twitter that’s in support of women who are always victimized. That’s not even the first time it’s happened. Every month to two weeks it seems we have to tweet support to women, when it’s just common sense at this point. Women aren’t objects, they’re people. They’re not put on this planet to be toys for men. Yes, they’re built different, their bodies are more artistically appealing, and a lot of clothing (in general) gets marketed as provocative.

But that doesn’t make it okay. It’s not okay to think women are only there to fulfill your desires. It’s not okay to joke and ridicule the things that obviously hurt others. We shouldn’t be here again, talking about the same shit over the expense of victims. Feminism isn’t there to throw men under the bus, it’s there because we’re all people. wether your male, female, black, white, gay or undecided.

The best thing you can do is something. Finding a problem to the solution as it happens can make the world better. It has to go beyond youtube comments, forum posts and tweets. We can’t just sit there and read about it anymore.

I don’t know where I’m going with this, but as you can tell I’m livid. The internet needs to change. Our media needs to change. There’s so many things in our society that need to change.

The next time someone riddled with problems puts on a public display for help, it’ll be a world of difference to get help for that person, than encouraging the violence and sadness that may follow.