A Need for Change in Discourse on the Internet

The Internet is a place many people go to get information. It’s where you expect to find facts and figures and details, but very often what you find is non-balanced opinion and spiteful commentary. Frequently, it becomes a gathering place for people with an agenda or a point of view or the careless and uncaring who spew mean-spirited attacks on others, regardless of the audience or their feelings.

A recent example was a news story out of Indiana about four young adults killed in a weather-related car accident. We won’t mention the families to protect them from further pain. The four were returning home after an evening business meeting and the toll-way was icy; the car slid across the median and collided with a semi, killing all four. It was a straightforward news account, but the comments section started with someone bad-mouthing the business opportunity in which the four were involved: Amway. Sprinkled in among the concerns for the pains of the families were more isolated comments about Amway and Amway meetings.

Whatever your opinions about Amway, the Amway opportunity, and Amway meetings, the story about the death of someone is not the place to voice them. Your freedom of speech is not the freedom to choose your place to speak out. Your right to free speech is not the right to speak freely without sensitivity to the feelings of others deeply affected by what you say. In this instance, what you think about Amway isn’t nearly as important as how those families felt about the loss of their sons and daughters. This isn’t about your rights, it’s about theirs. With freedom comes responsibility to act responsibly.

Recently, there was a call for change in politics in Washington – now there needs to be a call for change in discourse on the Internet. As one Christmas carol says, “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with ‘me’.”

Comments

[visioneer]

I once heard a speaker say that along with the Statue of Liberty in New York, we should have a Statue of Responsibility in Los Angeles.
It's amazing and sad to me that people would use a tragic situation to further their own agendas.

[dig4truth]

I recently ran across this myself. I couldn't believe it either. Respect and discretion go hand in hand when it comes to these topics. Meetings are conducted by multiple organizations. Depending on the way in which the business plan was conveyed and what promises are made really determine the level of these emotions and the resentment. I find that is the sole reason why people have resentment. I just don't think that is fair to show this in which the family is hurt by a tragedy, only to have their family mocked for being in a business.

What if they had owned a Subway franchise? Invested $60k plus, then do they get taken seriously? If it costs you less than $200 to start a business, it is still a business. As long as there is a product or service someone will buy, then it is a business.

Display your resentment somewhere else.

[David S]

This is an amazing story to me. I did not see the original news item and am shocked at the lengths people will go to in order to attack something whether it be a president or a company. It is amazing the lack and class or priorities shown by many in the media. Don't they realize that when you working toward a goal you will do something extra to make that happen? Rhetorical question: Were those ambitious Amway business owners the only ones on the road that fateful night? How about the people that were visiting sick family members or coming home from a job or coming home from their own company? Were they criticized too? This is an infuriating commentary on our media and our society that our media thinks would want to read this article. How about writing an article honoring those who lost their lives and what was so important to those individuals that they were willing to go out in bad conditions to pursue...namely their dreams? That is an article I would want to read.