Online Cowards
Two-year-old Chase Martens of Manitoba recently went missing. He was outside, playing, and his parents lost sight of him for a bit. Then he was gone. His disappearance, as you might imagine, became a national story in Canada ... and then they found him. It was a parent's worst nightmare: the toddler was found in a creek near his home, drowned.
About the Author
It's as awful as a story gets. Almost.
Here's how it gets worse: within hours of the story making headlines, the ghouls came out to play. Attention-hungry cowards, fearlessly hiding behind the anonymity of a fabricated Twitter account, cashed in on the parents' pain. From a safe distance, with little fear of retribution, they mocked the parents and blamed them for the tragedy. "Candidate for parents of the year," said one Twitter account, sarcastically. Others called the parents "stupid," "deserving," "idiots" ... you name it.
As if the parents weren't hurting enough already. What was the "crime" that brought the wrath of internet trolls down on them? They lost sight of their child for a few moments.
Like every other parent in history.
The same thing nearly happened to Jean and me. Years ago, when our youngest was about two, we went camping in the wilderness. We were camped by a creek—and lost sight of her for mere seconds. When we looked up, we saw her floating away in the creek. In a flash, I had retrieved her, and from that point forward, she wore a lifejacket around camp—much to her displeasure.
I do not argue that people are free to think and say whatever they want. I'm a big believer in free speech, even for the insensitive and downright ignorant among us. Over time, the marketplace of ideas has a way of weeding out and/or punishing the worst voices in our midst. And even if they never get weeded out, I respect their right.
I’ll tell you what I don't respect: the coward who hides behind anonymity. There have been people who published anonymously for the sake of safety, such as fomenters of the American Revolution. I can understand why, and that's not what I’m talking about. I'm talking about the gutless wonders who throw stones at people for entertainment but refuse to own what they say.
Chase's grieving parents are being forced to live out their worst nightmare in front of the whole world. TV cameras have captured every moment. There is no anonymity for them.
The infantile idiots who twist the knife for amusement hide behind phony names and avatars online. They do not have the courage to sign their real names to their "convictions."
By all means, let them say whatever they want. But I would encourage you to call them on their cowardice. Challenge them to own their statements publicly, so we all know who the ghouls among us really are. Help them understand: they are the tragedy.
