The Dark Net.
A place (virtual) where it is possible to buy absolutely anything.
''Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
The Shadow knows.'' (Walter B. Gibson)
(The Shadow was a crime fighting fictional character (superhero)
popular during the 1940-50's created by Walter B. Gibson.)
However one may define ''evil'', I am pretty sure it can be bought
on the Dark Net.
Some time ago I watched a doco series on The dark Net and it
sent shivers down my spine. If Walter B. Gibson was alive today
he would need no imagination to find material for his books.
All he would have to do would be to peruse the Dark Net.
What is it with humans that as soon as we invent something
with great potential for ''good'' we immediately find ways
of using it for something ''bad''?
Take dynamite for instance. Invented by Alfred Nobel, a
life-long pacifist, to assist in making tunnels and clearing the way
for the railway.
When he discovered that it was also associated with mayhem and atrocities,
he was absolutely horrified.
How about nuclear fission, thalidomide, morphine, gunpowder,
refined sugar, alcohol, etc. etc.
And, oh yeah, .... the Internet.
How about technology as a whole?
''Technology is a tool, in itself it is neither good nor bad,
it is moral-less. As in, it depends on what the user of it
is using it for.''
So some say.
What technology makes possible and what humans actually
do with it are two different things.
I pull out my card to pay for my groceries.
It's declined. What? I know I have enough money to
pay for my stuff. I've been hacked!! All the money is
gone and I am devastated, but who is responsible?
Am I responsible for trusting the bank?
Is the bank responsible for not keeping my money safe?
Or is it the person who used technology to steal my money?
The capacity for anonymity (for those of us not tech savvy)
that the Internet offers seems to me to be both a ''good'' and a ''bad'' thing.
It can protect both innocuous and offensive behaviours.
In itself anonymity as far as I can ascertain, is neither good nor bad,
it is what we use it for and what the end results of it is
that deem it one or the other.
If we use anonymity to slander someone, make illegal threats,
distribute misinformation, distribute harmful viruses, distribute
illegal publications in either text and or image form, etc. etc. then I
would deem that as using anonymity in a ''bad'' way.
Using anonymity in order to be nasty, sneaky, or plain mean, is
in my view behaving cowardly.
So, what is the Dark Web/Dark Net?
''It is a hidden collective of internet sites accessible only by a
specialized web browser.''
Some use it to evade government censorship, some to
conduct illegal practices/business, some to get (or share) information
not available (possible) on the ''visible'' internet.
But, according to the documentary I watched, it is a ''place/space''
where a lot of illegal transactions take place.
I try my hardest to believe that deep down inside most of us
is the desire to be ''good'', to to be kind, to be honest, to be
life-affirming, to be supportive and understanding, but after
having watched the documentary.....it seems that in some
of us.......''evil'' lurks.
''I know I shouldn't smoke, but .........''
''I really dislike sites like these, but.....''
''I know I shouldn't make mean comments, but....''
''I shouldn't drink cos it makes me mean, but......''
When someone who views him/herself as ''good''
does something ''bad'', cognitive dissonance urges him/her to
ignore that behaviour because he/she can't deal with
the inconsistency between his/her behaviour and beliefs.
(Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort we feel when
we hold two contradictory opinions and
or when our behaviour is inconsistent with our beliefs.
Aka: An angel and a devil on each shoulder both telling us what
to do.)
These days we can behave badly behind the veil of
anonymity; we can browse sites that we don't
want anyone else to know that we visit, we can
have relationships with a bunch of different people
without them knowing anything about each other,
we can be voyeurs', we can be critics, we can
be judge, jury and executioners, we can be assassins,
we can be superstars, but here's the thing,
just because we can, that doesn't necessarily mean we should.
''In each of us, two natures are at war - the good and the bad.
All of our lives the fight goes on between them, and one
of them must conquer. But in our own hands lies the
power to choose - what we want most to be, we are.''
(Robert Louis Stevenson)
about the image: small shopping bags glued on a canvas with
sketched outlines of a bigger shopping bag.
Added; some editing in Photoshop +
made-up sites
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