Sometimes I find myself looking up cat videos on you tube. Usually this is to feel better, having dealt with some horror or other earlier in the day. And it's fine. Nothing wrong with that. But is my escapism actually an act of embracing stupidity?
I'm passionate about many social justice issues. At the moment equal marriage is front and centre of my thoughts. I do my research, I think about this stuff. I will not adopt a view because it is easy, appealing or popular. I'm happy to be outside the norm, especially for something I believe in.
But some days are too hard. Some issues are too hard. Some people are too hard. And I find myself drawn to the stupidity readily available on the internet. I do it to take a break. To escape. But am I slowly rotting my brain? Is this exposure to the banal not only not helpful but actually harmful to myself or others?
I saw a documentary about Internet pornography addiction. The psychologist said that people rapidly escalate the extremity of what they watch. Where once a pretty naked girl was enough, three moths later all sorts of other things are needed for the same result.
Am I doing the same thing with the progressively sillier things I watch to make the world go away? Or is this a legitimate coping strategy to deal with the knowledge that the internet has unleashed? It is no longer possible, if you are an inquiring sort, to be ignorant of the plight of those around you. And once you know, you are obliged to act. Knowledge is nothing with out action.
Am I derelict in my duty to the world? Or is it just another cat video?
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