With advancements in technology the article, The Flip Side of Internet Fame, explains how personal privacy might become a thing of the past. As new advances are made the market is flooded with new devices, and payment plans make new technology affordable. The most common among them, is the smart phone. With the ability to inconspicuously capture an event or an occurrence at any moment, a person’s privacy can be violated with ease. Even though the phone and the internet have many useful tools, unfortunately their primary use has become entertainment. This entertainment can be of a sound moral stand point, but quite often it is at the expense of others, as explained by Jessica Bennett. 

 

                Public Humiliation is a price that many have paid according to Bennett. A good example would be Ghyslain Raza. Raza a young Canadian boy who, in his personal time created a video of something he was passionate about. He was completely humiliated when the video was spread all over the internet. Although he filmed the video, I’m sure his intentions were not for it to be seen by everyone. I love to sing in the shower, but I could never sing in front of a huge audience. Personal time allows us to feel comfortable enough to explore things we normally would not have the courage to try. It’s like our own personal addition, where we are our only judge. Unfortunately for Raza he was judged by the world.  

 

                Being judged can’t hurt you emotionally, but being labeled can follow you forever. Social media can be a powerful tool to generate good feedback through networking and marketing. It gives you the ability to share information and create a good image through a web of people that spread information. Unfortunately, as stated in the title it works both ways. Bennett gives an example of a website called Juicy Campus. This anonymous website posts juicy rumors about students in college. Like many gossip websites it got carried away. The information generated on the social media site became very specific labeling students by name, posting information that may or may not have been true. This type of exposure can be devastating to person and possibly their career. For example a woman’s refusal to pick up dog poop was caught on a cell phone camera, which later caused her to drop out of collage due to harassment.   

 

                The Internet in America is very popular, consequently terrorist have used it to try to generate fear and panic among our people. We live in a time where a person or organization can upload a video of a heinous act, and can become known worldwide. A perfect example of this would be Al-Qaeda. They have posted countless videos of decapitations and other curl acts on the web. They take full responsibility for their crimes and are known for the monsters that they are. In the U.S. we do not glorify villains in any way, but we tend to judge swiftly and rule with an iron fist. Sex offenders have to make their presents known in their communities. In one extreme case, posters were placed outside the home of the offender with a picture of his face on it. Now with internet as a tool for spreading information shaming a person has no limits. Any angry parents or even ex-girlfriend can accuse you and stain your name nationwide. Criminals should have a reason to fear exposure for their crimes, but unlike Al-Qaeda most criminals are ashamed of what they have done. Yes they are criminals, but they still have rights.    

 

                Shame and embarrassment are hard enough to deal with on a personal level, and when exposed on a worldwide level they can be unbearable. This type of shame has many times led to suicide, because they believe it is unbearable. I do believe the worldwide web is a beautiful gift, but anything without regulation is dangerous. As stated by Jim Cohen of Fordham University, “The internet is a loose cannon” that in my opinion can destroy lives. In all, I believe there should be some legislation put into place to protect the people from the unknown. Privacy seems to be violated quite often, although these victims become famous, their fame only adds to the embarrassment they feel inside.

 

            Courage, is a commonly known noun thought to have a simple meaning, but when described by Karen Castellucci Cox, its true complex nature is reveled. Cox’s explains how people perceive courage to be one dimensional, but she believes that when it is described as an isolated emotion, it has various traits. In the article, Four Types of Courage, Cox, breaks down courage into physical, social, moral and creative. This article not only broadens the horizons on the many ways to perceive courage, but also how one can identify the type of courage they have. In life one always looks to find themselves and what they are capable of. Discovering the type of courage you have is one of the many steps to understanding what you can do.

 

            When I think of physical courage I think of strength. In my mind, when doing anything courageously you must be confident in your ability to do it. To have strength is to be able, whether it be physical, emotional or psychological. All of these types of courage are aspects of the physical. A good illustration of this would be a life guard. Due to his physical abilities he is able to save a person who, either cannot swim or cannot save their selves. Cox’s sheds light on the physical sacrifice of the job, instead of the physical ability. Her focus would not be in the life guard’s ability to swim, but him risking his own life to save another. Sure most people that take these type of risk are trained and prepared, but we shouldn’t overlook their courage.

 

            To have social and moral courage at times means facing your worst fears. In our society being social is almost a must. As children, from the age we start school and finish it we are grouped together. We use the buddy system to insure safety. We advocate peer interaction, because we believe it is healthy. In this article Cox’s address the scary reality that social and moral courage can cause your peers to reject you. Speaking out on things that are widely controversial can mean to suffer repercussions that one may not be able to handle. Dr. Martin Luther king spoke out for human equality, and was assassinated. To have this type of courage can cost you your life. Standing up for what is right is important, but do you think it’s worth the repercussions?

 

              Finally Cox’s addresses creative courage, and how this type of courage is the beginning of great things. When I think of the word creative the first thing that pops in my mind is art. Talent plays a big role in creativity. For example your capacity to think of an idea, set a goal and complete it. Often what is over looked is the thought process. Anyone can have an idea, but what makes it creative is its unique qualities. Cox’s address that creative courage has to do with thinking out of the box. Daring to do things that no one has done. A good demonstration of this is an Earth ship. An Earth ship is a house made completely out of recycled materials. Not only are the materials recycled, but the house is completely self-sufficient. When the idea hit the architect community it was disowned as extremely unconventional and ridiculous. Now there are thousands of earth ships nationwide. The idea became a reality, because the creator had the courage to go forward with it even though it was marked to fail.

 

            These four types of courage all had one thing in common. They all had a greater purpose behind them. Saving another’s person’s life, fighting for equality and taking risks for the well-being of the earth. Once you come to realize who you are, something greater starts to develop within you. Once courage develops inside of you, you start to think differently. Cox’s said, “We lose much when we dismiss it in ourselves, thinking we don’t measure up.” The fact of the matter is once we stop trying to find ourselves, we see the bigger scheme of things and take courage to be a part of it.