‘Talhotblonde’ a disturbing documentary

I watched a documentary this morning called ‘talhotblonde’ it was about the disturbing affects of anonymity on the internet. It would be difficult to discuss the doc without spoiling it as I think it is quite sad as well as disturbing. It shows the more morose side of the internet and how some people do not use it for positives, at least not positives for others. It is a sociopathic side of the internet.

Without spoiling the premise, it involves three people in a warped kind of love triangle, in which two are lying, two are friends, and one ends up being murdered. They live as alter egos on chat rooms and pretend to be something they are not. This is using anonymity for nefarious reasons, for selfish reasons, unaware of the damage and harm being caused by such pretence, especially to the innocent.

I personally think it is good you can be anonymous on the internet, I doubt I would be able to write anything if I had to put my name to it, and so it helps me to write about what I write about, to help me get better without it being associated with me. I do not involve anyone else in my blog, it is me and me alone and there for my benefit, if others read then that is a bonus but it is not imperative.

The problem with pretending to be someone else to gain favour from others, which is what happened in this bizarre love triangle, the lies get out of hand and grow to such a size it is impossible to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. When it involves others, abuses their trust by deceiving them, pretending to be someone else so they can use it for self gratification like some do, is disgraceful, especially when innocent people get harmed.

This is what happened in the documentary, two very unhappy people trying to find solace on the internet, took it a step too far and became so engrossed in their deceit, someone was murdered.

At the end of the documentary the innocent people of the different families involved called for tougher action on these types of people, because one of the main instigators in the lies before crime was let off scot free. This is mainly because it is not a crime to pretend to be someone else on the internet, and even though they were indirectly responsible for the murder, they did not actually carry out or instigate the thought process. Should it be a crime and how would it be implemented, is a difficult question? I personally thought it was a crime, at least in Britain, I am sure laws were passed about dirty old men pretending to be young men to lure teenagers, to stop the growing amount disgusting internet paedophilia sickos.

The biggest problem is the innocent get hurt and they become unwitting victims of someone else’s screwed up selfish attitudes. I try to think of myself as a libertarian, but I feel all paedophiles should be lobotomised and castrated, and never let out of prison, but that is getting away from the documentary.

The documentary is disconcerting and shows how easy it is for some people who have sociopathic tendencies, then use the internet for their self satisfying fantasies, and something needs to be done to stop the worst of them harming others.