a/n: this was written to explain to some people in the real world why i'm not particularly afraid of cyberstalkers. cyberstalkers reading this: yes, i will be a challenge. and i'm *sure* there are a lot of you.

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The Internet is not the dangerous home of child molesters, stalkers, mutated Republicans from Mars, websites that convert innocent people to fascism, and pornography that people make it out to be. Sure, there are probably websites and people out there that fit each and every one of these descriptions. So what? Unless you do something stupid, you're completely safe from all of the above mentioned potentially dangerous people or civilizations.

Some people say it's sad that the government feels it needs to idiot-proof the Internet. It's not. It's sad that there are idiots.

So what is an idiot? An idiot is someone who uses his or her real name on message boards, in chat rooms, in reviews, and when emailing people he or she has met over the internet. An idiot is someone who only has one email account under his or her real name. An idiot is someone who harbors a desire to actually meet the people he or she encounters online. An idiot has only one Internet persona-their real one.

The Internet can be two things, depending on the user's level of stupidity. For an intelligent user, the Internet is both an anonymous, safe playground and a valuable information source. For an idiot, the Internet is a dangerous home of misinformation.

It's easy to tell if you or someone you know has Online Moronic Syndrome (OMS). An Internet moron will believe everything he or she hears online, without considering whether it makes sense or not. (This is also a characteristic of Dittohead Moronic Syndrome, only DMS involves believing everything spouted by political figures.) An Internet moron will unquestioningly believe his or her online friends are who they say they are. An Internet moron is exactly what makes the Internet dangerous. It's not the pornographers, or the perverts, or the pro-fascism websites. It's the people who want to *meet* the naked people on the adult website. It's the people who give out their real name (Diana Kensler), age (17), primary website ( cowpattyking), credit card number (2309008158795718), address (106 17th Avenue Chicago), phone number (666-555-4444), primary email address (littlewhitecatbaby ), cat's name (Princess), favorite breakfast cereal (Oreo Os), father's middle name (Edward), mother's maiden name (Jorgeson), favorite band (Bon Jovi), first concert (Santana), and the last four digits of their zip code (9355). It's the people that actually see the pro-fascism website and believe it, or worse, act on their beliefs and vote Republican. Those people are the problem.

And if anyone wants to know my real information, please visit thiswebsitedoesntreallyexist. That search page that pops up? It's my personal site.

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a/n: For a fun time, call 1-800-FREE-XXX or send email to RainbowKitten05