On cyber bullying

I just read one of those random posts AOL decides is important enough for us to read and lures us there with misleading headlines. It was about how mothers tend to cyber-bully other mothers, telling them what they should and should not do and berating them for choices that seem in poor taste.
I scrolled down to the comments section (always a bad choice but a morbid curiousity) and the first comment mentioned how ironic this article was posted on this blog, as the women who comment on the blog are particularly mean and ugly.
Really, people, how hard is it to remember that these screen names have fingers attached to the keyboard, fingers leading to hands and arms and brains that have emotions that FEEL and HURT. Is it merely literary exercise to berate a faceless internet screen name? I see it time and time again, people posting character judgements, eviscerating remarks, and general unkindness about the most innoculous things and it hurts ME to read them. How can people be so petty, so perverse, so unthinking and inconsiderate as to take the time out of their lives to try to hurt another person? I truly do not understand how the argument that we have a certain freedom of speech entitles me to intentionally hurt a fellow human being, regardless of their choices or the nature of their character.
Is life not difficult enough without this added stress? Is it not full of enough disappointment that we must ridicule teenage girls until they feel the only escape is suicide? And what purpose does this serve?
The internet can be used for such higher purposes than spreading hatred and ridicule. It can be used for such better reasons than to hurt our fellow man.
This week, spread love online and offline. May your days be full of laughter, and may petty differences be left alone.