i got thinking about the internet today, and it occurred to me just how often we take for granted its power and influence and reach. i mean, think about it: a guy named shwan alkhatib, who goes by the moniker "Fatty," has been on the minds of hundreds of thousands of people - not just in manhattan, where he was enormously popular and well liked, but also in lawrence and austin and college station and columbia (and palo alto?), where he was almost unanimously hated.
well, i shouldn't say hated. i've read through a few threads on a few boards, and the comments are overwhelmingly nice. it's apparent that Fatty commanded a certain respect from everyone who interacted with him (even his most vocal critics.)
i attended a church event on saturday, the same day that Fatty was found dead, and tim tebow was the speaker. tebow spoke about his football career, of course, and he even demonstrated "tebowing." but he spent much of his time talking about how blessed he is to have his current platform, which allows him to do so many of the things that he's always wanted to do.
i did not know this, but tebow's favorite thing to do - the thing that gives him the most satisfaction - is speaking to death-row inmates. he said he speaks to them quite often and had planned to visit with a few of them during his stay in las vegas.
"i can't even explain the feeling i get," tebow said. "it's incredibly satisfying to bring peace and joy and comfort to people who are otherwise lost or hopeless or depressed or frustrated."
when he said that, i began to think about the internet, and Fatty in particular.
a guy named shwan alkhatib has had, what, 25,000 message board posts? fifty-thousand? one-hundred thousand? and these message board posts have been read by five or 10 million people? twenty-five million people?
a guy named shwan alkhatib has posted, what, 25 youtube videos? fifty? one-hundred? and these videos have been watched by millions? commented on by thousands?
a guy named shwan alkhatib has been one of, what, a half-million k-state graduates? a million graduates? and his influence was so strong, so profound, that people are talking realistically about the possibility of 'FFF' being placed on a football uniform or helmet?
it goes to show you that you don't have to be tim tebow to have a positive effect on peoples' lives and to bring joy to others. yes, it's easier when you have fame and money and a built-in platform, but it certainly isn't necessary.
the internet is in and of itself a platform - and fatty utilized it, took advantage of it, and left a pretty incredible legacy.
kind of neat, no?
