Could craigslist users get any dumber?

Probably.

It seems like craigslist's reputation gets worse and worse with each passing day. First, craigslist was tainted by the so-called "craigslist killer" who not only used craigslist to find murder victims but then earned a top spot on the Lifetime Movie Network with his self-titled made-for-tv movie.

But craigslist has become more than just a place to find roommates, cheap appliances, and victims. Now it is also serving as a brothel and a blackmarket for stolen goods! Oh, and did I mention that it's now the perfect place to ruin your political career?

That's right; up until recently, craigslist operated an "adult services" section where people could apparently both advertise and look for opportunities that were less than...wholesome. The website shut down this section after pressure from state attorneys and activist groups, but don't worry, weirdos. The prostitutes haven't disappeared. They've moved to facebook.

If that wasn't enough to keep people from using craigslist for anything legitimate ever again, maybe this is: now craigslist is a place where you can sell goods you've stolen from Wal-mart for a profit! That's right, if you're like the Florida woman who was charged with grand theft for stealing electronics from her local superstore, craigslist might be just the place for you. Just don't sell the hard drives to an undercover police detective. Oh, and maybe you should scratch the serial numbers off of the devices so that your local Wal-mart can't match them to the items recently stolen from their establishment.

And as if there weren't enough avenues for politicians to completely destroy their careers, Republican Congressman Chris Lee has found another one in craigslist. The worst part is, he didn't even make an earnest attempt to hide his identity before he sent topless photos of himself to some random woman he found on the site. Oh wait, he did change his name. From Chris Lee to Christopher Lee. And instead of admitting he was a congressman, he told her he was a lobbyist. Really, buddy? That's the best you can do? At least he was smart enough to resign from Congress after that whole debacle. And to think these are the people we have running our country.

I think these stories are just more fuel for the argument that we need to take a few steps back from technology. Or at least from weird illegitimate websites.



Here are the articles for these awesome stories:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110207/23394213001/prostitutes-have-just-moved-craigslist-to-facebook.shtml
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-02-07/news/os-sanford-computer-parts-arrest-20110207_1_external-hard-drives-craigslist-ads-portable-hard-drives
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2011/02/rep_chris_lee_r-craigslist.html