Although we think of ourselves as refined individuals, we have not evolved far from the barbaric practices of our ancient Roman counterparts.

Back in the days of the Roman Empire, people flocked to the Colosseum to watch fearless gladiators fight tooth and nail for their very survival. Patrons chanted and cheered for their favorite warriors as others lost their lives in horrific battles full of carnage.

Today, things are not much different. However, the Colosseum has been replaced with a computer monitor, and the gladiators are the various “viral videos” that have made their way to the arena through mouse clicks. Thanks to free streaming-video Web sites such as YouTube, society has gone back to the savagery of the Roman times.

Just recently, eight teens lured a 16-year-old girl from their school who had been “talking trash on MySpace” to a house where they took turns beating her as they videotaped it with the intent to post it on YouTube. The victim, Victoria Lindsay, was beaten unconscious. When she woke, she was beaten again in a horrendous attack lasting nearly half an hour.

Clips of the video made it on the news and various Internet sites, showing the cold-hearted brutality of these troubled teens who are looking to be the next big thing on YouTube.

What is pushing these kids to take such drastic measures with their homemade videos? It is obvious that others have been able to reach fame and fortune with cheaply made videos with half-witted concepts. Take Tay Zonday and his nonsense song “Chocolate Rain,” Chris Crocker’s eyeliner-smearing rant about Ms. Spears as he cries under a blanket or the “Star Wars Kid” and his intimidating Jedi moves with a golf ball retriever. All three of them have become famous for no reason other than the sheer stupidity of their actions.

With more than 65,000 videos added to the site each day and 18 countries contributing to the plethora of videos already on YouTube, these viral filmmakers have realized that they must up the ante if they want to get their turn in the spotlight.

What’s really the problem here? Is it the fact that people are sick enough to post such disturbing images on the Internet or that millions of others have logged on to view the sick and twisted video to see the heinous acts for themselves?

Curious viewers are almost as guilty as the perpetrators of these cruel deeds, as each harmless click propels the video into infamy. It’s this desire for stardom that is pushing people to create these videos, and at a hefty price. Not only will the actions that transpired that tragic day forever affect the victim and her family, but what will come when the next group of teens comes along to out-do this video?

About 2,000 years later, the Colosseum is still standing. And although the fearless gladiators who once battled within its walls have long been gone, YouTube continues to exist. However, the proper filtering of videos and the restraint of curiosity by viewers can help bring us back to a time of civility where tasteless gore is not necessary to satisfy the masses.