Public rant. =)
So I'm reading this article on the wall next to the computer (The library still has classes coming in ... grrr, I wasnt my cubicle thingy back). It;s called "Teens' Bold Blogs Alarm Area Schools." Basically it just talks about how schools don't like kids going on myspace because stalkers will come and eat their babies. And adults quoted bitching about how kids just wanta ttention but they're gonna get raped if they try for attention online. And about one Catholic school in New Jersey banned usage of these sites even at HOME. (Is that legal?)
... Do these adults realize that MAYBE some of us aren't that stupid? Sure, some kids post pictures of themselves doing compromising things on the internet. Whatever consequences come from that are deserved, in my opinion. (If someone else posted photos of you doing something, that's another story.) But come on, people! If you post a picture of yourself taking off your clothes on a public website, do you really think people aren't going to notice? It doesn't matter how many people you know, someone's gonna find it that you don't know eventually.
And for the other concern -- adults are wondering why kids are posting their 'intimate thoughts' online. Well, why did THEY write in a diary when they were kids? It's the same damn thing. People like to have an outlet for whatever emotions they're feeling, and sometimes the internet is the perfect tool. Just because you didn't grow up with it and aren't comfortable with it is no excuse to spy on your children or investiage what they've been up to on the internet. Blogs don't have to be public -- as proven clearly by LiveJournal itself (although I think they were referring more to Myspace and Facebook and all those ridiculous sites)! Nobody I don't want is going to find this entry, or any other one on this journal that is filled with things I don't want to share with the public - such is the function of the friends lock option. Sure, I do have pictures on myspace, but my profile is not viewable to anyone who I'm not friends with. There's security out there, parents, it's not like it's not an option. The problem is that your kid feels like they need to get attention from anyone they can find, and the internet is the best place to do that. Maybe the parents should stop wasting time bitching about how their child misuses the internet and use that time to spend with them so maybe they won't feel like they need so much attention. Did you think of that? I bet you didn't. ♥
And besides, why are you trying to look at their site in the first place. If a kid doesn't draw attention to a site in front of their parents, it's probably pretty likely that they don't want them to see it. You wouldn't sneak into your child's room while he was gone at school and read their diary, would you? It's the same with blogs. The entries are open to whoever the user wants them to be open to. If the blog is public, well, then it is technically out there for the public to see and therefore it is not something the child should complain about if a parent happens to read it. You should have thought about friendslock, or if that's not possible on the site you're on, GETTING a blog that HAS a friendslock option on it. Parents should not go looking for a kid's private thoughts online. If you want your kid to talk to you, try gaining their trust in real life instead of searching for things they posted online which could even be a bunch of lies because they wants to be cool online.
I'm so tired of people thinking teenagers are stupid. Sure, there are some stupid teenagers; but you know what? There's stupid adults, too. Just because our brains haven't completely developed yet doesn't mean we lack all common sense and good judgement. Some teenagers do so stupid things, this is true; but we are being stereotyped into one common race - a bunch of kids who like to get in trouble and get drunk and do drugs, because we don't realize that some kind of harm will come to us and because we're stupid and NOT ADULTS (YET). I myself have never done drugs. I have never drank alcohol with the intention of getting smashed. I try to do most of my homework and get good grades, and I want to go to college. That's right, I'm a teenager, and I'm not a delinquent! Gasp! By claiming that all teenagers do the things described above, you are putting into practice things like prejudice and stereotyping that you have been trying to advocate as politically incorrect and morally wrong.
And no, I'm not saying that all adults are stupid. That would be sinking to the level of the ones who say the kinds of things that I am ranting about. I am, however, saying that adults need to open their eyes and see that just because we're not the same age as them doesn't mean we don't know shit.
And now that I'm done with that, I'll leave you with some quotes from the article.
"Some colleges have expelled teenagers for violating codes of conduct after discovering photos of underage students posing in front of kegs or writing about drinking binges..."
"Blogs abound with seductive poses and confessions of love, hate, and everything inbetween."
"But lockable journals and triple-underlined threats of 'PRIVATE, KEEP OUT!' have given way to instant messaging, reality shows and a cyberculture that many adults find naive at best and exhibitionist and dangerous at its worst."
"'It's an open question, because students have been writing these things for years but have been doing it in their notebooks, where nobody would have ever stumbled across it.' he said. 'With blogs, it's a sign of things to come -- we're sort of testing the notions regarding free speech.'"
"Ironically, many teenagers are outraged or embarrassed when parents or other adults go to their sites. "I think they see it as a violation of their personal space,' sad Madeira's Cole. 'They feel as if their diaries are being read.'"
"Aftab said that even teenagers who work with her to warn others about the sites have their own sites. "Why in God's name would you have a Xanga site?", she asked one, and the answer was poignant.
'I'm in seventh grade,' the girl said. 'It's really hard to be in seventh grade these days. It's really hard if you're shy and you're not a cheerleader or extraordinarily popular. I travel, I take pictures, I write poetry. I'm a nice kid, and if I can write a profile that will make people notice me, why shouldn't I?'"
"'It's a very sad testimonial these days that a kid has to post something on a site where potentially 700 million people can see it in order to attract the attention of a kid two seats down.'"
"'They do less face-to-face talking, less phone talking, less playing outside than any other generation, and because of that, the Internet is real to them, but the risks aren't,' Aftab said."
"'Even if you weren't out drunk and partying on the weekend, you have to pretend you were.' Aftab said. 'Maybe parents should be relieved.'"
Not cut because it's not that long and I don't feel like it.
... Do these adults realize that MAYBE some of us aren't that stupid? Sure, some kids post pictures of themselves doing compromising things on the internet. Whatever consequences come from that are deserved, in my opinion. (If someone else posted photos of you doing something, that's another story.) But come on, people! If you post a picture of yourself taking off your clothes on a public website, do you really think people aren't going to notice? It doesn't matter how many people you know, someone's gonna find it that you don't know eventually.
And for the other concern -- adults are wondering why kids are posting their 'intimate thoughts' online. Well, why did THEY write in a diary when they were kids? It's the same damn thing. People like to have an outlet for whatever emotions they're feeling, and sometimes the internet is the perfect tool. Just because you didn't grow up with it and aren't comfortable with it is no excuse to spy on your children or investiage what they've been up to on the internet. Blogs don't have to be public -- as proven clearly by LiveJournal itself (although I think they were referring more to Myspace and Facebook and all those ridiculous sites)! Nobody I don't want is going to find this entry, or any other one on this journal that is filled with things I don't want to share with the public - such is the function of the friends lock option. Sure, I do have pictures on myspace, but my profile is not viewable to anyone who I'm not friends with. There's security out there, parents, it's not like it's not an option. The problem is that your kid feels like they need to get attention from anyone they can find, and the internet is the best place to do that. Maybe the parents should stop wasting time bitching about how their child misuses the internet and use that time to spend with them so maybe they won't feel like they need so much attention. Did you think of that? I bet you didn't. ♥
And besides, why are you trying to look at their site in the first place. If a kid doesn't draw attention to a site in front of their parents, it's probably pretty likely that they don't want them to see it. You wouldn't sneak into your child's room while he was gone at school and read their diary, would you? It's the same with blogs. The entries are open to whoever the user wants them to be open to. If the blog is public, well, then it is technically out there for the public to see and therefore it is not something the child should complain about if a parent happens to read it. You should have thought about friendslock, or if that's not possible on the site you're on, GETTING a blog that HAS a friendslock option on it. Parents should not go looking for a kid's private thoughts online. If you want your kid to talk to you, try gaining their trust in real life instead of searching for things they posted online which could even be a bunch of lies because they wants to be cool online.
I'm so tired of people thinking teenagers are stupid. Sure, there are some stupid teenagers; but you know what? There's stupid adults, too. Just because our brains haven't completely developed yet doesn't mean we lack all common sense and good judgement. Some teenagers do so stupid things, this is true; but we are being stereotyped into one common race - a bunch of kids who like to get in trouble and get drunk and do drugs, because we don't realize that some kind of harm will come to us and because we're stupid and NOT ADULTS (YET). I myself have never done drugs. I have never drank alcohol with the intention of getting smashed. I try to do most of my homework and get good grades, and I want to go to college. That's right, I'm a teenager, and I'm not a delinquent! Gasp! By claiming that all teenagers do the things described above, you are putting into practice things like prejudice and stereotyping that you have been trying to advocate as politically incorrect and morally wrong.
And no, I'm not saying that all adults are stupid. That would be sinking to the level of the ones who say the kinds of things that I am ranting about. I am, however, saying that adults need to open their eyes and see that just because we're not the same age as them doesn't mean we don't know shit.
And now that I'm done with that, I'll leave you with some quotes from the article.
"Some colleges have expelled teenagers for violating codes of conduct after discovering photos of underage students posing in front of kegs or writing about drinking binges..."
"Blogs abound with seductive poses and confessions of love, hate, and everything inbetween."
"But lockable journals and triple-underlined threats of 'PRIVATE, KEEP OUT!' have given way to instant messaging, reality shows and a cyberculture that many adults find naive at best and exhibitionist and dangerous at its worst."
"'It's an open question, because students have been writing these things for years but have been doing it in their notebooks, where nobody would have ever stumbled across it.' he said. 'With blogs, it's a sign of things to come -- we're sort of testing the notions regarding free speech.'"
"Ironically, many teenagers are outraged or embarrassed when parents or other adults go to their sites. "I think they see it as a violation of their personal space,' sad Madeira's Cole. 'They feel as if their diaries are being read.'"
"Aftab said that even teenagers who work with her to warn others about the sites have their own sites. "Why in God's name would you have a Xanga site?", she asked one, and the answer was poignant.
'I'm in seventh grade,' the girl said. 'It's really hard to be in seventh grade these days. It's really hard if you're shy and you're not a cheerleader or extraordinarily popular. I travel, I take pictures, I write poetry. I'm a nice kid, and if I can write a profile that will make people notice me, why shouldn't I?'"
"'It's a very sad testimonial these days that a kid has to post something on a site where potentially 700 million people can see it in order to attract the attention of a kid two seats down.'"
"'They do less face-to-face talking, less phone talking, less playing outside than any other generation, and because of that, the Internet is real to them, but the risks aren't,' Aftab said."
"'Even if you weren't out drunk and partying on the weekend, you have to pretend you were.' Aftab said. 'Maybe parents should be relieved.'"
Not cut because it's not that long and I don't feel like it.