Library Lunacy
Gag!
I am at work but it's not like I can yell "GROSS!!" while sitting at the info desk, so I am posting this here.
There is the semi-creepy man, a "regular,", who comes here daily to use/abuse the internet. He is, I'd guess, around mid-50's, lanky and wrinkly with long, greasy, salt and pepper hair and dirty jeans. He is constantly on MySpace, cruising girls profiles and pics. I cannot see from my desk if they are actually women or just teenagers, frankly it's none of my business, but I am willing to bet they are at least half his age and probably barely legal. Especially based on the ASS shot I just saw.
I was helping the guy seated next to him and, as I was gesturing at his monitor to say "And here is where the volume control would be if we had it on these computers..." my naughty patron clicked into a MySpace alBUM, giggle, of some chick's backside. Three snapshots of a full length female, shot from behind, bare feet to ponytail. The young man I was helping saw it, his eyes widened and he looked at me for a sec like 'Uh...did the librarian see that?' but I didn't even blink, just finished my conversation with him and walked away.
Did the man do it on purpose, kinda like Internet flashing, to see how I'd respond? Was he just clicking through and accidentally happened on those butt images at the wrong moment? Doubtful.
I waited until the other patron left and then walked over and sat next to the pervy patron, who was still cruising MySpace. I am a touchy sort of person and would usually pat someone on the forearm or shoulder to get their attention but I was all business with this man. I said "Sir, when I was helping that other patron before I accidentally saw some images of nudity on your computer.I wasn't attempting to do so, but I just want you to know the library policy is that those kinds of pictures are not allowed."
First he said "Well, I was on MySpace and MySpace doesn't allow nudity!" so I said "Well, whether they allow it or not, I am certain that what I saw on your computer was, in fact, nudity."
Then he whines "Well, you just click onto someone's page and you don't know what you are going to get when you click their pics." And I said " I am fairly certain you need to go into a specific album to see their pictures, and whatever the case, please be careful about what you are viewing at a public computer." (You know, where there are other people, children - my children! - around!)
He was like "Look, let me show you something. " I said "Sir, I am really not interested." But he was like "Look, see here at my page my pics aren't in an album..." I did look to see what he was trying to show me, and his pics really weren't in an album. I just said "Whatever the case, I wanted you to know the library policy for the future." By the way, the profile pic he has on his MySpace looks like it was scanned from some snaphot of him, drinking beer in a can on a boat in like 1974. In it, he has to be at least 25 years younger than he is is now.
I am giving him the benefit of the doubt this time, as I have never before glanced up to see nudity on his screen. Anyway, being nice once just means i will feel even more justified to give him the boot if I catch him at it a second time.
On a personal level though, I hate to think what kind of crap he's selling to these young girls as he is constantly tap tap tapping away in the MySpace messenger box. GAG! I'd love to hear about him on that "To Catch a Pedophile" show some night, although if he is just looking at 20 year olds, that's definitely not illegal, just gross.
This is why my MySpace page doesn't display my zip code or town, and it's friends only. It makes me feel scared for all the "little" girls in my life, like my nieces and my daughter. The Internet is such an awesome resource, but it is also a terrifying playground for creeps like this!