The Evil Facebook
No matter how hard I try to avoid the news, the stupidity of the world still manages to catch up with me one way or another. Earlier today, I was about to make a Yahoo search and I caught this headline: “New York investigates Facebook over user safety.”
Ok, my first thought is that this is an idiotic statement, as Facebook is nothing more than a social networking site and there is no way it can actually harm anyone, as it isn’t even physically there. But, of course, you can probably guess what they’re on about. An excerpt:
“In recent weeks, investigators conducted undercover tests of Facebook’s safety controls and procedures, posing as underage users. The investigators found they were solicited by adult sexual predators and could access pornographic images and videos, Cuomo said.”
Now, I’m about to rant about how this is completely stupid, but idiotic as this is, here is a statement that takes the idiocy prize: “the Connecticut Attorney General told Reuters his office had learned of ‘at least three’ convicted sex offenders on Facebook’s site and said that may be the ‘tip of the iceberg.’"
Oh, really, you mean that a website that has millions of members also has 3 convicted sex offenders as members?! Nevermind that, oh, any random sample of millions of people is probably going to have at least 3 convicted sex offenders. It shouldn’t take a lot of heavy investigation to discover that Facebook has them too, especially since there is no reasonable way for them to prevent sex offenders from joining. And, for the record, most sex offenders aren’t repeat offenders, and, I know this is probably the most controversial thing I’ve ever said on the diary, but if a man guilty of fondling a 12-year-old serves his time, should he really not be allowed to have an existence for the rest of his life?
Further, most kids who are sexually abused are abused by their dads, and the vast majority are either abused by a family member or someone they know. The percentage of kids who are actually sexually abused by a stranger is incredibly small, nevermind the percentage of kids who are sexually abused by a stranger that they met from online. So, all this mass paranoia is doing is teaching kids not to trust people with very little benefit.
Now, understand, I’m not trying to belittle the reality that is sexual abuse or condone it in any way. My point is simply that investigating Facebook is not any sort of solution. And the whole argument of “children may be exposed to pornography” is absolutely absurd –there’s pornography all over the internet, I run across it all the time unintentionally, and Facebook is one of the few places where I actually haven’t.
To be honest, I’m not sure exactly how we should combat sexual abuse, but the hysteria that leads to investigations like these is ridiculous. The truth is the vast majority of kids go through life without being seriously sexually abused (unless you use statistics that count things like showing some R rated movies as sexual abuse) and, while it’s certainly not a problem we should ignore, there are bigger issues that our children are facing on a day-to-day basis that need to be focused on, too.
Addendum: I realize some people are more concerned with children simply being exposed to inappropriate content and not so much actually being abused by someone from online, but, really, why Facebook? Doesn’t having an e-mail account make every child vulnerable to getting pornographic spam? Doesn’t OD make children vulnerable to being exposed to inappropriate content? I come across much more offensive material in my inbox and even on OD than I do on Facebook.
Oh, so very agreed. The emotional part of me wants to get all in an uproar about sexual predators who prey on children, but the rational part agrees with you. And teaching kids all this paranoia is definitely not beneficial to society at all–who are we going to trust, if we can’t even trust our fellow human beings?
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Oh how I hate Facebook and MySpace. Loathe them! I agree with you too though. I think any intelligent person would. Ah society. ~I’ll be
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i like facebook and myspace, and those sites that there are possibilities of sex offenders being present and seizing an opportunity. i find it highly unlikely, unless your kid is posting pictures of themselves that would make them look provacative or sexy. …. it’s just silly. it’s the INTERNET. the only way to make it real is to make the choice that you’re gonna give this person the infoto find you. so stupid. stupid stupid people.
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I have kids, girls even, and I agree.
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I’m more offended by what I stumble across in diaries of purported 13- to 16-year-olds than what’s in the diaries of people my own age and older. For whatever that’s worth.
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i’ll second that. my personal suggestion is to lock every child in a room with no electronic stimulation of any kind. better scrap the books as well. better yet. destroy the planet and all the sexual predators will die off. i think there may be more sexual predators in Congress than on facebook. just my thoughts.
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Oh, how very, very, very dumb.
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RYN: Actually, “Yours For Now…” took me off her favorites list, so you can settle on the fact that you’re liked more than me. Though I don’t blame her, I fail to note miserably though I do try to read people as often as possible. Yes, she’s no longer mine for now, she’s all yours!
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I completely agree with you on all points. I used to enjoy the show “To catch a predator” until I realized that although these guys have mental issues and need help, they don’t deserve to be ridiculed and destroyed on national television by a reporter trying to make money and ratings. Sometimes people in this world let fear swallow them to the point that they start mistrusting everything…
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RYN: I’m pretty damn chubby, I suppose, verging on Actually Fat. Some people, including myself, would consider me Actually Fat already. But the weird thing is, just now it occured to me that I wouldn’t think someone who was a heavy me was Actually Fat. This doesn’t make any sense. Nor does it change my opinion of myself… I guess my face is okay, though. I dunno. You’re probably right.
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My brother told me how fat I was for millions of years and even though there were some fat girls, fatter than me (I didn’t start getting chubby until fifth grade) amongst the popular girls at my grade school, they considered me fat… It’s weird. But I think a lot of it must be, must have started with, brainwashing. And now is a prophecy fulfilled, I suppose.
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I don’t think I even have any full pictures of myself, at least not any on the computer. But trust me, I would be very comfy to cuddle with, if that’s what you’re curious about. :)! You keep that in mind… *ominous eyebrow wiggle*
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Pretty stupid.
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So true about the last part.. didnt know u had facebook… I hate myspace but i LOVE my facebook!!!
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Well, in your defense, you at least got the memo.
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RYN: Oh, Matt, I do hope you’re joking. I just don’t feel good so I’m fecking off to bed now. Feck is Irish for lots of things. It is not comparable to “f*ck”.
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Oh, there was never any doubt.
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On the other hand, he may very well be watching for the hot, middle-aged babes. That’s manly, right.
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RYN: I do not feel bad that he has a girlfriend…she was the “other woman” before…if you are stupid enough to think he cheated with me but not on me, than you deserve it. I do feel bad it was in and on her car because, well because it’s her property. That’s like having sex in somebody else’s bed.
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Yup, I completely agree. 😀
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Worry no more, Matt. We’re done. I decided this today when he told me he’d been furniture shopping for a futon because “we have this room in the house” where they could put it if “we get guests” over….furniture shopping with a wannabe ex-wife isn’t too promising for your girl on the side, right? I was somehow so heartbroken I could have cried. But you guys like the thrill of the chase, right? I was way too easy. So, now I’ll play hard to get, but I’ll end up being too hard to get, and that’s just how it will work. Ah, life. ~I’ll be
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Thanks for your note. You’re right. I just assumed that he was in the process of getting a divorce but it seems more like he knows that they will eventually get around to it. He has court stuff going on for other marriages/children right now, so, bleh. ~I’ll be
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ryn- god, i wish i knew. i so wanted it. i regret not letting it continue but i would have regretted it otherwise. i think maybe it’s the fact that i don’t feel completely secure unless i’m in a relationship with the person and know that they care about me. i hate this about myself because i don’t even want to be in a relationship at present… but, you know, a girl’s got a need to be sexually
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fulfilled. it really sucks that i’m so crazy the way i am. poor guy. i was sending him so many mixed signals. on another note, i enjoyed this entry. very true.
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i totally agree here. FACEBOOK with porn? I’ve never heard such of thing. Everyone I know has private facebooks, and we don’t talk to people we don’t know because for one WE DONT KNOW THEM, and two…they normally just add you and never talk to you. If a kid comes across porn on facebook…BIG DEAL. Porn is everywhere. I doubt bigtime that they’d be ruined for life. Sex offenders are everywhere
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wouldn’t you rather them come into contct with kids through the internet where there is no physical contact rather than have them be the childs drivers training teacher or something?
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RYN: I just wish I hadn’t been so dumn as to leave my diary open to non-OD members. It’s really my own fault he was able to look at my diary, though of course one shouldn’t have to go around suspecting the people are going behind them on computers to spy on them…
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if I make it to 40 who to sleep with will be the least of my worries!
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Approximately 90% of sexual abuse is committed by people known to the child. Approximately 80% of sexual abuse is committed by women. These are the stats; one wonders why nobody cares.
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Congratulations on your perfect health and lack of anything in the world that has ever or will ever hurt you. Now fuck off.
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Now I just think you’re being sarcastic. But I don’t mind sarcastic. I just – work has been hell this year. And you don’t even work!
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Oh, longer note. Yeah, you’re right, and I expect any whingy comments from me about my lack of a sex life or summat to be met with equal fury, or maybe less, because you sleep more and are calmer. (The only competition I tried to win with you was the gay competition, and I’ve frankly floored you!)
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So. I leave sunday. You should get together with me tomorrow. 🙂 cause you looooooooove me. i’m going to buffingtons tonight. if you want to come. 🙂 anyway. give me a call and let me know.
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ryn I plan on it, but I think it will be a little tougher this year since I’ve gotten so busy. That countdown she posted to next month is almost like a swift kick in the pants, though. We’ll see what comes out.
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RYN: I like the name David. The other names were entirely random. And also because my mom wouldn’t talk to me if I named them Peerless, Beneficent, and Alacrity, like I really want. *deadpan*
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You haven’t updated in nine days. What do you have to say for yourself?
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Come back! P.S. You will always be my Netflix friend! Even if I’m nervous to recommend videos because you are not as easily amused as me, it would seem. BUT I WILL BE DARING.
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call, we need you desparately!
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I think that makes perfect sense and why didn’t I see that earlier? ~I’ll be
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