Last night I happened to catch one of Dateline NBC's reports on internet predators. I'd seen the commercials and somehow managed to miss all the ones before. After this all I have to say is wow. It is completely incomprehensible just how sick and twisted the members of our society have become, what's even harder to reconcile is the fact that maybe they haven't become sick and twisted, maybe they've always been that way...this seems a lot more likely to me. Maybe this sick, twisted, predatorial nature has been incubating under the surface, under the radar, under our noses forever just waiting for the proper moment to open up, waiting for the proper tool with which to bring chaos into our world, the internet.
There are so many things about the broadcast which upset me, I'm sure I couldn't list them all, but the most pressing is the fact that sooo many men, this complete variety of grandfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles, fireman, rabbi, teachers, husbands, young, and old all managed to find their way into the crosshairs of pedophilia, or rather place the crosshairs of pedophilia onto the children in our world. They each upon realizing who they were really meeting, a reporter and news crew, made excuses, called on God, zipped their pants and declared their desire to counsel these children on their misguided internet ways...bullshit.
How can people have such little respect for our children. How can a 40 year old, beer carrying, father of 2 drive 2 hours, walk up the lit path to the supposed home of a 14 year old whose parents are away for the weekend, and unzip his pants in the doorway. Hell not even all of those, who would do even one of those things? Well it appears that a lot of people are doing those things, people we never expected, the people we love, the people we look up to, pray with and offer ourselves to. How can we be sure of anyone anymore, how can we trust in a society that is full of these predators? Most importantly how can we protect children?
I distinctly remember my first times on the internet, I would stay up until the crack of dawn to talk to as many people as possible. I know that regardless of whether you initiate conversation or even respond to conversation each and every person who has ever chatted has been propositioned with some sexual activity, a lot of us as teenagers were chatted up by older men. There were several times where upon discovering a persons age I would have to block them in order to have their harassing messages cease. These people are bold, brazen, ignorant, and relentless. I also know that as a teenager who sought friendship from other teenagers the internet does several things. It creates a misguided trust in people, it allows a false sense of care, respect, and appreciation that many teenagers may lack at school or at home. It creates secrecy, minimized screens, and an open assault that can fall under the radar, many parents never even realizing until it is too late.
How do we teach our kids that they are significant, that they don't need to seek validation or gratification through digital boxes and the words of strangers? How do we properly monitor the MySpaces of our world because it is quite obvious that the owners aren't properly equipped to do so, or maybe the lack isn't in equipment but care and effort. How do we ensure that when we leave home people aren't sneaking into the back door, or for that matter when we are home that people aren't coming in through the phone lines or cable lines and violating us and our families? How do we know that the baker, coach, policeman, doctor, neighbor, cousin aren't really out to hurt us in the end? And how do we trust in a humanity that is inevitably flawed?
**fiRefLY**
There are so many things about the broadcast which upset me, I'm sure I couldn't list them all, but the most pressing is the fact that sooo many men, this complete variety of grandfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles, fireman, rabbi, teachers, husbands, young, and old all managed to find their way into the crosshairs of pedophilia, or rather place the crosshairs of pedophilia onto the children in our world. They each upon realizing who they were really meeting, a reporter and news crew, made excuses, called on God, zipped their pants and declared their desire to counsel these children on their misguided internet ways...bullshit.
How can people have such little respect for our children. How can a 40 year old, beer carrying, father of 2 drive 2 hours, walk up the lit path to the supposed home of a 14 year old whose parents are away for the weekend, and unzip his pants in the doorway. Hell not even all of those, who would do even one of those things? Well it appears that a lot of people are doing those things, people we never expected, the people we love, the people we look up to, pray with and offer ourselves to. How can we be sure of anyone anymore, how can we trust in a society that is full of these predators? Most importantly how can we protect children?
I distinctly remember my first times on the internet, I would stay up until the crack of dawn to talk to as many people as possible. I know that regardless of whether you initiate conversation or even respond to conversation each and every person who has ever chatted has been propositioned with some sexual activity, a lot of us as teenagers were chatted up by older men. There were several times where upon discovering a persons age I would have to block them in order to have their harassing messages cease. These people are bold, brazen, ignorant, and relentless. I also know that as a teenager who sought friendship from other teenagers the internet does several things. It creates a misguided trust in people, it allows a false sense of care, respect, and appreciation that many teenagers may lack at school or at home. It creates secrecy, minimized screens, and an open assault that can fall under the radar, many parents never even realizing until it is too late.
How do we teach our kids that they are significant, that they don't need to seek validation or gratification through digital boxes and the words of strangers? How do we properly monitor the MySpaces of our world because it is quite obvious that the owners aren't properly equipped to do so, or maybe the lack isn't in equipment but care and effort. How do we ensure that when we leave home people aren't sneaking into the back door, or for that matter when we are home that people aren't coming in through the phone lines or cable lines and violating us and our families? How do we know that the baker, coach, policeman, doctor, neighbor, cousin aren't really out to hurt us in the end? And how do we trust in a humanity that is inevitably flawed?
**fiRefLY**
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