Interesting article I read in today’s USA Today: How what you can say online can hurt you. The article sights several examples of people getting suspended from school or expelled or have had job offers rescinded because of what they said on their web pages.
Totally insane. There is a part of me that thinks, “Well, if some goofball kid says that he’s gonna shoot up the biology class on Myspace, you wanna put the kabosh on it quickly.” On the other hand, I don’t think kids should be penalized for what they say on the Internet on their own time on their own computer, no matter how evil and mean spirited it is. I do believe in the unrestricted application of the First Amendment across the board except in cases of libel or slander. I just think that, in most cases, that someone of these people are thin skinned school officials that forget the fact that kids are going to hate them and talk smack. The only difference is that nowadays, the forum is bigger and global. As long as there aren’t any open threats to self multilation or violence or any illegal activites, the fact that some high school kids hate their homeroom teacher isn’t cause to put a boot to their necks.

Still, you have to watch what you say and post on the Internet. For example (and I know that I’m going to get in a lot of trouble for this, but here goes anyway), I’m extremely amused when I can the websites of Myspace and see pages with photos of young women who are in their underwear or Wonderbras. Then these women start complaining about the responses that they are getting from guys. Am I missing something? Don’t get it twisted. Lord knows that I’m a far from a prude. We won’t even talk about the coolness that are breasts. It is not appropriate for total strangers to hit you women up offering you’re a pearl necklace and a facial when they’re not talking a trip to Tiffany & Company and your local day spa. On the other hand, dressing a certain way gets a certain response. In a perfect world, women should be able to dress any way they want to and be respected. However, this is not the case. In the words of George Carlin, you have to deal with things as they are and not how it “ought to be”. We all know how men are. We are human beings with rational minds and can choose our behavior. However, the biological imperative of all males in any species is to spread their seed among as many females as possible. So, based on that, some guys have really crude and annoying behavior. If you are going to put up your best Victoria Secret model photos, don’t be surprised when the dudes that haven’t got laid since the Regan administration come out the woodworks with propositions of sex. Then again, it’s easier to hit on girls on the Internet. More than likely, half the guys wouldn’t be as crude if they had to say that stuff to a girl’s face. Who knows?

My point is to watch your ass on the Internet. You never know who is watching…or reading.