MySpace is a disease

-or- spreading like a cancer

Published on March 17, 2006 By BlueDev In Internet

Yes, you heard me correctly. MySpace is a disease.

And not just a benign disease either. This is a serious, aggerssive, pernicious disease. One that seems hell-bent on taking over the internet. In fact, this vile, filthy, perverted disease has risen to be in the top ten sites globally. Yes, top ten English sites in the world. Like a particularly aggressive cancer, it is consuming all in its path.

Why do I call MySpace a disease? Just go over there and start looking at random sites. Aesthetically they make me want to puke and gouge my eyes out with rusty nails in turns. Cluttered beyond belief with no actual content buried in the dross. Abundant grainy photos that look like they were taken by fatally intoxicated, blind donkeys (no opposable thumbs) adorn most sites. Guys who look like they have glued a pair of pubes on their chin to make them look more manly epitomize the word "poser". Girls apparently striving to be the next big Playboy model toss up "glamour" shots of themselves willy-nilly.

But what concerns me the most are supposedly intelligent, bright people who are jumping on the bandwagon. I have seen a couple of prog metal bands that I really respect pimping their MySpace site. I suppose this just exemplifies the axiom that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Come on though! Did they actually even check out MySpace before they started their sites? Are these the people you want to attract? I suppose publicity is the key, and with the disturbing growth of MySpace they are sure to get that. But there is just something about MySpace that turns my stomach.

Oh, right, that disease thing.

Comments (Page 4)

moonsister

on Mar 22, 2006

But you do realize that you sound like your parents did about "that godawful music", right?

Of course I do. Every day I realize just how much like my parents I am becoming. Sort of sad, but oh well.

BlueDev, maybe that's the reason you've turned out as good as you have and the reason your chid(ren) will have a chance in this world. Same goes for the rest of us who had to endure our parents torture of not allowing us to go out and do stupid things that would harm us or get us killed. More and more parents have to keep a closer eye on children no matter how unfair a child thinks it is, it's our job. Be glad you are like your parents, they must have done something right.

BlueDev

on Mar 22, 2006

Be glad you are like your parents, they must have done something right.

To be honest, I am very glad. My parents, while very strict, did a wonderful job and there are lots of reasons I would like to be like them.

moonsister

on Mar 22, 2006

me too!

Dancing in the Rain

on Mar 22, 2006

"As for the '15 year old whores' comments, consider this; If they don't have an outlet for the attention and what they are putting up on the web, where else are they going to vent these needs for attention?"

I think this hits it right on. And it might not be the fault of the parents, or foster parents or gaurdians. But really what it comes down to is if they feel they need to seek attention elsewhere... myspace is just another tool to do so. And, in essence, where there's a will there's a way and they will find a way to do whatever they want whether we like it or not.

I was raised in a strict protestant home, yet I managed to get pregnant out of wedlock at 21. So. I can assure you from experience, you can do just about anything you set your mind to when you want attention. I think rather than blaming websites and music, we should instead look for ways to counter the "negative attention desired" and find ways to postively influence these kids lives today.
Charissa

AngelaMarie88

on Mar 22, 2006

I have seen a couple of prog metal bands that I really respect pimping their MySpace site. I suppose this just exemplifies the axiom that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Here, here. My brother (a self-proclaimed musician) has some stuff on MySpace. I couldn't help thinking of him throughout your original article. The trash that's out there...blech.

I managed to listen to about half of one of my brother's sound samples before I just had to turn it off.

http://myspace.com/pseudokiss Link

starkers

on Mar 22, 2006

As for the '15 year old whores' comments, consider this; If they don't have an outlet for the attention and what they are putting up on the web, where else are they going to vent these needs for attention? I speak from a relative amount of experience, as my sister rebelled very outwardly in highschool, effectively drivingmy parents insane.

Andrew, rebelling outwardly in high school and posting explicit information over the internet are hardly the same thing, as one pales in comparison to the other One is relatively localised and more easily monitored, managed and contained....the other more global and unmanagable because parents cannot anticipate the intentions of countless of perverts they cannot see, much less assess to be a risk and become vigilante of.

Yeah, 15 year olds may crave attention, just like anyone else, but they managed to satisfy that need before the internet became the method of choice....but more to the point, it's public knowledge that sexual predators frequent the internet to prey upon vulnerable children, so the owners/administrators of these sites should have some social/moral obligation to help protect these kids by immediately removing all sexually suggestive material posted by minors. Sexual predators have become far too brazen, without inappropriate information which suggests an open invitation from a willing participant.

MySpace is being abused by the kids who post this kind of stuff, then by the sickos who prey on them, but its also being abused by the owners/admins......by virtue of the fact they've done little or nothing to stop the inappropriate behaviour. Like I mentioned before, kids can and do take advantage of parental distractions to behave badly, something the owners of these sites must be aware of as they would not permit their own children to post such material, and thus, they should do for our children as they would their own, by removing the offending posts. Oh, and another take on the parental distractions, covert behaviour thing. In my neck of the woods, kids have a legal right to demand and receive privacy. For example, a child can forbid its parents to enter their bedroom....but worse still, I was threatened by police with charges of theft/invasion of privacy for confiscating the mobile phone I bought my step-daughter when it was discovered she was using it to arrange secret rendevous with the 28 yo male. Although I paid for the phone and technically own it, I had to immediately return it to her or the police were going to arrest and charge me as it contained messages sent to her. Now how stupid is that....I'm trying to protect her from an illegal and improper sexual relationship, and the cops took a hard line with me for doing what's morally right, whilst gift wrapping her a license to carry on regardless.

Oh, and for the record, my earlier comment was not saying anything like......

As for the '15 year old whores'

I was not calling anyone a whore but referring to a disturbing behaviour which is most unbecoming of girls that age

Charissa Kaschel

on Mar 22, 2006

sounds like you are being run in circles by the justice system. how ironic that while we call it the "justice system" the definition of justice is not what we would define it as. Perhaps it is the wierdos and psychos to blame rathter than the teens or their parents. BUT.... why are they that way???? probably becauise of their troubled childhood..... and who is then responsible for that?? their parents?? seems like a fiersome circle to me.

Charissa

starkers

on Mar 23, 2006

sounds like you are being run in circles by the justice system.

Run around in circles alright.....but not by any 'justice system' That no longer exists for parents and families....what we've got here is a bunch of ad-hoc laws that were thrown together to placate lobbyists and do-gooders, 'so-say' fighting for childrens rights/protection. However, the idiot powers that be have legislated in reverse....in that kids have far too many rights that put them at risk, and parents have been rendered powerless to protect them by insane laws that too frequently see them threatened with arrest and prosecution for acting in a childs best interests.
Furthermore, these laws regarding childrens rights, parental responsibilies, etc, are ambiguous to sat the least....there are too many ifs, buts and either ors to establish any real law and order.

Semantics play too big a big part....laws have been reworded with too many ifs and buts to allow kids far too many freedoms, and then there's the either/ors which allow the authorities to pick and choose what they will or will not act upon. And the last thing a politician, cop or judge wants is to be seen as coming down too hard on kids. It makes them too unpopular with the child activist groups and do gooders....and they can't have that, can they! No, their positions of power must take precedence over the welfare and better interests of our children....regardless of costs to families and society in general.

RPGFX

on Mar 26, 2006

I've never been there, and I won't give them the +1 on the hit counter.

Adamness

on Mar 27, 2006

I think a lot of this has to do with the obsession with sexuality, at least in America. Can't really speak for other countries.

We learn when we are little that nudity is awful and any mention of sex is taboo. The former Attorney General had a statue of the woman holding the Scale of Justice covered up because she had a breast exposed.

Naturally, when kids get older, they want to see for themselves what is so evil about sex. They find out that not only is sex not evil, but pretty good, so the over compensate with sleeping around and posting slutty shots on places like Myspace.

As someone said, Myspace is merely a symptom of a greater problem. Americans don't mind seeing someone get beaten to a bloody pulp in the most grotesque way on TV, but when Janet Jackson bears a tit, people go absolutely nuts. And yet, these are the same people who love the beer commercials of girls with artifical body parts 'fight' in a pool in their underwear. I guess a nipple is worse than the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

As for myself, I see no reason to post pictures of myself anywhere, and I'm not interested in seeing other's pictures. (Unless it's pictures of skins)

It might be because I grew up with my mom's paintings of nudes around the house, and going to art museums. I stare at attractive nude girls from 3-6 every Monday, but concentrate on the form, with no sexual thoughts. Er, usually not.

If you want to keep people from turning into Myspace whores, you'll have to attack a much deeper issue in our culture. I think the first step is to get people to go to an art museum once in a while.

starkers

on Mar 27, 2006

If you want to keep people from turning into Myspace whores, you'll have to attack a much deeper issue in our culture. I think the first step is to get people to go to an art museum once in a while.

The deeper issue in many coutries cultures is governments giving kids far too many rights and freedoms, thus stripping parents of their rights and responsibilities. All this does is create a vaccuum which kids are bound to take advantage of to behave irresponsibly, in the absence of authority, reasonable controls.

In bowing to child rights groups and misguided do-gooders, governments think they're doing kids a favour, but in reality, all they're doing is tearing away the fabric of society, fragmenting families and filling the juvenile courts to overflowing.

If we're really going to reverse these evil trends, we need to force governments to place responsibility for children back in the hands of their parents....after all who'd know what a child needs better than its parents. Legislators just create 'blanket' laws and throw them over all kids, while failing to take into account individual circumstances, needs, etc, and thus create more problems than they resolve.

It makes for a sad, sad world when kids believe they have a mandate from governments to do as they please, to divorce their parents and behave as adults without the life experience or maturity to do so responsibly. All too often kids these wayward are living just for the moment, what feels good at the time, and therefore are unable to assess the risks and/or consequences of their actions.

It's only when governments begin to give a stuff about the better interests and welfare of children that we'll see changes for the positive....kids in general with better attitudes and sites like MySpace being read the riot act for allowing minors to behave in less than desirable ways.

Andrew Powell

on Mar 30, 2006

I still have to disagree, respectfully of course. Based upon the experiences within my own family (extended included) I still have to maintain that the young women who put themselves out there as they do would likely turn to some other form of expression or stage for attention.

It's really not a matter of debate on whether or not it's healthy, or right. But it's there, it's available, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

starkers

on Mar 30, 2006

I agree that young girls seeking attention will eventually find it, and yes, there are always possible risks involved, but the internet provides them a worldwide audience, and within that audience there many more unknown quantities who use it to prey upon the vulnerable....kids who have the illusion of being adult, but lacking the maturity/life experience to cope with the consequences/risks involved.

To keep their desires/ambitions off the internet and more localised would help to reduce the exploitation of children....and someone has to stand up and be counted on that score.
Sure, parents need to supervise and take a stand, but we don't have eyes in the backs of our heads, so governments and community leaders, especially on the internet, need also to take a stand to be supportive of parents who are doing their best to protect their children. It becomes a losing battle for parents when the community at large seems not to give a stuff about kids in general....and sites like MySpace are allowed continue hosting inappropriate details/information from minors.

I hear too many politicians and others bumping their gums about ridding society of child abuse/exploitation, but when it comes to positive action I too often see quite the opposite....the turning of blind eyes and idly standing by because it's in the too hard basket, requiring more effort than they're prepared to give.

If this trend is allowed to continue, we're going to see wholesale teen pregnancies and more predators crawling out of the woodwork cos they have less and less to fear.
I'm seeing it in my neck of the woods more and more, whilst the government stands idly by and makes pathetic excuses as to why. It's just not good enough, so now I'm making inquiries with the U.N. to see if this government is in breach of international laws regarding the safety and protection of children.

seldomseen

on Mar 30, 2006

inquiries with the U.N. to see if this government is in breach of international laws regarding the safety and protection of children.

Watching this thread for awhile, and this seems like a huge move in the right direction. Will be interesting to see if there is any response, and what it might contain. I'm concerned about the kind of world my kids have inherited...right now they're only 8 and 10, but time flies. Thanks

starkers

on Mar 30, 2006

Seldomseen...if and when I get a response fron the U.N. I'll be certain to post it here for all to see. And yeah, you have every right to be concerned about the world your kids have inherited.....it has become too big of a playground for the undesirable and inappropriate.

It's all well and good for parents to fight and unite to combat child abuse and exploitation, but without the support of governments and community leaders, it an uphill battle that becomes increasingly difficult as more and more temptations and opportunities are placed at the feet of our children. It makes it too easy for them to stray.....far too easy for the increasing number who are willing to exploit them.

I know of at least 20 girls under 15 who are pregnant to much older men, yet the authorities here will not act without formal complaints from the girls themselves.
Now how stupid is that.....these girls are pregnant, the sick and twisted fathers have been identified, but a complaint from their parents carries no weight and is swept under the carpet, thus reducing our ability to protect our kids.

It's so hypocritical...that the very government, which has "Child Protection is Everyones Responsibility" posters plastered throughout its offices, is doing the very least towards that end. I have a 15 yo stepdaughter who is pregnant to a 28 yo man but now living with another, 25 yo man....and all we get from the Dept of Family Services is: "Oh well, be thankful she's not out on the streets....." It's a p!ss poor attitude that the government, despite a petition with 15,000 plus signatures, is unwilling to change. However, it's a fight I'm going to continue, until my dying breath if need be, and not just for my own, but all the kids at risk and being exploited.

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