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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

A step in the right direction....MySpace has removed 200,000 objectionable entries to help quell fears of online teenage safety....to read more, click http://news.ft.com/cms/s/3f8a53d4-c01c-11da-939f-0000779e2340.html

It's good new indeed.....so let's hope it becomes the trend and admins/owners of similar type sites follow suit.

you hit the nail on the head I HATE myspace

I like to consider myself a responsible mySpace user. I'm 13, and I know that you're supposed to be 14 (Fourteen or sixteen? Whichever) to have an account there, but I hold myself above the others I know that use it, and consider myself more mature than a few choice people more than five years older than me. I don't have any of those ugly, cluttered, third-party layouts. I have the default, ugly, cluttered layout. I don't have any stupidly angled pictures, or my name anywhere on my profile. I do have a photo in grayscale, which I'm not particularly fond of, but, hey, whatever. I don't have an annoying emo song that plays when the people looking at my profile are listening to music on their PC and interrupts them, and I only have people I know as friends, aside from a few bands. Heck, I've denied friend requests from people at my school who I've never even talked to. Go ahead, bash mySpace all you want, I did before I got one. But I would like to say that it is a perfectly safe place, if you know what you're doing. Good post, by the way.

But I would like to say that it is a perfectly safe place, if you know what you're doing.

I think that is the crux of it there. Like the internet in general, there are far too many who don't know how to use it, yet they use it still.

Sounds like your MySpace page might actually be tolerable.

Sounds like your MySpace page might actually be tolerable.

I like to think that it is.

i admit, I have a myspace account. I. like Chapter 93, have it looking very bland. I don't even use my own pic - I use a pic of my favorite author, Miguel de Unamuno! It does come in handy to talk to those who use it, though.

I think that your mom did not spanked you like she should have. You just so full of yourself. Is there anyone else in your life that can consume some of your time. So sad to see someone who can do so much do so little. Yes I have been giving you shit over things you write although I do not believe that is the real you. I think you actually have potential so do not waste your life , make something good of yourself. I know you can do it , so do not prove me wrong.

I have a myspace...and I'm encouraging any single, young, good looking girls over the age of 18 to go ahead and track me down...I won't struggle too much.

Myspace isn't necessarily the problem...it's the people. They could hijack any other site and use it for their stupidity, it just so happens that Myspace is convenient.

~Zoo

There is just something about MySpace that attracts the ultra-attention whoring types. Teenagers, and not even teenagers, post all about their sexual conquests on MySpace, post ridiculous photos of themselves, and it really seems like a dangerous site for youth. Something about it just screams "sexual predator playground". There is an intangible about it that just pushes it over the edge of a normal blog site. Oh, and it is ugly as hell. Seriously, the pages are so poorly designed and laid out, so cluttered with crap, so full of refuse. Perhaps I am just being snobbish about the aesthetics of many of the Spaces. But there is just something about it that seems "off" to me.

you really don't get myspace. myspace isn't a blog site. you can blog if you want to, but it's not a blog site.

it orig. was a site for artists to freely display their work. it was started by some of the same people who started MP3.com. the format was set up as "pure personal democracy" as anyone who wanted to, even if they had no music or art to offer, could participate. the creators avoided some of the pitfalls that MP3.com presented, but in doing so, unintentionally created a spot where anyone could express themselves any way they wanted,,sans nudity. it was an easy and free way to get one's own page on the web.

mypspace is frequented by people of all ages. there are some safeguards that most teenagers utilize. they can set their profile to private, meaning , you have to know them or request "to be their friend" for someone to even see the page. of course, some kids don't utilize that stuff, but i believe that is more of an issue for their parents.

also, beyond privacy, the minor (or adult) with the private profile can require the "friend seeker" to 1st know the private profile person's last name or regular email to even ask the person to see their site. otherwise, no contact can be initiated.

again, not all kids take advantage of these safeguards, but many do.

of course, in "randomly" checking sites, you probably wouldn't see any of those kids. you would see the ones that ignore the safeguards.

also, the "freeness" of the site allowed everyone to be their own webmaster. some are good at it, most aren't. but that doesn't make the site bad, just honest, actually.

myspace is kind of the combination of MP3.com and AOL's "homepage." neither are a cancer, and the combination isn't either.

it's just something you don't understand.

do ya think it's more dangerous to set your kid up with a private, you have to know who i am to even talk to me site or send your kid to the mall or movieplex or whatnot, unescorted, where the perverts can snatch them away in an instant?

i'll take a parentally checkable and supervisable website.

it's kinda like seatbelts,,,they are there for one's protection, but not everyone chooses to use them. and when they don't, Gm or Ford or whomever made the car isn't responsible.

it's just something you don't understand.

You don't even understand your own incoherent ramblings.  Learn to read in context, and learn that you can't even begin to fathom what I do or do not know based on a single, random blog entry.

And maya: Many thanks for the continued publicity to some of my older articles.  Your genius, insight, and ability to know what I have or have not done with my life after reading a couple of articles is truly incredible.  That is to say unbelievable. 

In other words: bullshit.

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

same here...but im 19 so it kind of makes me an outcast, but i find it amusing when they struggle to answer the question "why do YOU have a myspace page?"

@ this thread stop overthinking about it - myspace is just an output of mainstream society and of those who wish to be associated with mainstream society...its the "cool" thing to do.

I am so glad I'm not "cool" enough to have a myspace. I'd rather dye my hair blue than to be associated with that nonsense. It drives me absolutely crazy seeing people in class on their laptops browsing myspace. I feel like banging my head on the desk (that and also because they're all using the default XP theme, haha). Do they have nothing better to do, things like paying attention? Honestly since we all have to fork out money to be there you'd think that paying attention to the lecture would be more important. *shrug*

I just think it's sad that so many people feel the need to jump on the bandwagon and make a myspace site (or anything else all the "cool" kids are doing) in order to "fit in." I'm personally content with being an outcast in that regard.

and I'm encouraging any single, young, good looking girls over the age of 18 to go ahead and track me down

Hmmm, I was thinking the same about girls under 18...   

Perhaps my comments are bullshit but you are hiding my friend and you miss the point. Yes I think you are incredible inteligent I just would like to see that you accomplish better things to do with your time. You see I am not healthy and out of work on disability. What would I not give to have my health back instead I am here trying to see if I can help someone with potential like yourself. When was the last words you spoke with your mother? How about your father? Without lecturing you take a good look to see how you are doing. Do you know that nothing happens without a reason? Well that is perhaps what is happening. There are many things in your site that I have found helpful for my own reasons. It is also you who put yourself down not I. Take a closer look my friend and you'll find the answers

Maya....there's a thin line between quasi-sociologist/philosopher and wanker.

I think you seem to want to keep crossing it.