Female Body Image

I stumbled into this article last night that reminded me of Tuesday's discussion about girls, led by me and Nushi.  This articles is regarding recent criticism of Jennifer Lawrence, the lead in the new Hunger Games movie, because she isn't "skinny enough" to play a teenage girl from a poor area.  Jennifer can be considered a role model to many girls.  Not only is her character the protagonist/heroine of the series that can very easily be considered a good influence, she is personally a moral young actress who believes that dieting is never the answer.  So not only is this criticism disrespectful to Jennifer (in no way is she overweight), it also sends negative, and potentially harmful, messages to young girls regarding their own bodies.  Just search her name on Google Images, and see for yourself; Jennifer is a very healthy, and average-sized, 21 year-old.  Yet even she is criticized.  So what kind of effect will this criticism have on today's youth?

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/03/jennifer-lawrences-body-criticism-toxic-psychologists-say/

Cultural differences in adolescent sexuality

After Thursday's class on adolescent sexuality, I decided to do some research on the cultural differences on sexuality, specifically among teens. By using summon through the TU library, I came across a very recent article that contained a lot of information on this topic. This is the link:

http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.temple.edu/science/article/pii/S1083318811002312


You may have to type in your TU portal information to get to the link. The thing that interested me most about this article was that its main point seemed to conclude that cultural boundaries and differences in sexuality are diminishing to a more uniform sexual culture among teens. It also discusses in the article that the media is a primary factor in this,
"Despite cultural traditions that are peculiar to different societies there is a growing globalization of sexuality and sexual behavior among teenagers, changes that are rapidly coalescing cultural responses to a primarily generational effect rather than the more traditional adherence to local cultural heritage. Electronic and digital sharing and merger is explored further below and appears to be developing into the most important influencing factor affecting future adolescent sexual behaviors.

Digitalization and technology mean that cultural isolation is less likely to occur and teenagers are exposed to information and influence in ways that would not have been dreamed of previously. The speed of change is particularly rapid as evidenced by the effects of social networking on recent political events such as in the Middle East. There is an increasing presence of sexuality on the internet, with the development of intimacy, the association of texts with sexual scripts, the emergence of cybersexuality as a sexual space midway between fantasy and action, and the question of boundaries and the location of the person in sexual interaction.¹⁶ An unpublished survey of teenage cell phone owners aged 12–17 years showed that as many as 15% had received a sexually explicit text (or sext) with 4% admitting to having sent sexts themselves."

The article goes on to further discuss media influence, among other very interesting factors within contemporary teenage sexuality. There are a lot of important and interesting topics in this article worthy of discussion, please tell me what you think of it and if you agree or disagree with the article.

Joshua Russo

All Blacks AND Whites - All PEOPLE - dervive from Africa

Going back to Sara's reaosn for not referring to Blacks as African Americans because she was informed that all Blacks are not descendants of Africa, I believe that Sinead's "Open Letter to America" regarding the Trayvon Martin case can provide her with further explanation.  The letter can be read here: http://www.evilbeetgossip.com/2012/03/26/sinead-oconnors-open-letter-about-the-death-of-trayvon-martin/ The transcript of her letter is as follows:

I would like to extend my very deepest sympathies to the family and other loved ones of murdered teenager, Trayvon Martin. I am very sad today (and am certain the whole of Ireland is) to learn of poor Trayvon’s terrifying ordeal and horrified by the fact his known and named and admitted killer has not been arrested, despite the crime having taken place a month ago. This is a disgrace to the entire human race.

For those out there who believe black people to be less than pure royalty, let me inform you of a little known, but scientifically proven, many times over, FACT. Which after reading, you will hopefully feel both very stupid and very sorry. For you dishonor your own mothers and grandmothers.
EVERY human being on earth, no matter what their culture, creed, skin colour, or nationality, shares one gene traceable back to one African woman. Scientists have named it ‘The Eve Gene’. This means ALL of us, even ridiculously stupid, ignorant, perverted, blaspheming racists are the descendants of one African woman.

One African woman is the mother of all of us. Africa was the first world. You come from there! Your skin may be ‘white’.. because you didn’t need it to be black any more where you lived. But as Curtis Mayfield said.. “You’re just the surface of our dark, deep well”. So you’re being morons. And God is having the last laugh at your ignorant expense.

If you hate black people, its yourself you hate. And the mother who bore you. If you kill or wish ill on black people, its yourself you kill and wish ill on. As well as the mother who bore you..


When you dishonor the the utter glory and majesty of black people, you lie. Your heart lies to you and you let it. Despite seeing every day, all your life, how you and your country would be less than wonderfully functioning and inspiring to the world, without the manifold and glorious contributions made by the descendants of African slaves, who did not by the way actually ask to go to America and leave their future families there to be disrespected for eternity..

What are you doing hating yourself by hating your brothers and sisters who daily show you nothing but inspiration and love, despite having NOTHING, in their own country? Despite having barely a chance of anything, because of racism. Despite being granted no ‘permission’ for proper self-esteem.
These beautiful people continue to believe in and even manifest Jesus Christ better than you do. That alone could stand as the greatest reason your racism is blasphemy, were it not for all the other reasons.
These people you hate and fear ARE the body of Christ, just as we all are. Every child, woman or man. And they know it. Maybe thats why you cant bear to look at them. Because you see Jesus Christ and you cant stand the light..

Stop this ridiculous and uneducated attitude. You would be dead without black people. Think of all the greatest music ever composed. The greatest songs. The greatest inspirational heroes.. Muhammad Ali, Mandela, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Soujourner Truth, Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Curtis Mayfield. So many absolute angels, sent from God.

Without the inspiration of these people many millions of so-called ‘white’ people, including myself would not have had the strength to pay the price of life.

And black youth in America. I’m talking to you here too. I love you. So I don’t mean to sound cross, I’m just being a mother.. Why are you killing each other? Why are you hating yourselves? You are the most important people God ever sent to this earth, every man, woman and child among you! Don’t let uneducated people win and take your self-esteem or your esteem for each other, and make you kill each other. over guns, drugs, bling, or any other nonsense.

You are now entering YOUR version of a sort of civil rights movement and you’re gonna see history being made in what has certainly the profoundest potential to become THE most wonderful country on earth. Because soon ALL ‘isms’ and ‘sits” will end. including racism, as the people of the earth begin to understand, we are all one.

We came from one mother. We are all brothers and sisters. And we CAN get beyond this ILLUSION of separateness. With prayer and love. It CAN change. It WILL change. And YOU guys (young people of all kinds) are the ones who are gonna GENTLY change it. And you know where it starts? With MUSIC.

Don’t be guided by rap. Gangsta or otherwise. Sure.. enjoy it.. adore it.as I do.. but realize this.. rap ain’t about your civil or spiritual rights, baby boys and girls. It.. along with most music nowadays.. is about falsenesses and vanities. Bling, drugs, sex, guns and people- dissing. Its giving you the message you ain’t ‘good enough’ if you don’t have bling and ting.. and money. Or if you’re not what it deems ‘sexy’.

Poor Curtis Mayfield must be crying all day and night ALL day and night in heaven, every day and night.. To see what has been so successfully achieved by those who sent guns, drugs, and bling to squash the civil rights movement. Now you all don’t have to be murdered by racists any more.. you’re murdering each other FOR them! And your parents and grandparents are left crying.
Go back to strong black musical guides who left you information in the 60s and 70s. when they were living through the civil rights struggle. Curtis Mayfield. The Impressions. Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson. Sing back the Holy Spirit ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as those artists did.
Forget bling. Forget “Get Rich Or Die Trying”. That is an evil message. Evil my dears is only life backwards. Turn it the right way up. With music. The messages American black youth are being given through music are not about the spiritual and therefore strong and conquering but PEACEFUL making of YOUR country into the wonderful place it secretly is and can be.. BECAUSE OF YOU, and BY YOU!!

You know not how you are adored, appreciated, valued, loved, cried for,smiled for, prayed for, all over the world. You know not how much inspiration and uplift-ment of heart you give to millions just by your presence on earth.

These musical guides will give you self-esteem. When you have self-esteem you can achieve anything. You can stand in the street as many did yesterday and change your country peacefully and with song. Chant down Babylon as the Rastas say. Rastafari will also give you self esteem. Investigate it.
You will notice, my beautiful sons and daughters, when you study, as you must, footage of all civil rights gatherings, how singing and music and sound and voice and the Holy Spirit were all employed and were so much part of the energy which moved things along.. just as running was in the South African gatherings I saw on tv in my own childhood, which inspired me to survive my own horrors.
What you listen to musically and whether or not you employ the Holy Spirit’s highest will for your life is whats gonna make you transcend all you’re having to suffer (the worst of which is low self-esteem.. or esteem based upon material ‘success’ or ‘sexiness’)) as a result of being the descendants of people who didn’t ask to be stolen and leave you where you are. Delete bling. Get conscious with your music. Demand conscious music from your artists. Go back to the artists who left you proper guidance.
This is some serious stuff and we (all manner of musical artists) are too silent on matters of enormous spiritual importance. Lemme ask you.. Jayzee and Eminem et al. Why was it always the black people only worked in the post rooms of record companies, which was always in the basement? Why was it that as each floor went up the skins got paler till it was fuckin ghosts at the top? And all us artists.. even me.. said nothing? Those buildings (record companies) always struck me as being a microcosm or painting of America, racially speaking. Christ almighty.. if its like that in the music business how is anything ever going to change?

We, musical artists are too silent on important stuff. And it is our job to be the gate-keepers of truth. ALL the people of this earth must come together eventually and see that we are one. ALL artists must stand up. Black, white, yellow, green, pink, fucking polka dot.. and be a light in these times.
The world is going to shift massively this year.. spiritually speaking. Musical artists are to be a massive part of that shift. Get up, lets all of us. And light Jah fire.. and BE lights.

Where’s the fire gone from music? Where is the love? the oneness? The knowing that music CAN and WILL move things in the right spiritual direction without hatred or violence? We must box clever. Sing the devil to sleep at your feet. Thats what Curtis teaches. He is the master of ALL musical masters. forget, forget, forget and forget again bling and guns and drugs and the worship of fame and money. Its time to wake up. We KNOW the power of music. Why aren’t we using it to change anything important?

Musicians all over the world should now gently demand this child’s killer be arrested immediately and the family of Treyvon Martin be immediately apologized to upon bended knee. Frankly. I myself would like an apology! America is a country I love and adore. what this man has done is un-American in the most horrific extreme.

Him not being arrested is extremely embarrassing and does absolutely NOT paint the true picture of of a country and a people who for the 90% majority are the kindest, most loving, intelligent, and wonderful people you could know.

Please.. ALL Americans should deplore this crime. As should ALL people of ALL nations. And deplore the fact this man has not been arrested. All Irish people should do the same. And I ask that we here in Ireland should express through our American embassy that we would like to see this man arrested this very minute. Because racism is not acceptable. Nor is vigilantism. And this was very clearly in no way at all a case of self-defense.

I leave you with some lyrics of Curtis Mayfield’s which I feel are appropriate for this situation. I am certain Curtis would have wanted to contribute to discussion on the issue of Treyvon’s murder and the condition of young black people in America today.. so here goes.. the song is called This Is My Country.. from the album of the same name.

Some people think we don’t have the right
to say its my country
before they give in
they’d rather fuss and fight
than say its my country
I’ve paid three hundred years or more
of slave-driving sweat and welts on my back
This is my country
Too many have died in protecting my pride
for me to go second class
We’ve survived a hard blow and I want you to know
that you must face us at last
And I know you will give consideration
shall we perish unjust or live equal as a nation?

This is my country.

Discriminative Disqualification?

After reading the article and watching "Straightlaced", both of which deal with sexual/gender identity, I found it interesting that I came across this article shortly afterwards.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2119786/Jenna-Talackova-Transgender-beauty-queen-kicked-Miss-Universe-Canada-pageant.html

It's basically about a transgender woman who was disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada pageant because she was not born female. There was a lot of outrage over this naturally, but it was later revealed that she had lied about being born female and only later admitted to having been born male. I think that, despite her dishonesty, this brings into light some more ethical questions regarding what is discrimination and how far should it be taken. After all, it's not like she would necessarily have an edge over the other contestants, at least not in my opinion.

Any thoughts?

Gay As An Insult

On Tuesday we talked about how guys use "gay" as an insult to degrade each other. Here is a video that I think is wonderful about why it should not be used as an insult. The part where he talks about using Gay as an insult starts at about 1:40 but I find the whole video fascinating.


What do think about what he says? If you watched the whole video, what do you think of his points?

Race and Identity

Hey guys, I thought this article was interesting in regards to our discussion of racial identity from last week. It discusses the banning of a book called, Mexican Whiteboy, from the Mexican-American studies classes in Tucson, Arizona. After a student read the book and related to it, she asked thw author to come speak to the class. The author discusses his difficulty with identifying with his mixed racial background.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/education/racial-lens-used-to-cull-curriculum-in-arizona.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=education

03/20/2012 Discussion Follow-Up

What's Up Guys?
      Josh and I enjoyed leading the class discussion, but wanted to build on the discussion that we were having towards the end of class concerning the reasons why teenage boys call each other "gay." In the Bros Before Hoes Article, the author states "the homophobia that defines and animates the daily conversations of Guyland is at least as much about masculinity as it is about sexuality." Such a statement explicates the fact that many boys utilize the term gay to insult the actions of other boys, not their sexual orientation. Moreover, the term "gay is utilized as a means to inform other boys of actions that defy the the basic rules of masculinity. Throughout the article, the author does not heavily discuss the sexual relations between two teenage boys, yet he frequently utilizes the term homophoia. However, this use of homophobia is different from the traditional use. In this context, the author utilizes homphobia to describe "fear of other men." With this notion in mind, perhaps, all boys infatuated with masculinity can be considered homosexual, even those that abide by the rules of guy code.

    Another interesting tool the author utilizes in the Guyand article is the reference to Eminem. In class we discussed why we believed Eminem felt the need to insult his enemies and opponents through the use of homosexual insults. The article I have posted below this passage discusses a situation that arose in 2009 when Eminem released his Elevator Song. In the song, Eminem pokes fun at celebrities such as Clay Aiken or Adam Lambert, both of whom are openly gay. However, Eminem deviates from his normal use of the "f word" and utilizes "fake it" to insult these celebrities. Many gay-news sites have deemed this action an attack at the gay community. Perhaps Eminem's actions provide evidence for the fact that boys are directly referencing homosexual behavior when they use the term gay.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1627699/whats-eminem-saying-about-adam-lambert-on-elevator.jhtml

Pink Legos

Hey guys. Amanda brought up the travesty of the rise of pink legos today and I thought it'd be a good time to share this youtube video on that exact topic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrmRxGLn0Bk

(part 2)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe65EGkB9kA&feature=relmfu

The speaker touches on a lot of the subjects we talked about today, especially the genderification of kid's merchandise.

Does Race Matter In This Case - Yes

By now you all should be well aware of the case regarding the murder of  Travoyn Martin, the 17 year old who was murdered by a neighborhood watch captain, George Zimmerman, after appearing to be "suspicious and on drugs" and as if he were about to commit a crime. All Martin was carrying was an iced tea and skittles.

The fact that this guy's murderer followed went out of his way to follow him because he looked "suspicious" while making racial slurs such as "coon" and saying things like "people like him always get away" and is still not charged in his death due to an "ongoing investigation" is pure buffoonery. Not only did he have no right to follow him NOR have a weapon, but his account of what occurred is obviously inaccurate. This case has been passed from police district to police district to now the feds getting involved and it took place almost 1 MONTH ago.

Here are a few links to look further into the case.

I felt it was appropriate after discussing African American adolescents last week.

1. http://bossip.com/559416/newly-developed-trayvon-martin-shooter-calls-him-a-c00n-during-911-call-video69691/

2 http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-trayvon-martin-cell-phone-conversation-20120320,0,6034511.story

3. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/20/911-calls-paint-picture-of-chaos-after-florida-teen-is-shot/?hpt=hp_c1

We found it!

Hey Everyone,

Of all things, I like science and proven fact in anything. And here is something that can answer almost every question of why humans, and specifically teens, do ANYTHING!

I have to thank a friend of mine on Facebook for sending me the link. Perhaps I am exaggerating, but I really enjoyed watching the first part of the video, and could only think the whole time how much it related to this class. The second part is much harder to understand, let alone relate to the class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbh5l0b2-0o&feature=related

Here is the link, enjoy!

Clark

Rutgers student convicted of invasion of privacy/bias intimidation

This case has lots of implications related to our discussions about the definition of teenager and what standards are appropriate for teens. In case you haven't heard, this student filmed his (male) roommate having sex with another man and invited friends to view it on the Internet. His roommate killed himself shortly after that occurred. He has been convicted of hate crimes, and his conviction carries a jail sentence of as many as 10 years and deportation to India. The headline for today's NY Times coverage read, "Verdict Repudiates Notion of Youth as Legal Defense."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/nyregion/rutgers-verdict-repudiates-notion-of-youth-as-a-defense.html
Do you think the verdict is a just one?

3/15 Class Discussion Follow-Up

Towards the end of class, Cori and I touched briefly on the question of whether or not it is human nature to label and categorize people according to multiple identities, and whether or not this is inevitable across time. Someone also commented in class (I think it was Clark? Maybe?) about TV shows like "Glee" which feature many different ethnic groups and stereotypes in an attempt to create a more accepting environment for everyone and educate the viewing public about the new emerging societal norms.

However, another question we had was if discussing/analyzing different groups (whether it be racial-based, sexuality-based, anything) and drawing attention to them actually creates more tension. For example, while "Glee" does focus on many different kinds of people (gay couples, people with disabilities, "nerds", "jocks", etc.), it also often illuminates problems they face that are specific to those stereotypes (such as the gay couples being ridiculed and exiled for their homosexuality). By drawing attention to specific problems within different groups instead of showing that they are problems that everyone faces, is it possible the media is actually being less open and accepting of diversity in its attempt at openness?

Adolescent Sexuality and Media Influence

During Tuesday's discussion led by Jack and Kufere I remember discussing the media influence on Rap music and negative connotations of African Americans in general. This led me to further investigate the power of media influence, particularly regarding adolescent sexuality. We all know that in the modern American society we live in sexuality has become increasingly prevalent, particularly in the media. Whether it be Victoria's Secret underwear models on television, teenagers having or talking about sex on television shows, or the "50 ways to make yourself more sexy" article in cosmopolitan, sexuality is everywhere no matter where you go. So what effect does this have on adolescence growing up in this sexual era? Certainly this constant exposure to sexuality does not restrict a young teenager to be less sexual. So to find a quick and easy answer as to what magnitude the media seems to be affecting adolescent sexuality I looked for an article that would contain a study answering this question. Surely, there were many articles written regarding this topic, so I picked this one as it appeared to be reasonably credible:

http://www.pediatricsdigest.mobi/content/117/4/1018.full

This study was done in North Carolina as an in-home survey on over 1000 teenagers, ages 12 to 14. Some interesting results were found, check out the first section of the article including the methods, results, and conclusions, and let me know what you think. I believe this topic is one that definitely deserves further discussion, so feel free to post articles or studies of your own supporting what you believe.

Josh Russo

Separate, but Equal: The School Cafeteria?

We did not have the chance to truly discuss Tatum's chapter on Black kids sitting in the cafeteria, but I would like to expound on it here. Interestingly, a teacher who I interviewed for my senior thesis commented on Central Catholic race relations by stating, "Among some of our students they can be -- there can be negative attitudes towards our Black students. I'll give you an example, you probably heard this many times. If a group of Black students are sitting together in the cafeteria that bothers White students . . . White students will say something like 'why are they doing that?'" Similarly, I have interpreted Tatum's analysis of Black students sitting together in the cafeteria as more of a White issue; meaning White students/administrators find it more problematic than Black students/administrators.

With the use of the school cafeteria and the condition of Black schools prior to Brown v. Board (pg 65 in Tatum's chapter on Black kids sitting together) How do you think Black America would have progressed if separate but equal was actual given a true chance? Is "separate, but equal" inherently unequal as the Supreme Court suggests or is it possible to truly have a separate, but equal environment? Is the cafeteria separate, but equal?

Why use the term African-American

I found yesterday's discussion on the identity of black adolescents vs white adolescents particularly interesting. There were many interesting points made; however, there was one that stuck out and left me pondering on whether or not the statement made was valid.

When discussing whether or not to refer to darker skinned Americans as Black or African Americans, Sara made a comment that she took the term out of her vocabulary early on because she was told that not all Black Americans have African ancestry and may come from places as Jamaica and so forth. I informed the class that I disagreed however could not get into the topic too deeply because of the amount of time it would have taken. I can understand why many people  who are not of African descent and those of African descent who are not properly educated on the subject may believe this to be true; however, the statement made is false.

For one, there is a term used known as the African "diaspora" which refers to people of African descent throughout the world which includes people from the Carribean and other countries. History shows that when slavery began, Europeans traveled to the continent of Africa and brought Africans back to the Americas and spread them not only throughout the Americas bu to other countries such as Jamaica. This caused children to be born in other countries other than Africa, which is why many say that their ancestors come from places other than Africa.

Despite this being true, Black ancestry can be traced back to Africa.

A great link of information is here: http://www.slaveryinamerica.org/history/overview.htm and there are countless history books, documentaries, and more that can further explain this complex subject.

Teen Crime and Punishment

I stumbled into this news article from the Detroit Free Press about a 14 year-old boy who recently shot and killed his mother, and I couldn't help but think of our prior class discussions regarding crimes committed by teens without fully realizing the consequences, the issue of whether teens should be tried as adults, as well as possible complications of an underdeveloped teenage brain.  http://www.freep.com/article/C4/20120308/NEWS01/303080002/Teen-accused-of-killing-mother-told-police-he-was-tired-of-being-called-names-?odyssey=nav%7Chead

The events right before the crime do not seem to have been out of the ordinary. Joshua's mother had asked him to retrieve medication for her--she was on dialysis for kidney failure and had to take blood pressure meds--but he ignored her and continued watching TV, so she told him, "You ain't going to be nothing." He went upstairs to his room, but she told him to come out, so he retrieved the gun from a locked office, went downstairs, and killed her. His mother's fiance, Chika Lewis, was in the home and heard the gunshots. Apparently Joshua fired one or two shots, paused as his mother probably fell to the ground, and then fired another six shots...yet he claims he didn't intend to kill her. Joshua even aimed the gun at Lewis, but only didn't shoot because Lewis was holding Joshua's 5 year-old sister.

It seems like Joshua decided to shoot his mother on a whim, without even thinking about the possible consequences. Whether he felt an immediate sense of satisfaction after firing the first bullet, or whether he simply became scared and didn't know what else to do during that brief moment, it is unclear why he continued to shoot the gun. However, I feel like his actions are largely caused by his brain. At 14, he probably lacks many vital problem solving and decision-making skills, which may have caused him to overreact to his mother's criticism of his actions. With this overreaction, he quickly decided that one way to fix things would be to punish--or hurt--her. Therefore, he grabbed the gun and shot her, but he did not intend to kill her. I feel like he either felt numbness as he carried out the murder, not realizing the full extent of what he was doing, or he felt a small amount of relief after hurting her so he continued to hurt her, again, not realizing how badly he was actually injuring her.

Controversially, Joshua is being tried as an adult and he faces life without parole if convicted. Regardless of the fact that he single-handedly murdered an innocent woman, and is fully aware that his actions were illegal, he is still a young teenager in the process of developing. His actions may have been caused by his brain development, but he is still a child who may finish his development and like the rest of his life in a jail cell. I believe he should at least have the chance of parole, even if it's twenty or thirty years from now.

I apologize for the length of this, but I really found this article interesting and debatable, much like the few cases we discussed in class like this. So, I just want to know how you guys feel about this individual case. What caused Joshua to murder his mother, and almost shoot his mother's fiance? How much of his actions would you contribute to his brain development? Do you believe he should be tried as an adult, or should his punishment be lessened a bit since he is only 14 years old?

Is Facebook Sexualizing Young Girls?

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/facebook-sexualizing-young-girls-183300178.html

In this article posted above, the author poses the question of whether social media, namely Facebook, encourages tweens and teens to act more overtly sexual. From what we've covered thus far in our course, I am reminded about our discussions regarding social acceptance, sexual identity, and the effects of the media on the female body. I think that technology and Facebook, just like MySpace before it, all publicize and intimate the social circles of peer groups and the lives of adolescents. It's a space quite similar to the high school cafeteria, but with the advantage of publicizing only the aspects of your life, appearance, and person that you feel will increase your social status.

So, what do you all think? Does social media just create a space for teens and tweens to "express" themselves, sexual identity and all (the same way they would even without this avenue), or is there something about the way these websites are designed ("likes" or "pokes" on Facebook) that encourage sexual behavior from teens and tweens?

Do We Need Social Media?

Hello All,

What ever happened to face-to-face talking? And why do people believe it is necessary to twitter what they are doing every single moment of their day? Should we even have any of these things? I may be a tad nostalgic, but sue me if I prefer speaking to people in the real world.

• http://www.mensfitness.com/stuff/fashion-and-trends/social-media-is-more-addictive-than-smoking
• http://nycgrl.hubpages.com/hub/Why-I-Find-Twitter-to-be-Useless

Above are two instances of people saying that social media - namely Twitter and Facebook - are completely useless or at least need to be toned down. The first talks about a study put on by the University of Chicago who outfitted 205 people with Blackberrys and messaged to ask them about their urges. Social Media was the #1 urge they could not resist, right after smoking and drinking. They were able to resist sexual and spending urges. The scientists attributed their inability to resist to social media's availability.

The second link goes to a girl's rant against Twitter, but she does bring up some good points. Her last one relates the best to my questions. "Twitter makes people anti-social. Why should you have to actually SPEAK to people when they can just read your tweets?"

Conversely, here is a link to an argument for social media.

• http://www.socialmediavision.com/why-facebook-and-twitter-status-updates-are-not-useless/

Garret Pierson argues that those who rant against social media are usually the "emo's" and that:

"The funny thing is mostly the people who do complain about this rant are usually users who have not found a benefit in using Facebook or Twitter and merely have an account just to have one. They maybe update their account once every 2 weeks and has less than 50 friends. However there are your emos and haters who just like to bicker and rant on things."

While we let this flawed logic pass by, lets continue to look at the rest of his argument:

"The main point in displaying these updates are to open up conversations and provide the lead for engagement... [m]ost people don’t realize that this is an excellent way to strike up a conversation and a perfect time to engage so that you are effectively using your Social Network to its full potential. Why let anything go to waste when your not using it at full potential? That’s like buying a [f]ast [e]xpensive [c]ar that just sits in your garage."

I will grant that social media allow that which is in bold, but was that much of an improvement over the old way of doing things? I'm talking about phones, emails, letters, and regular talking! After this, he does make a point I like:

"Now some people may say that some updates are too excessive?

Yes I do agree, some people need to learn The Ultimate Social Media Etiquette Handbook by Tamar Weinberg[.]"

Apparently people needed a handbook to learn regular etiquette for any social interaction, but then again someone came up with the idea in the first place, which would mean that the author got the idea from seeing horrible interaction.

All in all, my point is that while social media is an interesting thing to do, it is hardly a replacement to emails, letters, phones, or regular talking which can do all the same things. Except Farmville.

What are your thoughts?