I ain't no DOPA

Want to read something much more ridiculous than this blog? Check out the Hate Mail sent to Bobby Henderson concerning the Flying Spaghetti Monster and Pastafarianism in general:
http://fsm.typepad.com/hatemail/

The irony of people simultaneously telling Bobby that he should embrace the love and forgiveness of the Lord, and then telling him that he's going to rot in hell after they murder him is almost too much to bear. If you're looking for some entertainment, this is a one-stop shop. An all-you-can-eat buffett of idiocy, if you will.

Speaking of idiocy, has everyone heard about DOPA? It's already passed the House of Representatives - I'm worried it won't be challenged much in the Senate. I guess my love of libraries and of intellectual freedom makes me want to kick people in the nuts that support bills like this. MySpace didn't invent the online predator - it only invented poorly designed websites for kids with nothing else better to do than look at their friends' pages repeatedly until their eyes pop out. Oh, and to play a loud and annoying song anytime you view a page. That's just standard.

My point is, social networking sites (like MySpace) can either be fun or annoying, but not evil. People are evil. If we want to stop online predators, we need to teach our children to be wary of people they don't know who might want to talk to them on the internet. There are ways of hiding certain parts of your profile; people who aren't your "friend" shouldn't have access to that information. And for goodness' sakes, don't friend people you don't know, especially if you are under like, 16. Parents (yes, parents) need to start paying attention to what their kids like to do on the internet - not to stop them from enjoying it, but to help them understand the consequences of leaving yourself unprotected. It's the same thing as not talking to strangers... just because they are online, doesn't mean they are any less threatening.

I get so angry when people start blaming websites for their lack of parenting skills. My mother threatened my life when I started getting online - I knew that if I put any of my personal information out there, my mother would somehow magically find out and whip my ass. As a result, although I still IMed with some seriously creepy people (They contacted me first! I was trying to be nice!), I never, EVER gave out my full name or other personal information.

Sigh - I guess I'm just blowing smoke here. But let me assure you, it will be a sad day when libraries and schools are forced to ban perfectly harmless and potentially educational websites because of poorly written legislation that isn't going to stop the real problem.

Meanwhile, I'm going to go read more "Christian" hate mail, and decide which I dislike the most: DOPA or organized religion.