Jennifer Lim
I think texting is one of the best conveniences that technology has brought us. But in seeing an article on msnbc.com, I was completely mortified by what human beings can make of such great things. An article on msnbc.com, “Teen ‘sexting’: Youthful prank or sex crime?” explains the problem of “Sexting,” which is the use of cell phones by kids to share “racy photos.” The article’s subtitle is, “With child porn charges being leveled, some say laws are behind the times.” According to the article, a 15 year old girl is facing pornography charges for sending nude photos of herself to other kids. A 19 year old Florida man got thrown out of college and registered as a sex offender for 25 years for sending like pictures of his girlfriend to other teenagers. One person says, “Kids will be kids, but that doesn’t make them criminals. This problem needs to be solved as a social problem, not a criminal problem.” How common is this “sexting”? The article says that “20 percent of kids under the age of 17 have admitted that they received revealing photos of other kids.”
In looking further into the article, things get more serious when Jesse Logan is mentioned. The article continues, although kids may not think there is any harm in sending pictures like these to boyfriends and girlfriends, there was a case about Jesse Logan, an 18 year old girl who killed herself after her ex-boyfriend sent nude pictures of her to other girls in her school. The girls harassed Jesse for months and the school officials did not take action to stop the harassment. She even told her story to the local television station, and when the harassment continued, she hanged herself last July.
Law enforcement is struggling with the question of whether these acts should be charged of child pornography. Another interesting point was that adults sharing this type of photos is not a crime and yet when it comes to kids, child porn laws are applied.
In reading this article, every aspect of it disturbed me. From the fact that a word such as ‘sexting’ had to be invented, or the fact that we live in such a world where teenagers think there is “no harm” in such acts, and also the fact that teenagers are being charged with such harsh sentences for acts adults are not punished for. This article also reminded me of the Vanessa Hudgens incident that happened not too long ago. A Disney star who’s a role model to many young girls all over the world displayed such behavior, and honestly, what can we expect of our teens today when the world, run by adults, is bombarding them through media, music, and advertisements that it’s all about money and sex? As someone who served in the high school ministry for couple years, this really is a prominent issue, along with the text bullying and even myspace bullying that I’ve seen in our own ministry.
This article came to mind when reading chapter 15 of Wolterstorff’s book, asking if a secular grounding of human rights is possible. Kant’s proposal was that “humanity is the capacity to set ends through reason” (326), and that it is this capacity for rational action that gives humans worth. However, every so often, as in the article above, it just seems to me that humanity, despite their “capacity to reason,” at times performs behaviors that throw out all dignity out the window. Are human rights owed to humanity just for having the mere “capacity,” no matter their conduct? According to Allen Wood, this is the case, “the worst rational being has the same dignity or absolute worth as the best rational being.” However, just as Wolterstorff points out the problem in this statement, I believe that a secular grounding of human rights is not possible. Human beings may be capable of wonderful and beautiful things but looking alongside at the absurdities of human conduct, I’m left to think that humanity deserves human rights and dignity, not due to our mere “capacity to reason,” but because no matter what we do, or how we act, God sees worth in us.
Article can be found at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29613192/
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Thank you for this posting Jennifer. You have brought up many interesting issues. I would like to focus on the charges leveled against the teens. It seems highly unethical to charge teenagers with child pornography when that same act for adults warrants no such charge. While in some cases this may apply, being labeled a sex offender is a serious crime and can ruin a life. It seems that a one size fits all approach to this issue will simply not work. The "crimes" will need to be evaluated on a case by case scenario. I think it is irresponsible and possible dangerous to be sharing such photos but it does not necessarily warrant a charge that will ruin a persons life.
ReplyDeleteGreat issue you raise Jennifer! As I work with children, teens and young adults, this issue is so relevant.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you tie it into the Wolterstorff reading and see the behavior as outlined in the article as an argument to discount a secular grounding for human rights.
As a Unitarian Universalist who has faith in the inherent worth and dignity of all people (our first principle), I wonder if you might reconsider your stance of the concept of a secular grounding for human rights was decoupled from the Kantian view of "capacities?"
I really appreciate your post, Jennifer. Judging by the number of responses you have received this is clearly not a subject most people want to delve into!
ReplyDeleteYour comments regarding human dignity as it relates to the issue of “sexting” appears to have two different components: the legal and the moral. Is it fair to use child pornography laws to try young adults who engage in sexting? And what kind of society have we created that even requires that we address this issue?
While these represent two different questions, I propose that they are both related and perhaps this has something to do with human dignity…I don’t know.
Around 2001 Dr. Judith Reisman, a researcher in the area of pornography and the law, created a report for the U.S. Department of Justice. In this report see presented a case for the legal restriction of pornography on the internet. Pornographers have used and continue to use freedom of speech as their argument against government intervention in the trafficking of pornography. Through scientific analysis and studies, Reisman demonstrates that because of the visual nature of pornography – and the way in which the mind can recognize pornographic images (within a fraction of a second) – pornography inherently subverts freedom of speech and therefore should NOT be protected under the First Amendment.
As I said, I’m not totally sure whether or not my discussion of Reisman’s work specifically addresses your discussion of human rights as it relates to sexting, but it does seem clear to me through Reisman’s analysis, if we are to discuss human rights, that pornography as a whole (specifically internet pornography) undermines basic human freedom within our society. Certainly this can be evidenced in the behavior of this current generation of young adults and their relationship with new technology.
The “sexting” that is going on amongst adolescents is indicative of greater issues. It speaks to a growing lack of respect that is prevalent in our communities and too much exposure to sex too soon. Perhaps more attention should be focused on the responsibility that parents need to take for their children’s actions? Children shouldn’t think it is okay to send a naked picture of themselves to anyone, and the fact that they do says something about what the parents are not talking about.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Chrystal. I think that you have hit on several issues that are at the heart of this problem.
ReplyDeleteTexting or Globally known as SMS(Short Message Service)is indeed a convenient way of communication. But lately in our nation it has become a curse. Increasingly our young adult population is heavily indulging in texting and exchanging sexually explicit messages and pictures. Even texting by itself has gone to a different level that school going children are more focused on the magnificent gadgets that they have rather than concentrating on the class or studies.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Seth to an extent and think laws should be impelemented but their severity should be on case by case bases and level of offense. This is especially discomforting for parents, as a father I would not want my child to be sexually exploited in any shape or form.
Jennifer, your blog does deal with many issues that underlie the behavior that the media has dubbed "sexting," as well as other equally disturbing behaviors by teens and others. Chrystal is correct - children shouldn't think it's ok to send naked pictures of themselves to anyone. Children should not even have the desire to do so. Too many children are behaving as adults - and not such responsible adults, either. Why don't the parents consider picking up the phones now and again and look through what their child has been doing? Do these parents ever look over their child's shoulder as he or she posts to MySpace or any other social networking site? Do the parents have their own MySpaces so they can be friends with their children in a way that encourages open exchange? Or do they feel it's a "kids place," and stay away? Unfortunately, there has been a trend toward worrying about whether or not a parent is invading a child's privacy when they keep a watch on their children's correspondence. Some parents are afraid of losing their children's affection/attention/friendship to the point that they let anything go. Is this part of the problem here? I don't know - I do know that diligence on a parent's part could at least curb a child's inappropriate behavior and alert the parent to inappropriate advances toward the child from outside.
ReplyDeleteStill, this seems to me to be only one symptom of greater problems in American society; the media obsession with sexuality as a selling point is one that I feel might contribute greatly to this particular issue.
It seems that people are receiving more power than they know how to responsibly handle at younger and younger ages. (I am reminded of the phrase “… like a monkey with a machine gun”.) The ability to communicate in words or pictures—and kind of pictures—with millions of people around the world is a lot of power. It unfortunately didn’t occur to us ahead of time that technology could easily be used in this way. With technology growing exponentially, I dread what we could be hearing about next. While the situation seems to be out of control, I think it is even more out of control to consequence youth (who will inevitably do rash and foolish things) with a sex offender designation that could potentially devastate or even endanger her/his life. I agree that these situations need to be handled on a case by case basis. Parents are ordered by courts to deal with other types of problems caused by their kids. For the most part, I think this should be the case here.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the root of the issue is why the youths are doing such things as “sexting” at all. If there wasn’t something morally, emotionally and spiritually amiss, they would be still be using the technology, but not in this way. It seems that, for one thing, there must be a lack of parental relationship and responsibility. Could a contributing factor, which is involved in many of our nation’s other woes, be greed? That is, have we as a people, been too focused on material gain at the expense of needed focus on our young people?
I also think our society’s obsession with sex is to blame. We passed encouraging a healthy attitude that allows honest discussion long ago and have had blatant public display for quite some time. Having been born in 1960, I have seen the period of emotional childhood and its innocence become shorter and shorter in our country. I have noticed that, more and more, innocence and naivete about anything by anyone, even very young people, seems to be regarded with contempt and cynicism. Modesty is regarded by many as a contemptible Victorian notion. While shopping, I have noticed that a lot of the styles even for girls in elementary school seem very sexualized. What is the purpose of this? I am hoping that one consequence of our country’s current crises will be that we as a people will really take time to reconsider our values, including modesty and moderation--which are not the same repression and poverty.
I don't think I could agree more with Jennifer or any of the responses posted. To me, sexting is a crime worth the federal penalty. It's a combination of prank phone-calling and pornography that is offensive. I believe that it is a merging of technology and this social obsession of sex, and I believe that if this teen does not get punished, it will lead to worse sexting crimes. On a side note, the mother of the teen sued the police department before charges were made, saying that the police have no right to limit her child's first amendment rights...anybody irritated?
ReplyDeleteDear Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteYou point out at a very interesting subject not only in United States but also there in all over the world kids are being brought up spoiled and not every kid but most of them have no manners. There’s lack of respect and the subject you talk about is the result of too much freedom given to the kids. For sure cell phone companies wouldn’t care because
of making money. Some parents are completely unaware of what their kids are doing. They are working. You know? So then teenagers only interest at that age is sex and anything to take advantage of them. So please don’t be surprised people make money even if the neighbor’s daughter hangs herself.
An interesting issue Jenifer ;)
ReplyDeleteEvery thing can be used in both ways, for constructive purposes or the opposite. People use narcotics for healing purposes others abuse narcotics by useing them for negative purposes. Therefore things are two-edged, its the human being who uses things according to their education or purposes. Therefore SMS or MMS services to can be used for better purposes than pornography.
As for punishing teenagers or not, my suggestion will be for comities who are responsible for child education, 1- To revise the educational systems in public schools. 2- To contemplate about the difference between freedom and righs. 3- To compare younger generations and their interests with youth of 'conservative societies'.