The Death Of Common Sense
That's what happens when adults catch teens sexting each other. I blogged about this a few days ago, but I can never resist reading my friend Nancy Rommelmann's writing, so I'm linking to her reason article on sexting:
This practice might be considered relatively harmless, the 21st-century version of "you show me yours, I'll show you mine," if it weren't for federal and state laws that deal harshly with those who traffic in child pornography. The federal statute criminalizes the production, distribution, and possession of images depicting underage subjects engaged in sexually explicit conduct; depending on the charges, it mandates sentences of five to 30 years in prison. Because the technology that allows sexting is new, age-appropriate punishments have yet to be hammered out. Instead, laws designed to thwart middle-aged people who prey on children are being applied to the children themselves.Sexting cases are piling up in courtrooms across the United States. Three Pennsylvania girls, ages 14 and 15, who took semi-nude pictures of themselves with their phones and sent them to their boyfriends are awaiting trial on charges of distributing child porn. (The boyfriends are charged with possession.) Last October a 15-year-old Ohio girl was taken in handcuffs to a juvenile detention facility after sending nude photos of herself to classmates. "I wasn't really thinking when I did it," she told the court, which threatened felony charges that would require her to register as a sex offender, charges that were dropped when she agreed to have her cell phone and Internet use monitored. Two teenagers in Florida were not as fortunate: In 2007 a state appeals court upheld their convictions for producing child porn. Although the pair didn't pass around the snapshots, which showed them engaged in an "unspecified sex act," the judges found a "reasonable expectation that the material will ultimately be disseminated." Were that to happen, they observed, "future damage may be done to these minors' careers or personal lives." They did not say anything about the potential impact on their lives from a child pornography conviction.
Alex's case isn't even the first to arise in his part of the country. Genesee County, with a population of about 60,000, has seen "a dozen, 15 maybe" in the last two years, according to Assistant District Attorney Will Zickl. "I'm glad they didn't have this technology when I was in high school," he says. "Once you put your image out there, it's out there. God knows where it can go. As computer-savvy and Net-savvy as kids are, they don't think about that."
Or maybe they do, and they just don't care. While it's hard to argue that it's an awesome idea for teenagers to launch pictures of their genitals into cyberspace, the sheer number who do so suggests that they don't share the concern for privacy that held sway over previous generations. When they close their bedroom doors, it is not necessarily to be alone. It might be to hook up with the whole world.
There is a difference between nudity and actually being engaged in sex.
I was 11 and my cousin was 10. She told me to follow her to the back yard as she was going to "show me something."
She went behind the sheets hanging on the clothes line and pulled up her shirt. Should I prosecute her?
Just so everyone knows how the story ended.
I got scared and ran away. I knew we were not supposed to be doing that. I don't think either one of us are scarred.
David M. at June 5, 2009 6:01 AM
It makes perfect sense to me, rather than let some poor kids life possibly be ruined in some unknown way at some unknow time, lets throw them in jail where they'll be molested andraped, and lable them child sex offenders when they get out to insure they cant possibly ever do anything to ruin their lives on their own
Makes perfect sense.
Situations like this will contine to happen untill we as a people stopp electing the 'moral' canidate.
While were at it anyone over the age of 50 has no business crafting laws that affct people younger than them.
I propose a law that would make it illegal for anyone over 50 to hold any public office or juddgeship
lujlp at June 5, 2009 7:38 AM
Wrong. This will continue until this country loses its fetish with passing laws "for the children".
brian at June 5, 2009 8:22 AM
But it's okay to have people under 30 crafting laws that affect people older than they are?
Let me know how that works out on your fiftieth birthday when you're being led away to the Solyent Green factory.
Conan the Grammarian at June 5, 2009 8:32 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/06/05/the_death_of_co.html#comment-1652104">comment from Conan the GrammarianI propose a law that would make it illegal for anyone over 50 to hold any public office or juddgeship
I'm 45, and I have a lot I can offer people now as an advice columnist that I couldn't years ago. So...when I'm 50, do you think some 22-year-old should replace me? And what would that gain all the people I advise?
Amy Alkon
at June 5, 2009 8:53 AM
I’m not getting any younger. If this was Logan’s Run, I’d be Solyent Green by now. - Phil Hartman ("Bill McNeal") from Newsradio
Conan the Grammarian at June 5, 2009 9:15 AM
Hmmmm, Jenny Agutter naked!!
Ok how abot 60?
I'm nearly halfway there myself
lujlp at June 5, 2009 9:24 AM
"As computer-savvy and net-savvy as these kids are, they don't think about that"
Well, yes, teenagers don't always think things through, because they're teenagers. That's why adults with a bit of wisdom & perspective occasionally have to step in and do some thinking for them. So what was the adult suggestion for resolving this problem? Lock their kids up in a jail cell with child molesters & rapists. The kid's own solution?:
"I just wish the families could have handled it better. I mean, I would have been glad to mow their lawn all summer"
After which, maybe, she could have mowed the lawn at his house.
Alex grins. "Exactly."
That ending made me feel good. If even kids who impulsively send nude pictures of themselves back & forth have much more common sense than their parents & law enforcement officials, then just maybe this zero tolerance, "it's for the children" hysteria has gone as far as it can go, and the next generation will come to their senses.
Martin at June 5, 2009 9:33 AM
I read a very funny commentary by Bruce Cameron about something very similar a few days ago and posted it to another commentary. It talks about the Zero-Intelligence policy.
http://www.creators.com/lifestylefeatures/bruce-cameron.html
Matthew at June 5, 2009 11:50 AM
>>> Hmmmm, Jenny Agutter naked!!
Oh yeah.
>>Ok how abot 60?
I'm nearly halfway there myself
Bob bob bob, dag a dag dag, ding dong dag blue moon...
Eric at June 5, 2009 8:37 PM
How did I get to 50 without knowing about Jenny Agutter? Shouldn't I have been consuming Jenny Agutter showbiz products during her fertile years? I thought Helen Mirren would be the last boomer beauty to show up late.
Crid [CommentCrid@gmail.com] at June 6, 2009 4:28 PM
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