ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[darkelf105]

Just one more reason for me to hate children. Congress has just recently sped through an ill-thought out, ill-written bill that will ban "social networking websites" (targeting MySpace, but includes everything from CNN.COM to Amazon) from school and library terminals receiving a certain type of government funding (read all schools and two-thirds of all libraries). The terms of the bill are so broad that almost virtually every website can be blocked by this bill and do you know what kills me? In your public libraries, that your tax dollars pay for, the FCC will have ultimate say over what you can and cannot see on the computer. Do you know how many people in Lorain don't have use of a PC at their homes? They pay bills here (and yes, according to the vague, ambiguous wording of the damn bill, those sites would most definitely be blocked). But apparently its all okay, because the bill states that adults may ask to be unblocked. So what we really have here is a public, free space integral to the freedom and wellfare of many adults in the community, funded by the adults of the community, reduced to the level of a playground because parents are too bull-headed and lazy to watch their children on the internet. Or better yet, if you are that worried, ban them from it completely, but don't degrade the rest of us just because you don't feel like watching your kids. I understand that the need for safety, but not at the expense of adult freedom.

Comments

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

I left a fandom because of this. I am not a child and I am not going to run around on a set of forums only having G-rated conversation, when you must be over the age of 13 in the TOS, to have an account.

[mimibean.livejournal.com]

Don't hate the kids. Hate the parents. It's the parents who aren't parenting that are the problem.

[darkelf105.livejournal.com]

Indeed, you are correct, but I just spent a whole day with an out-of-control five-year-old and his equally horrible brother. But I will grant that they are brats because of their parents. So I am a wee bit touchy when it comes to children especially when I read that Ohio is looking to pass a bill that will make condoms harder to come by for every one, including adults.

[rayechu.livejournal.com]

It's parents not parenting as well as zealots like Jack Thompson, who sometimes doesn't even have children.

[beatgirl.livejournal.com]

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I hate that parents feel that the library is the place for them to dump off their kids here, that we will watch them because we don't have anything better to do than read books, and that the damned internet is the baby sitter. Sure, kids use MySpace. So do adults. So do a lot of people. If there's a problem patron, ban the patron, not the website.

[mimibean.livejournal.com]

I agree with you 100%. I can't tell you the number of kids who come into my branch whose parents just drop them off. It's sad. Some of the kids are dropped off before we even open!

[darkelf105.livejournal.com]

You know and the saddest thing about this bill is not only will it be a disservice to adults, but I really think that it will hurt kids, too. The stupid filter that is on the computer already impedes their legitimate searchs on the internet for school. Banning MySpace and other "social networking" site and letting the FCC run the whole thing is just awful. And parents will be happy, because, Hooray, the vanquished MySpace and now my kids must be safe, so I will pay even less attention to them than usual. Hooray! Meanwhile, the freedom of intellect and information will languish and predators will still find a way to solicit kids. But no one will be on MySpace, so America is safe once again. Some one should tell the politicians that getting rid of boogie men isn't the solution to real problems, because boogie men are not real, thus the killing of them solves nothing.

[lady-bell.livejournal.com]