It’s probably true. I probably am just getting old. I find myself having increasingly heated discussions with a seventeen year old friend. The final verdict being, apparently, that I’m, “too much like a parent… you take everything so seriously.”
In my defense, I would say that I take important things seriously. And I only deal in important things. Oh, damn, he’s right. Perhaps I am just an overzealous killjoy.
I come with certain beliefs.
- No means no
If you ask someone to do something and they decline, and you continue to harass them you are (at best) a spoilt child or (at worst) a bully or a thug. Respecting an individual means respecting their decisions, the very integrity of their mental processes. Bulldozing over their wishes because you are convinced you know better just demonstrates a lack of respect for the people you encounter. - Individuals and Entities must operate responsibly on the internet
Pretending to be somebody else is misleading. I arrive in this medium with a degree of good faith that those individuals operating in this medium are representing themselves. Recently my work on YouTube was cloned by another user, and I assure you I did everything within my power to ensure the content was removed and that the matter was dealt with. Not only was my intellectual property being infringed upon without permission or compensation, but people were presenting MY likeness in a way which I yielded no direct control over. The video description included a link of a questionable nature and this ‘link’ was associated with my face. (I applaud the efforts of YouTube for dealing with this in a timely fashion.)
Things we do online have consequences. Emotional consequences, legal consequences. We have already seen teenagers being sued for defamation over something typed in a hasty fashion as a MySpace blog entry.
I guess what they are seeing as “antics” and “fun,” I am seeing as “themes” and “traits.” Sure you could manipulate your teacher into giving you an extension, but is that the person you want to be? Someone who manipulates their way through life? I would hope people would be less concerned with what they can get away with and more concerned with who they want to be. What kind of person do YOU want to be? Are your actions reflecting that vision you have for yourself?
All this talk of nobility and doing the ‘right’ thing… man, I must be old.
Photograph Credit: John Lacey
