The Anonymous Advanatage

The cowardice of the newest form of bullying has come to the forefront of the media in recent weeks. Cyberbullying is the cowards way to brow beat any opposition using the anonymous advantage.

The mask is the single most powerful object known to mankind. It affords its user great powers and the greatest of them all is anonymity. Your Identity is your most precious secret and while hiding under the mask of anonymity the only part of your identity available is the part you can clearly show on the Internet, your mind.

Cyberbullying is the form of antagonism du jour, and has been greatly employed by many on the Internet who have lost their connection with the humanity on the other end of the keyboard. The current Internet culture is mostly being embraced by teens and young adults who have made cyberspace part of their identity. The cloak of anonymity has given teenage schoolyard bullies a whole new set of weapons to commit their savage acts of targeted disdain without the fear of repercussions.

"The anonymity provided by new technology limits a victim from responding in a
way that may ordinarily stop a peer's aggressive behavior or influence the
probability of future acts, which provides an advantage to the perpetrator,"
the CDC's Corinne David-Ferdon and Marci Feldman Hertz wrote.

Megan Meier was one teen on the receiving end of cyber-harassment. The 13 year old was duped into believing that a former friend's mother was a 16 year old boy who had a crush on her. The already psychologically fragile girl was on anti-depressants. After building up her hopes, her former friend on the myspace screen name of her mother's design, ridiculed Megan along with a group of others. Some of the last words Megan saw on the monitor were, "the world would be better off without you." Her parents found her hanging from a support beam in her closet, a belt as a noose.

The laws two Missouri state cities have enacted were too late to save her, but not too late to come to the aide of the woman who orchestrated the hoax that lead to Megan's untimely death.

Suicide is not the only method being used to put an end to the agony teenagers face from cyber-bullies. The Journal for Adolescent Health and the CDC have found connection between cyberbullying and the physical outlash that has driven fear into the hearts of parents. With a significant increase of children ages 10-17 reporting they are the victims of cyberbullying, a trend that has risen from 6% in 2000 to 9% in 2005, anti-social behavior has also risen.

"Youth harassed online were significantly more likely to also report two or
more detentions or suspensions, and skipping school in the previous year,"
Michele Ybarra and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported
in another study in the journal. "Especially concerning, youth who reported
being targeted by Internet harassment were eight times more likely than all
other youth to concurrently report carrying a weapon to school in the past 30
days," added Ybarra's team, who interviewed 1,500 10- to 15-year-olds.

This information makes a stanza from "Teenagers" by My Chemical Romance make more sense.

"The boys and girls in the clique.

The awful names that they stick.

You're never gonna fit in much,

kid But if you're troubled and hurt

What you got under your shirt

Will make them pay for the things that they did."

Cyber Harassment is not only limited to the youth, after all most bullies learn their behavior from the home. Many adults engaged in activities on the Internet have been known to harass individuals ad nauseum. Adult cyber bullies get the same jollies as their youthful counterparts, power through anonymity. The major difference is in the purpose behind the actions driven by the lack of self esteem or self worth. These types want Internet attention. Most adult cyber bullies are attention whores with little to no dignity left. They are adults who find themselves without merit or respect in their natural environment and seek acceptance online.

Many a comedy parody has been made on adult bullies who troll around looking for fights or vindication for their inability to function in normal society. One of the best comedy sites is Flame Warriors. Here you will find a list of characters with illustrations that match the personalities of all types who routinely debate on the Internet. For example:

Blowhard feels the need to present his credentials before
entering the fray - even if they are irrelevant to the discussion. For example,
in a movie forum conflict he might attempt to settle the matter by saying, "As a
Ph. D. candidate in particle physics I believe I can say with some authority
that the 'Beavis and Butthead' movie represents the emergence of a new cultural
paradigm." Huh?

For Ego, the discussion forum is all about him, and he
regards discussions that stray from that topic as trivial dalliances. Although
tolerant of an occasional shift in focus, Ego grows increasingly restive when
the forum's attention shifts away from his interests, and he will often provoke
conflict to reestablish himself as the subject at hand. Ego is one the the
fiercest of all the Warriors and will fight to the death when attacked.

Although sometimes a male, Crybaby is usually a female,
and often a close ally of Innocence Abused. When teased or attacked Crybaby will
pitch a loud public temper tantrum, holding her breath and kicking her feet. If
that defense fails she will run to Nanny for comfort.

Despite the hilarity of these perceptions there are truth to them. The Flame War is found on almost any forum on the Internet and can be the source of endless fun for those witted enough to not take the opinions of a mask seriously. However, they can become quite serious in the work place.

The Internet is not only a playground but has become a source of income for those brave enough to enter its clutches. When the source of income is threatened by the flame wars it takes on a real world dilemma. Unlike solid work places, the cyber work place has little to no laws governing the behavior found within its midst. The Internet by virtue of what it is, is more often than not considered international territory. Libel, Slander, Stalking, Harassment of any kind, these are all found in the telecommute workplace. Proving who is behind attacks generated online seems to be the source of frustration justice is feeling when dealing in cyber crimes. The advantage of anonymity has given a new dynamic to the darkness of the human soul that we see for display on the internet.

Time can only tell if more laws will be passed regulating Internet behavior and to stem the tide of a new and harassing culture.

Cross Post from Digital Journal- click link and vote if you please http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/247159/Op_Ed_The_Anonymous_Advanatage

3% Rise in Teen Pregnancy Prompts Increased Efforts.

Over the past 20 years teen pregnancy has fallen dramatically after a large peak in 1990. However the recently released numbers for the year of 2006 has shown a 3% increase which have prompted efforts to avoid a trend.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a non profit organization that is mostly supported by private donors. The organization was founded in 1996 with the mission to educate the masses about the necessity of preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy. The dramatic decline in teen pregnancy can be contributed to the efforts of the National Campaign as well as concerned citizens around the United States. In 1990 the average rate for teen pregnancy was 117 pregnancies per 1000 teenage girls between 15-19 and the estimate as of 2006 is 41.9 per 1000 teenage girls between 15-19. The number show that although the United States has the highest average of teenage pregnancy among industrialized nations, education and prevention have helped lower the rate of teenage and unplanned pregnancies. However a 3% rise in the teenage birth rate has fanned the flames of the movement lead by the National Campaign.

Sarah Brown (CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy) said,

"A one year up-tick does not necessarily mean the progress has ceased, but at
the same time, the increase is significant enough to warrant concern. For years,
the National Campaign has celebrated the yearly decline in the teen rates but
has also warned that good news can lead to complacency. Each year, a new group
of young people turns 13, and the need to retain a steady, intense focus on
preventing teen pregnancy remains. We have also noted many times that even with
the wonderful declines of the last 14 years, the United States still has the
highest rate of teen pregnancy and birth in the developed world. Perhaps today's
numbers will encourage a greater, more intense concentration nationwide on
teens. Over the next several months, our group and others will be trying to
tease out what might account for today's news. An important aspect of this work
will be to recognize that birth rates went up last year not only for teens but
also for women in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It will also be important to learn
more about how these broad changes in the US birth rate might have been affected
by the abortion rate, public investments in education and services, behavioral
changes, state variations, and more as well."

The link between teenage pregnancy and other social ills has been established through research conducted by the National Campaign and affiliate groups. The findings show a remarkable connection between the well being of children and unplanned pregnancy

• Women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy are less likely than women who have an intended pregnancy to obtain early prenatal care and their babies are at
increased risk of both low birth weight and of being born prematurely.

• At the age of two, children born as the result of unplanned pregnancy have
significantly lower cognitive test scores when compared to children born as the
result of an intended pregnancy.

• The majority of children from an unplanned pregnancy are born to unmarried women. Children born outside of two-parent married families are more likely to be poor, drop out of high school, have lower grade-point averages, lower college aspirations, and poorer school attendance records.

• One of the most obvious, additional consequences of unplanned pregnancy is abortion—in 2001 there were approximately 1.3 million abortions in the United States.

The CDC confirms this data in a report analyzing the national abortion numbers in 2002. The findings are that the number of abortions increased from 1973 to 1990 and then had a steady decline. The numbers coincide with the average teenage pregnancy chart shown below.


It is felt that sexuality is on the rise amongst teens. A report from Mom Logic.com surveyed 500 children from around the country between the ages of 12-17. The findings were shocking as 1-in-5 children reported seeing students having sex at school. A 15 year old from seattle reported that one couple would have sex at lunch not far from where they ate especially if the girl had a skirt on. Another student reported being disgusted at having to dodge a used condom in the school hallway.

It seems that pregnancy education and prevention are still greatly needed in American schools.

Cross Post from Digital Journal - click link and upvote if you please
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/247172/3_Rise_in_Teen_Pregnancy_Prompts_Increased_Efforts_

I would like to invite anyone reading to view some of my other work as a Citizen Journalist on DigitalJournal.com

The two previous blogs are on there as articles which can be voted on. Make a free account, join and comment.

My latest posts are political and military news articles.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/user/4344/profile

The link above is a direct link to all of the articles I have written.

Also I ask if you enjoy what I write please vote it up!