Lesson for the parents of the 6 florida girls...
Websites do not 'make' people do things. Myspace/youtube/facebook/googlevideo have nothing to do with the actions of your children. You do. Youtube may have provided a place for them to post the video, the slander may have been written on myspace. But you know what? The slander on myspace isn't caused by myspace. Youtube doesn't hold the cameras, pay for the footage, or influence the content people create to upload outside of it's general guidelines.
Girls have been putting each other down since before you were born. Myspace is simply the most recent format. Before this it was slam books. Girls that grew up in the nineties know what I'm talking about. A book passed around the school with pictures of different girls and nasty little tidbits written about them. At my school, I'm pretty sure several girls went home early on a number of a occasions because of what was written. Around the time of columbine, it was 'hit lists'. Lists of the people that some tormented students would come after if they ever got the guts to bring a gun to school.
The problem is not the websites, the problem is the way we as a society have started to raise our children. We no longer teach that a child should be polite. Instead, we elect to let them 'express themselves' down the grocery aisle, or set a horrendous example by getting into a screaming match with them. Teach your kids not to behave by being a what not to do? Brilliant plan. Next week take them to the zoo, and show them what not to do around the lion cage...for example, climbing in...
I've never ascribed to spare the rod spoil the child, but I've started to notice that too many parents don't know how to control their children while sparing the rod. That cliche didn't become popular because children actually needed to be beaten, it became popular because parents don't know how to parent, and it's really starting to show in today's children. Namely, yours.
I hope you are making their lives miserable right now, and I cannot believe that everyone of you actually bailed your child out, (or worse, got Dr. Phil to do it for you). You obviously haven't taught your children consequences. They have beaten someone to a pulp. Knocking her unconscious, battering her face, driving off with her and dropping a girl who was completely unrecognisable off on a strange street and telling her to keep her mouth shut. Then, upon being arrested, one of them was stupid enough to ask if she would make it to cheer the next day?
That shows a complete lack of understanding as to the severity of what she had just done. She literally did not think she would get in trouble for putting someone in the hospital. She did not see her behaviour as wrong. Mercades went so far as to have a website dedicated to the crime. Bragging about doing something so terrible. I know you are surrounded by condemn for your daughters actions, and personally I think you ought to realise that there is a reason people are disgusted by what you have raised your little girl to be.
You may love her, but you need to see that her actions deserve retribution. That she needs to be taught a lesson. This time your daughters are fortunate in that no one ended up dead. But what they have just done will affect them for the rest of their lives. Imagine applying to college with that on your record. Better yet, getting a job. Employers now google the names of applicants to see what their 'online persona' is. No one is going to hire the girl that bloodied a varsity cheerleader over nothing more than a couple nasty comments.
Love your child, tell them that you understand that they don't like the consequences. But remind them that it is their actions that got them into this position. Do not give your support for what they did to Victoria. Remind them always that it was a terrible thing, that they should regret. Right now they especially need a dose of humility. If your condemn isn't enough, have them listen to the phone calls that you are receiving. I'm sure that there are dozens of people contacting you to tell you what they think. Maybe after hearing what the nation thinks of their behaviour they'll begin to understand what they have done, and god willing, feel an appropriate amount of remorse.
Girls have been putting each other down since before you were born. Myspace is simply the most recent format. Before this it was slam books. Girls that grew up in the nineties know what I'm talking about. A book passed around the school with pictures of different girls and nasty little tidbits written about them. At my school, I'm pretty sure several girls went home early on a number of a occasions because of what was written. Around the time of columbine, it was 'hit lists'. Lists of the people that some tormented students would come after if they ever got the guts to bring a gun to school.
The problem is not the websites, the problem is the way we as a society have started to raise our children. We no longer teach that a child should be polite. Instead, we elect to let them 'express themselves' down the grocery aisle, or set a horrendous example by getting into a screaming match with them. Teach your kids not to behave by being a what not to do? Brilliant plan. Next week take them to the zoo, and show them what not to do around the lion cage...for example, climbing in...
I've never ascribed to spare the rod spoil the child, but I've started to notice that too many parents don't know how to control their children while sparing the rod. That cliche didn't become popular because children actually needed to be beaten, it became popular because parents don't know how to parent, and it's really starting to show in today's children. Namely, yours.
I hope you are making their lives miserable right now, and I cannot believe that everyone of you actually bailed your child out, (or worse, got Dr. Phil to do it for you). You obviously haven't taught your children consequences. They have beaten someone to a pulp. Knocking her unconscious, battering her face, driving off with her and dropping a girl who was completely unrecognisable off on a strange street and telling her to keep her mouth shut. Then, upon being arrested, one of them was stupid enough to ask if she would make it to cheer the next day?
That shows a complete lack of understanding as to the severity of what she had just done. She literally did not think she would get in trouble for putting someone in the hospital. She did not see her behaviour as wrong. Mercades went so far as to have a website dedicated to the crime. Bragging about doing something so terrible. I know you are surrounded by condemn for your daughters actions, and personally I think you ought to realise that there is a reason people are disgusted by what you have raised your little girl to be.
You may love her, but you need to see that her actions deserve retribution. That she needs to be taught a lesson. This time your daughters are fortunate in that no one ended up dead. But what they have just done will affect them for the rest of their lives. Imagine applying to college with that on your record. Better yet, getting a job. Employers now google the names of applicants to see what their 'online persona' is. No one is going to hire the girl that bloodied a varsity cheerleader over nothing more than a couple nasty comments.
Love your child, tell them that you understand that they don't like the consequences. But remind them that it is their actions that got them into this position. Do not give your support for what they did to Victoria. Remind them always that it was a terrible thing, that they should regret. Right now they especially need a dose of humility. If your condemn isn't enough, have them listen to the phone calls that you are receiving. I'm sure that there are dozens of people contacting you to tell you what they think. Maybe after hearing what the nation thinks of their behaviour they'll begin to understand what they have done, and god willing, feel an appropriate amount of remorse.
Labels: Dr. Phil, internet, parents responsibility, victoria lindsay, youtube myspace
posted by GamerDarling at
7:15 PM
3 Comments
