Kids and the Internet

[Ibby]

We need to make an 'ad hominem' smiley or something so I dont have to keep typing it over and over.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Ibram

We need to make an 'ad hominem' smiley or something so I dont have to keep typing it over and over.

Your inability to discuss the issue, esp the original comment, hardly qualifies as "ad hominem". But hey, have at it teen...

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary
Again, I know you have the hearing and attention span of a teen so let me repeat this slowwwwwlllly.....

Where do I "over control" my children?

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary
Any parent with a teen in the house should get and have installed on all computers in the house this program, we have it on all of ours and can monitor everything our kids do: http://www.computer-monitoring.com/spectorpro.htm


You can also get this:

Sorry son, no evidence of control, only monitoring.

[Ibby]

Oh, okay, so you just watch them, just for the hell of it, no assumption of control or authority?

Yeah, and the 1984 viewscreens are only there for watching too.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Ibram

Oh, okay, so you just watch them, just for the hell of it, no assumption of control or authority?

Yeah, and the 1984 viewscreens are only there for watching too.

I see you are right on track:

[Beestie]

Which of you two is going to be the bigger man and put an end to this juvenile flame war? Seriously. Its time to knock it off. There are kids who read this forum.

[Ibby]

What the fuck?

YOU have yet to discuss the issue as anything but "OMG I CAN DO WTVR I WANT ITS MY HOUS N MY NET AND I CAN!!!one!!1!111one"

Your only defense of your actions is "i can so i will".

Alas, Merc, I must go to the school with my mother (she just had a kidney stone so she doesnt wanna hike all the way down the hill alone), so I'll be back in an hour or so to continue this lovely (if rather one-sided) 'debate'.

[Ibby]

Beestie, I'm not letting go of this one until he stops attacking me and starts actually explaining or debating in a mature fashion, in anything but an ad hominem manner.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Ibram

Beestie, I'm not letting go of this one until he stops attacking me and starts actually explaining or debating in a mature fashion, in anything but an ad hominem manner.

Teen, you have made no argument. Other than "You are a Mother-Fucking-Asshole" because I said parents should get internet monitoring software if they have teens, like you, in their house. Where is the argument?

How did I attack you if you call me a "Mother-Fucking-Asshole"?

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Teen, you have made no argument. Other than "You are a Mother-Fucking-Asshole" because I said parents should get internet monitoring software if they have teens, like you, in their house. Where is the argument?

How did I attack you if you call me a "Mother-Fucking-Asshole"?

I called you an asshole because you spy on your kids. That was an attack, of course. Most insults are.
In return, instead of debating, you spent the better part of the next two hours attacking me relentlessly, pretending to be debating.

My position has been and still is "If your kids have half a brain at all they can make their own decisions about what is and isnt okay. You teach them how to be safe, and let them do the rest." Yours is... nonexistent at this point. You have yet to even give a position that isnt "IBRM IS STOOPID CUZ HE IS A TEENAGR LOLFAG!!11!one!"


I'm still in favor of bannage, for his awful, filthy homophobic trolling trash if for nothing else.

[SadistSecret]

Originally Posted by Beestie

There are kids who read this forum.

Like TheMercenary?? :p

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Teen, you have made no argument. Other than "You are a Mother-Fucking-Asshole" because I said parents should get internet monitoring software if they have teens, like you, in their house. Where is the argument?

How did I attack you if you call me a "Mother-Fucking-Asshole"?

By installing such software, you're telling everyone that you have NO TRUST IN YOUR OWN FUCKING CHILDREN. That's why you're getting stock with the label of "M-F-A"

All the "Internet Monitoring Software" in the world will not stop a determined enough child anyway, so what's the point? Grow some balls, and EDUCATE your children about "teh horrorz of teh pr0n on teh intarwebz" intead of being a do-nothing bastard, hoping a bunch of 0's and 1's will kep your kids off the pornsites.

I'd pity you, dude, but that's just not in my character.

[Sheldonrs]

How about y'all discuss this in a mature fashion.

No matter how valid your argument is, calling someone a MFA takes away any impact the rest of your argument has.

And constantly calling someone, "kid", "teen", "faggot" (see other post), does the same as well as making you look like a condescending twit.

If you can't do these things, please stop the talk. It gives me a headache.

[Aliantha]

Cloud, you might like to read my response in the other thread. I'm sure others also would like to add something but their comments are likely to get lost in the piles of poo being flung around in here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piTe65YPj2Q
Best viewed fullscreen.

[monster]

Merc and Ibram. You're both right. But you're talking about different worlds and addressing different parts of a mis-matched either/or question.

Merc, yes of course bill paying parents have the right to put any restrictions they damn well please on the service they are paying for. That said, I agree with Ibram in the main, but my kids are in an alternative school and they and their school mates are not representative of todays youth in general. Ibram, you're home-schooled, right? Sounds like that puts you in the same category as my kids. They do not need internet supervision because their entire schooling is based around self-direction, commmunity awareness, learning skills, responsibilty etc. We trust them and they repay that trust. Yes, of course we check occasionally to make sure, but we do that openly. we don't spy. But we must give them a loing leash, so they can test what we have taught them about internet safety to make sure of it for themselves.

Traditional schooling systems are based around fact learning rather than personal growth, and if you give these kids a long leash, they will use it to hang you out to dry or strangle themselves. Not because they are bad kids, but because they are so unused to the personal freedom they're on a high (but they will probably pass standardized tests with higher scores). So you can't give them a long leash. You do need to spy on their internet access etc. But you know, they're going to do what you don't want them to at the library or a friend's house.....

Oh I'm rambling. Let's get back to the OP

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

So help me out here... do parents have the right to control what their kids do on the internet in their home, on their computers, when the parents are paying the bill?

yes

Or do kids (teens of any age) get to do just whatever the hell they want and the parents are to stand by and let them have full run of the net??

this is not the opposite of the first question. Yes, parents have the right of full control. They can exercise that right, or they can let the kids do whatever they want, or they can find some midpoint.....

Ibram has been pointing this out for some time, but you have refused to listen because he is a teen and because he called you an asshole. Maybe you will also refuse to listen to me. I'm not going to call you an asshole, but I am a woman, fairly liberal/hippy in my outlook and also younger than you.

I think you need to clarify your questions to make a proper either/or scenario. So, do you want to ask

a) Do parents have the right to control internet access int heir house or do kids have a right to unsupervised internet access?

or

b) should parents spy on their children's internet actiivities or should they allow their children free range?

or both? They are different issues but you seem to have managed to equate them.