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November 25, 2007
Wrong and Right
In our complex, postmodern world, it often seems as if questions of wrong and right are beyond our ability to adjudicate. After all, as the New York Times Magazine reports today on a group of young earth geologists who got together in Ohio:
this was a gathering of elites, with an impressive wall of diplomas among them (Harvard, U.C.L.A., the Universities of Virginia, Washington and Rhode Island). They had spent years studying the geologic timetable, but they remained nevertheless deeply committed to a different version of history.
Hey. These folks have advanced degrees from elite schools. And they are convinced that the earth (literally "the earth" -- both the planet and the rocks in the ground we walk on) is only about 8,000 years old, and that everyone else in the scientific community is wrong. I mean, everyone knows that carbon lies.
So, what are we to make of the story of Megan Meier, who was mean to a schoolmate on a MySpace page, and who was then driven to suicide by that girl's parents? Jonathan Turley has an op-ed in the LA Times that does a good job of covering the details of the story.
We all know that cyber-bullying is wrong. And we all know that cyber-stalking and predation is wrong. But what about when the bully isn't an age-mate, and isn't even a pedophile or some other form of online sexual predator? What do we do when the cyber-fiends involved are >helicopter parents?
Turley writes that "Tina and Ron Meier were told that they had no clear legal recourse -- either criminal or civil. It is not a crime to be cruel and immature." Because, really, creating an online persona with the sole purpose of sexually enticing a girl into liking "you" enough that she'll be devastated (perhaps suicidally so, as was the case) when you dump her horrifically, is just about my dictionary definition of "immaturity."
But the badness isn't over yet. When the news story broke, the media refused to publish the names of Lori and Curt Drew, the parents who caused Megan Meier's suicide:
The local newspaper refused to publish the name of the family responsible for the e-mails out of consideration, it said, for their young daughter. Other news outlets, such as Fox and CNN, followed suit, running stories that also withheld the names. In other words, simply because they had a child, the alleged perpetrators were given the benefit of anonymity.
Turley puts the implications of this rather succintly: "The Drews' daughter was certainly dealt a bad hand by her parents. However, the media puts itself on a slippery slope when it starts to protect accused wrongdoers on behalf of their progeny, offering a free pass for alleged predators who procreate."
And that's just bad, folks. Really, really bad. It's terrible that this happened, and it's terrible that there is no recourse in situations like this, and it is terrible that it was bloggers who had to do the research to reveal to the world who was responsible for this traveshamockery.
And then there are things that are wrong, but they're right at the same time. Like cute, mentally-challenged dogs. They're not right in the head, but they're right with me:
Thanks to Scott for posting this video. One day, I am sure, the evil that is cyberbullying, and the stupidity that is young-earth creationism, and the menace that is the rear-left leg, will be vanquished. I long for that day.
Posted by reparent at November 25, 2007 6:52 PM