When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web; Public Profiles Raise Questions of Propriety and Privacty

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In the article "When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web" by Ian Shapirna, the title alone explains the subject matter. This article is about younger teachers in their early twenties having public, raunchy Facebook and Myspace pages. Schools are removing and suspending teachers from their schools for raunchy posts. Some teachers do not realize that their profiles are public to anyone who wants to see them, not just friends. Some employers are scrutinizing these social-networking pages during interviews. Teachers can claim free speech, but according to the government employees can be fired if "their speech harmed the workplace's mission and function" (Shapirna 1). This article is pointing out the consequences of teachers' having public lives that can lead to questions from parents and employers alike. Sometimes the consequence can be as bad as termination of employment.

The topic of this article is logically and effectively supported. Shapirna includes several examples of questionable things that young teachers have posted onto their Facebook and Myspace pages. Shapirna also includes the consequences that have resulted from these posts. This thus proves that the article also has relevant evidence of this new Web epidemic. This article does reach it's intended audience. I believe the intended audience is the general public, as well as serving as a warning to teachers about their social-networking pages.

I personally felt indignant at the fact that employers are actually screening teachers lives outside of the schools. The article pointed out some points that can not be denied. It's true, teachers should keep their private lives private and seperate from their professional lives, but they should not be judged or have their employment terminated based upon a post on MySpace or Facebook. Teachers have stressful jobs as it is to make sure they are teaching their students effectively and serving as role models to them as well. Teachers are people like everyone else. They need to let loose and have some fun. Even models of society aren't perfect.

Sexualizing Young Girls

I'm going with a theme here, and that theme is sex and children/teens. In this image, it shows two young girls that have been photoshoped onto the bodies of older women. This ad is about statutory rape, but it still supports the idea that young girls are being sexualized.

I personally find this ad a bit uncomfortable to look at, which is why I chose it. For the normal human being, it is a bit disturbing to look at a picture of a young girl and seeing her face attached to an adult female body. Not only are they attached to adult female bodies, they are attached to female bodies that are dressed provocatively. No one thinks of young girls as provocative or sexual in any shape or form. This image is very controversial because of the imagery being presented.

The two sides of the debate over this ad are the imagery is having the opposite affect then intended and that the ad's use of shock tactics is effective. I personally believe that the ad campaign meant well when they published it, but I think it is taking it too far. This image serves more to sexualize young girls than to discourage such thoughts about them. This image can be more provocative to some individuals than offensive. The fact that they thought they had to use such imagery to discourage stautory rape disturbs me. This image can be damaging to the young girls that participated in it in the future. Because of the image, they could be interpreted as sexual creatures instead of quite the opposite.