Morality is a different story though.

Being a self-anointed super-smart, I believe you are 100% correct. Great comment. Societal schizophrenia and sexual repression/expression are manifestations of the advanced nature of rot in American society.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/article1054895.ece

I’ve been a child and adolescent psychologist for almost 20 years. This situation was complicated. It is not at all clear that the parents handled it poorly. We don’t know what conversations occurred between the parents and the child. We don’t know what, if anything, the parents knew of the intense bullying that occurred during the last week of school (before the school and the parents knew about the photos). We don’t know what the parents knew of the bullying during the week following Hope’s return to school–when she committed suicide. It is very possible that Hope’s parent’s had no idea of what was happening at school. Children don’t always reveal that they are being bullied. What we do know that the bullying was very intense during the last week of the preceding school year and the first week following Hope’s return to school.

We also know that the parents sought counseling for Hope during the summer after they learned about the photos. Yes, it was with a “Christian” counselor, but that doesn’t mean the counselor moralized about it or demeaned the girl. I’ve known quite a few pastoral counselors over the years and many have solid credentials and do admirable, professional work. They are not naive about kids and they understand the psychology of adolescent sexuality.

From what the Hope wrote in her journal, it appears that she was optimistic about her return to school and was looking forward to a fresh start after a bad end to the previous school year. That doesn’t sound like the parents had crushed her spirit.

It does appear, however, that the school’s decision to suspend Hope just before the new school year began was a great blow to her. Still, how that suspension played into the suicide isn’t clear. Having worked with many children, I can say that it is far more likely that the merciless humiliation she experienced with peers upon her return to school was far more likely to trigger a suicide than a school suspension. If she had not been suspended for the first week of school, she may very well have taken her life a week earlier.

The one aspect of the school conduct I would question is the response of a counselor who noticed that Hope was cutting (her arms) the day before her suicide. The counselor’s response (setting up a contract to talk with the counselor rather than engage in self-harm) is fairly standard practice in cases of cutting. Cutting does not indicate intent to commit suicide, but it is usually an indication of serious emotional distress. We don’t know if the counselor called the parents–he/she should have, but the story gives no indication of whether that occurred.

I do agree that the media are missing the point. But the media always miss the damn point.

Same with The Crucible. Just re-read that to help out a nephew with his homework.

Well, in order for there to be a double standard, you have to compare two actions of the same party. Since “Hollywood” and/or “the media” didn’t ground this poor girl, didn’t expel her from school, didn’t tease and emotionally abuse her until she killed herself, I find it hard to uncover a double standard based upon the situations you’re asking us to compare.

Although I do think there’s a pretty clear double standard displayed by certain elements in the media that has no problem showing two “straight” women traditionally viewed as heterosexual sex objects making out on stage for the titillation of a straight male audience, but vigorously sanitizes images of a homosexual male engaging in the same behavior.

Much like the Democraps and Republicant’s, I just can’t tell.

“This is, indeed, a sad story. I recently did an in-depth investigation into just how prevalent sexting is, and believe me, it is universal.

Also, am I the only one who is afraid to drive on the highway during the peak hours when inexperienced teens may be sexting and driving?”

I was responding primarily to your inane argument that Masshole’s comment would perpetuate the “horribly unfair and unrealistic notion that men are the root of all problems, and women are virtuous lilies whose sensibilities must be protected” – which, as near as I can realistically tell, is not a view shared by or expressed by anyone, but rather serves as a convenient cross for certain self-pitying men to martyr themselves on.

But there are some parents who worry more about their own reputation and what their friends, neighbors, people at the church, etc.. might think.

Oh, wait, I forgot, you weren’t trying to be reasonable, you were trying to score more points for the He Man Woman Haterz Club.

Never, ever trust a boy will follow shortly afterward…

But logically that means your daughter should never trust you, as you were once a boy. You’d have to explain that some boys, just as some girls, are not to be trusted for . The blanket “boy bad, girl good” just continues the horribly unfair and unrealistic notion that men are the root of all problems, and women are virtuous lilies whose sensibilities must be protected.