Teenage Girl + Twitter = Disaster
In the blink of a keystroke a 16 year old girl has altered her life, probably forever.
Alyssa Douglas is a 16-year-old Caucasian girl who might have just ruined her life. She’s a hairdresser and a high schooler just trying to live a normal life, who will graduate in 2014. But from this day forward, her reputation, her chance at ever getting a job and her life have taken a twisted turn for the worst. Douglas decided to recklessly tweet something which is considered a threat to our national security, and she could be held liable for her actions in a court room or even in a jail cell.
Now, I doubt Alyssa will go to court or jail, but I do think she’s about to get a harsh lesson in Civics and a visit from the Secret Service. I also think this one tweet will change her life forever. I also, also think that she was merely repeating, and probably ramping up in teenage fashion, what she hears at home. Her parents need to take a long, hard look at themselves in a mirror.
Don’t get me wrong, I think what Alyssa tweeted is beyond the pale, and if my teenagers tweeted something like this I would consider myself a failure as a parent. But what is about to happen to Alyssa makes me shudder. Already her personal info is out there – where she goes to school, where she works, where she lives. Her 16 year old world is about to blow up.
As the mother of a 15 year old girl, who loves social media, I have made it my mission to point out postings like this to my daughter on a daily basis – I used the Michael Phelps smoking pot photo to demonstrate the need to be careful with cameras and how quickly one photo flies around the world.
This morning I showed her this tweet and explained (again) how important it is to think before she tweets, posts on Facebook, texts, Instagrams, etc. How she needs to understand that what she posts online never goes away and how it can come back, years later, to haunt you – How there are some things that are never acceptable to say.
Alyssa Douglas is an extremely stupid kid who tweeted something disgustingly vile and dangerous, and there should be a punishment. I just hope we can keep in mind her age and maturity level and make the punishment fit the crime… because my bet is Alyssa Douglas’ biggest crime is that she doesn’t possess the sense to not repeat what she hears at home.
Tags: Extremists, Twitter
I totally agree Pandora, however maybe the lesson here isn’t that we should be worried about stuff getting on the internet. Maybe we just shouldn’t do them in the first place? Like maybe Micheal Phelps should avoid doing drugs at parties? and people shouldn’t post death threats about ANYONE (President or no)?
I am also the parent of a teenager and I would think ( hope) the they would not EVER wish evil like this on anyone- but we also do not express these ideas at home
NEVER. EVER. EVER. Not even about Bin Laden.
We talked about punishment and injustices etc but not like this. The other half is former military and still keeps this type stuff To themselves.
I remember when McVeigh was executed – we sheltered them from that. The twin towers we also minimized household trauma and expressed great sadness only
This kid is a teenager- unwise and immature and is about to experience a life lesson- and she should. Not knowing her tho it’s hard to assess her intent OR her depth of feeling
I’m sure if she rammed someone with a car and killed them she would say oh I didn’t mean to kill them but they would be just as dead.
Words have significant impact on ones life and the life’s of others. She has never learned this and it’s time she does! In a significant way!
And I am sure justice will be tempered. But it does need to be delivered – swiftly!
I also have four daughters and we talked about this phrase the other night: Former US President Bill Clinton spoke at the Democrat Conference. “I may often disagree with Republicans, but I never hated them, unlike the hatred displayed by extreme right wing activists towards President Obama.” It was finally said on national television! As a family we sit in horror every day and listen to people disrespect the President of the United States in a way that has NEVER EVER been done in history! It is shameful that the highest office of OUR COUNTRY is disrespected and this is affecting our children in a way that is so harmful that the end result on this generation is not yet really known . . .
I have told my kids that the stuff they post is there forever. It only takes one person to make your private thoughts public. I also let them know that college admissions folks, potential employers and others look for this kind of stuff online when making decisions.
Beyond that, however, I hope my daughters realize that no matter how much they might detest another person, that person is someone’s husband, father, daughter, partner, etc. To which depths do we have to sink to wish death on another human being?
What kind of home training is she getting? What kind of parents would allow this kind of mentality in their home? Well I live in Texas, where the extreme is on their racist hate and self righteousness every day. As a senior and native Texan, it is sad, but this is where these extremism leads…along with cable channels that spew hatred 24/7. What is wrong with these folks?
Pandora, best and unbiased article you have ever written. One time about 12 years ago our local schools were talking about school uniforms which I happen to oppose. It was on TV, and I had had a couple of beers, and was cussing and stating harsh words at the newscasters. Well a few weeks later, In the middle of the day, at work, I get a call from my middle son’s middle school principal. He says my son is in trouble for writing a bad note. I was basically blowing him off, and so he decided to read me a few lines. Once he read them, I knew I had to go see him with my son, which is the reason he was calling me. My son’s teacher had put out a supposed annonymous survey, about what kids thought of school uniforms. Well, my son, not realizing his teacher could figure out his hand writing, turned in pretty brutal illicit, threatening answers to the school uniform survey, obviously based on his dads own thoughts on the subject. So we went to school met the principal, and when asked by the principal if it was a joke, my son said of course. The principal explained the seriousness of the note, and so did I, I burned the letter, never showed it to his mom, and nothing like that every happened again. But I often think that parents need to be more careful, they don’t realize how much their children ubsorb. Actually, I now have 5 grown sons, and amazingly enough, all the high schools they attended are still standing.
so much for freedom of speech
freedom of speech has never protected terroristic threats or plots to kill the president. so much for knowledge of, … well, knowledge.
When my kids were 16 they did not have freedom of speech! If they would have said anything like this, even about GWB, they would have been punished. Adults do still have a responsibility to protect teenagers from their own immature minds!
This is totally unacceptable behavior but it is not just one sided. I have read here where one person stated that all Republicans should be lined up and shot. I also was involved with an extreme leftist who stated if he had a gun and Bush was elected to a second term that he would shoot him. Neither party is exempt from making remarks that should never be made against another. For this reason I do not trust any politician regardless of what party. They all have been caught telling lies or half truths. All people regardless of who they are, what party they are affiliated with, or what religion, have no right to judge another. People are responsible for themselves and what comes out of their mouths. And yes the world today is so much worse than ever, including what parents say and do in front of their children. Why do you think the youth of today is so out of control. Anyone can make statements anywhere and be overheard by anyone. If everyone treated each other the way they want to be treated maybe there wouldn’t be so much hate in the world. Until then expect more of the same. Shame on everyone, no one is perfect and everyone has said something they would take back if they could. Myself included! All we can do is take control of our own actions and hope others learn to do the same. If enough make good examples maybe others would notice.
When I was in grade school, the boys went through a fad of drawing WWII warplanes. Some of the planes were drawn dropping bombs, and sometimes the bombs would be falling on our school. Everybody including the adults understood it was simply a juvenile imaginary act. The teachers simply rolled their eyes and continued teaching. None of those boys had the slightest intent or ability to actually bomb the school. As far as I know they all grew up to be solid citizens. I never heard any of their names in connection with any horrible crimes. In fact the boys were doing this out of an excess of creativity and imagination that simply had not yet been harnessed or given any direction or outlet. They were probably the better boys, not the worst. And the adults understood this. But nobody talked about killing the President. In the late 1960s, it was too raw. It still is.
What this young lady did was wrong. I hope the authorities bring her in and give her a firm talking to but do nothing more. But I frankly don’t get the notion that her parents should consider themzelves failures because of this impulsive episode. We live in a culture that encourages loose talk about the life and death of others, so why not blame the culture for impacting this girl and not the parents?
I blame society.