Tuesday, March 28, 2006
myspace problems
I can't find any record of this story online, but I've seen it on local tv news around here and it deserves discussion on several levels. Either 8 or 10 students were recently expelled from Pensacola Christian Academy after school administrators found incriminating information on their myspace accounts: they were listening to christian rock music. School rules forbide the listening of any kind of "rock" music. The report actually only mentioned the specific reasons for one student, as that student's mother was complaining that though she understood her child had disobeyed school rules, she felt the punishment a little severe.
At first, you just want to be angry at a dumb rule that forbides students at a christian school to listen to certain types of christian music, in their free time, no less. The truth is, though, that they are a private school and they can make whatever rules they want. If you don't like the rules, you don't have to enroll your child at that school. There are people who have serious problems with christian rock for several reasons. Some would say that it is immitating the sex and drug culture prevelent in American Society and that a school teaching Christian morals should forbide anything that even gives off the appearance of "evil." I know some people have a problem with a market of a kind of music that is only for Christians. It seems that if a band has a good enough talent, they shouldn't have much problem making popular radio play, no matter the subject matter of their songs. After all, I think "Come out and Play" is a good song, but I don't support gang warfare that makes neighborhoods a dangerous place to be. Makes ya thankful for bands like Switchfoot who don't hide the fact that they are Christians and even sing about their Christian life and God, but they write GOOD songs.
It seems like maybe they were not respecting the rights of the students by looking at their personal web pages, but the truth is that myspace, xanga and even our beloved blogspot are public access pages. There are a lot of news stories out there right now trying to remind people that perspective hirers have all the right in the world to look at pictures you have posted on a public-access sight and refuse to hire you based on your admission to illegal or unethical activities. So friends and neighbors, if you feel the need to post the intimate details of your life online, you may want to consider making your page private so that only people you want will be able to see your pages. The alternative there, really...is don't put incriminating stuff online in a public place, unless you want to be punished or to otherwise reap the "rewards."
At first, you just want to be angry at a dumb rule that forbides students at a christian school to listen to certain types of christian music, in their free time, no less. The truth is, though, that they are a private school and they can make whatever rules they want. If you don't like the rules, you don't have to enroll your child at that school. There are people who have serious problems with christian rock for several reasons. Some would say that it is immitating the sex and drug culture prevelent in American Society and that a school teaching Christian morals should forbide anything that even gives off the appearance of "evil." I know some people have a problem with a market of a kind of music that is only for Christians. It seems that if a band has a good enough talent, they shouldn't have much problem making popular radio play, no matter the subject matter of their songs. After all, I think "Come out and Play" is a good song, but I don't support gang warfare that makes neighborhoods a dangerous place to be. Makes ya thankful for bands like Switchfoot who don't hide the fact that they are Christians and even sing about their Christian life and God, but they write GOOD songs.
It seems like maybe they were not respecting the rights of the students by looking at their personal web pages, but the truth is that myspace, xanga and even our beloved blogspot are public access pages. There are a lot of news stories out there right now trying to remind people that perspective hirers have all the right in the world to look at pictures you have posted on a public-access sight and refuse to hire you based on your admission to illegal or unethical activities. So friends and neighbors, if you feel the need to post the intimate details of your life online, you may want to consider making your page private so that only people you want will be able to see your pages. The alternative there, really...is don't put incriminating stuff online in a public place, unless you want to be punished or to otherwise reap the "rewards."
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
People who make me smile pt. 1
I work with an older gentleman who we call "Woody." We call him that because that is his last name. He is the sweetest man you could ever meet. When we are working on a project and he gets something wrong, he curses: "chicken!" He is happily married to his wife of who knows how many years. He's the kind of man who flirts with young girls and it's not "dirty old man." Sometimes he gets turned around and he likes having young ladies get him turned in the right direction. I worked with him 2 summers during college and again now, for a few months and he is a pleasure to work with. He's not afraid to admit he's wrong, even though he's a master electrician and I don't know anything about electricity but what I've learned from him. As you can guess, he's usually right, but even when he's not, he's proud of me for being right instead of refusing to accept the fact that a little whipper-snapper like me could be right. He has to walk real slow and I am able to haul things for him and hold the door. Everyone at the church where we work knows his name and always smiles and greets him in the hallway. He is a very simple man and seems to enjoy the simple things in life, and every now and then, he teaches me something about being simple. He also teaches me a lot about electicity. Maybe what I like most about him is that he really, genuinely seems to like me, just for being me. Sometimes, when we have to work in tight spots, I smell his body odor and I equate the smell with old men. It's not the sweetest smell, but he is the sweetest man and it is a pleasure to be alongside him every day I get a chance to be. Thank you, Woody, for being a bright spot in my life.
