Girls Gone Wild pt. 2

I complained about this story a couple of days ago. I figured it would go over pretty well. Combine teen girls with sex... one of the biggest emotional hot-buttons for people centers around protecting the chastity and good names of our young women. Lord knows they can't do it for themselves.

Dispatch reporter Charlie Boss was apparently on CNN to talk about her story.

Sadly, the mystery of Charlie's gender has been revealed to a national viewing audience. Le sigh.

The Dispatch and the Girls Gone Wild phenomenon

I was reading through the Dispatch.com front page today when I chanced upon a story with the headline Teen girls' cell phone invitations bare all by Charlie Boss. Many of her stories (yes, a her -- I was totally surprised when I find out) tend to be about the texting, Myspace and general technological habits of teens.

Even as a member of the current high school class's generation (I guess), it was surprising to me that this kind of stuff is going on. I remember getting a cell phone right before I went to college in the summer of '04 and thinking I was hot shit. Then, when I was working at McDonalds' a couple summers ago (glamorous, right?), I decided to go see a movie with some of my co-workers, the majority of whom were 17-19. They were all text-messaging continuously throughout the movie. To each other. Continuously.

Anyway, point being, if it was a shock to me I can only imagine what effect it would have on parents.

The article quotes a Reynoldsburg detective named Brian Marvin (PS, never trust a man with two first names):

"I've seen everything from your basic striptease to sexual acts being performed" online, he said. "You name it, they will do it at their home under this perceived anonymity."

I'm sure scores of surfers will now comb through Myspace and Facebook on Google looking for "basic striptease" and "sexual act" and "teen" now. (Where are these underage teens with their online sexual acts??? they will ask themselves. I'm missing out!!!

The article also contains images of girls offering anal sex and oral sex (is that simultaneously?), texting naked photos of themselves to boys in the same classroom. Once again, the headline is Teen girls' cell-phone invitations bare all.

Of course, all the quoted students in the article are male. There is mention of a Westerville South "teen" sending pictures of his penis to his classmates. So wouldn't the headline "Teens' text messages bare all"?

The quoted "expert" sources in the article itself are always egalitarian, referring to the students as "teens" and not "teen girls." So why focus solely on girls taking their clothes off on picture messages? Don't guys do the same thing?

This kind of stuff just makes me feel like the increased sexualization of girls is something to be scared of, while if boys do the same thing it's not as big of a deal. Either the editor or the headline writer really dropped the ball on this one. Add something not really understood by the readers of the Dispatch (text-messaging) and "hot teen sex" and you have a recipe for a gender-inequality sandwich. (do sandwiches have recipes? I guess complicated ones might).

Editors note, the presence of the words "anal sex" "teen girls" "penis," et. all should result in some interesting Google hits. If you are one of those surfers, please refer to www.teengirlshavinganalandoralsexwithpenises.com.

The Blitz -----> The Rock + Linkin Park

The Columbus rock radio station landscape has been kind of interesting lately. CD101, where I am semi-gainfully employed, seems to be doing pretty well, but it's not for lack of competition. Recently, 106.7 FM The (insert nickname here) launched, bringing a mix of the mainstream stuff that makes discerning listeners like me change the station. U2, Matchbox 20, 3 Doors Down, 311, and all those other numbered bands you just can't live without. (an interesting note: they got Vampire Weekend in-studio. Consider me slightly impressed)

Well, 99.7 The Blitz, known for playing bands like Linkin Park, Puddle of Mudd, and other nu-metal crap, just changed formats. They are now 99.7 The Rock. Expect to hear more much more watered-down, pallatable nu-metal, such as Nickelback. The Other paper ruefully commented last Thursday that this would mean the end of Linkin park for WBZX listeners.

But fear not. Today, while I was working out in the Otterbein gym, the ghetto blaster that is stuck on 99.7 was still playing Linkin Park.

Zachary Allen Starkey Multimedia Extravaganza

Behold, the glory of the Internets: not only can you read the written word, but there are sights and sounds as well! Thus, a mult-media experience is born.

Well, the Columbus Blogosphere is buzzing with the announcement that Zachary Allen Starkey announced on the Done Waiting message board via a 2,000 word tract that he will no longer be playing in Columbus. If you want to see ZAS do whatever it is he does exactly, you'll have to make the two hour, fifteen minute trek up I-71 to Cleveland.

I don't make my way down to the campus area too often, but I made the trip down high street much more often back when I first came to college and it was more of a novel experience. ZAS flyers were freaking everywhere. Above, you will see a weird, androgynous picture of ZAS from his Myspace. Of course I had no clue who he was or what he did. I'm still not entirely sure, but he can consistently be found on the two-mile stretch of High Street near OSU's campus/the Short North.

If you're not the reading type, you can download the musical version someone anonymously posted and listen to it on your iPod in the car.

John Petric of the Other Paper picked this item up after ZAS's girlfriend came to his defense somewhere about two-thirds of the way through the thread.

And there you have it. Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Who the hell cares? Yay Web 2.0!