The Rough Stuff: Predators and Boys who Mean Well (Online and Off)

I never thought I would have to write about this, because I tend to think that I have reliable boundaries and morals of which I follow unconsciously to avoid unwanted male contact. But it seems that it is unavoidable, with internet use being for so vastly for communicative purposes.

I had little knowledge of Skype, other than the option that it was a program that could be used for free phone calls to other countries, and it had video chat options. I'd used it for myself, between my parents and my friends for conversation and connections. A couple weekends ago, however, I was on Skype, and I noticed that you could change your "online status" to online, or away, or invisible, and also "Skype me!" I wasn't sure what that meant, so I switched it on, and then proceeded with my other internet communicative obligations (Facebook, Gmail, Blogger). Within minutes, I was being chatted with some random guy who I had never met or even heard of. Because I have learned to be careful about things like this--there are creepers alive and creeping out there, whether we like it or not--I bluntly asked this character "Who are you?"

You know it's a bad thing when they respond with their age and their gender, but don't give a name. I didn't continue the conversation after that, and when the character continued the conversations with, "can i see you?", I replied "no", and he responded "plz Im hard now", I exited the conversation, and blocked the character. Similar situations occured, each, now with an experienced eye, had little to no conversation, and several perverts were blocked.

By then, I realized that it was most likely the "skype me!" status. I discovered that it is synonymous with "Horny", and I reduced my online status back to just "online."

I was saddened by this, because suddenly all forms of communication have a dark side. Desperate people call for desperate measures. That or they are just too bored to realize how stupid they are being.

This has happened on Facebook as well, just not in such a heavy extent. It's usually a friend request or someone I've never heard of, and then, or course, I just ignore their friend request.

The difficult part is when it's someone who is actually a mutual friend of your friends, and so you assume they have some type of connection with you, and so you add them. But when they start sending vague messages, and start a Facebook chat with "How are you, sexy?", I took no dramatic pause to remove my friend connection with the character.

I refuse to be the butt of a group of people that try to get women to like them by telling them how beautiful they are, over the internet, nonetheless, to get them to give favors of some sort.

It makes me nauseous, essentially.

What disturbs me the most is when it's someone I have known before, as a friend. And as a friend, you have the free right to pass through their pictures, giggle at the funny pictures, and Like the beautiful ones. But it's disgusting when you come across PG-13 pictures, taken by themselves. I do not approve. Regardless of whatever seemingly righteous intentions said person had with their photography, it's still trashy, and rude to those of us who like a positive picture drawn when on the internet.

In real life, I hate it when guys whistle out of their cars at girls, or yell at them. I dislike it when it seems that a woman becomes a spectacle of choice that needs "serenading" (aka catcalls).

I hate that there are some upperclassmen that think that all freshman are naive, and that we would be interested in continuing a conversation with them, after their first intellectually deep thought-through statement: "Where you come from?" (when you are on the staircase, and it is obvious that you came from the floor above them).

And also the assumption that the girls dorms are all willing for partiers that aren't students to come into their dorms and have sex with them is a highly wrong assumption. Ugh. Some men never become men. It's really depressing.

This last paragraph is someone who has not offended me.

It is refreshing to be hit on by someone who just wants to watch a movie, Mamma Mia!, nonetheless, in the laundry room. There are no other sexual intentions, no obvious "I want you for your body, and how you can make me feel" moments, but rather, "I think you're smart, and I like your personality, and heck, you're kinda cute too" moments. Unfortunately for anyone who tries to pull this one with me, they will have no luck, because I'm busy. I have a prior (anything but!) obligation. This is one that I pray will make it through the African jungle, and make it all the way to the "I do" stage. But time is time, and God is God, so I'm gonna wait on him. and Him.

That's all I have to say about that.