I am sure by now many of you have watched the YouTube video of the dad wearing a cowboy hat ceremoniously putting several bullets through his daughter’s laptop.
He did this because he was upset that she shared her teenage angst on the Internet. I personally don’t agree with his methods or his madness. Hmmmm…let’s teach my daughter not to share her every feeling on the Internet by sharing my every feeling on the Internet.
I do agree with taking away her laptop for improper use, but the bullets, in my opinion, were over the top.
But here’s a thought, why not give her a journal and tell her to feel free to write whatever she would like to get off her chest?
Being a writer, I guarantee there were many, many pages of my teenage journal dedicated to my displeasure with my parents and the chores they expected me to do on a daily basis. It was my job to sweep or vacuum and do the dishes every other night, how cruel!
Here’s the difference 30 years can bring. She put her thoughts online for the entire world to see and I wrote mine in my private journal. No one would ever read it except me (and possibly my sneaking little brother.) Some things should not “go viral.”
I happen to love the Internet. Especially Facebook and the “new-to-me” website Pinterest. I can see hundreds of crafting ideas, get fashion tips, home decorating ideas and best of all tons of recipes with just one click. It’s right on my Bookmark Toolbar.
Easy Peasy. Everything has a picture and tutorial. This week I have made pepperoni pizza casserole, chicken “inside” a biscuit and several paper hearts for valentine decorations.
I am gearing up to try a new hairstyle or two. I pin things I like and then my friends and followers pin the things they like. It’s like looking at everyone’s “to do” scrapbook on one page.
By this time next year I should have completely redesigned my home, repurposed all my recyclables and put on about five pounds trying new recipes. See, the Internet can do good things when used the right way!
I am sure the 16-yearold girl whose laptop was destroyed by gunfire was sorry 10 minutes after she posted the ranting and ravings about her parents. I would have hoped that if my parents had ever read my journal, they would understand that they were the crazed writings of a hormonal teenager and not meant to hurt them in any way.
Unfortunately the Internet is a “can’t erase it or take it back” forum. As Erica Albright told Mark Zuckerberg in the Social Network, “The Internet’s not written in pencil, Mark, it’s written in ink. Permanent ink.”
In my case where I want to access new ideas, books and recipes, permanent viral documentation is a very good thing. As long as I keep my complaints in a handwritten journal I shouldn’t have to worry about anyone putting a bullet through my laptop.
The trouble with quotes on the
Internet is that it’s difficult to
discern whether or not they are
genuine.
Abraham Lincoln
Taste of Home columnist Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus lives on a farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of home-style recipes.
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