Reading
Sexting – Teens still do it
Dec 8th
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According to a new survey, almost one-third of youths admit they’ve engaged in sexting-related activities that involved either e-mailing a photo or video of themselves in the nude or being the recipient of such images. Of those who admitted to distributing suggestive images of themselves, about 61 percent report that they were pressured by someone to send the image. Girls were more likely to share a naked image of themselves than boys. Those who are already sexually active were much more likely to send an image than those who were not sexually active. Most of the respondents sent the image to a significant other or a person of romantic interest to them. But 29 percent said they shared naked images of themselves with someone they knew only online. |
To help measure where the younger generation currently stands on sexting and digital abuse, 1,247 youths between ages 14 and 24 were surveyed. About 50 percent of youths who responded to the survey said they’ve been the victim of some form of digital abuse. The most common type of abuse was being the target of a smear campaign; about 22 percent of respondents indicated they’d been the target of lies spread through digital media. About 8 percent of respondents indicated they’d been threatened with some form of digital blackmail. Females were targeted for digital abuse more often than males — with 53 percent of them acknowledging it, as opposed to 42 percent of males.
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These are some of the findings of a survey conducted by MTV and the Associated Press as part of a new multi-year campaign the youth-oriented television network launched on Thursday with numerous partners. The aim of the campaign, dubbed “A Thin Line,” is to educate teens and college-age students about safe and appropriate digital behavior. The campaign will include a half-hour MTV news special to be broadcast next Valentine’s Day that will focus on sexting as well as a series of public service announcements addressing sexting, harassment, digital prejudice and other topics. In addition, the network’s documentary series True Life will do an episode on the issues that two young couples have faced through their digital activities. And so on… [via Oscar] |
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Teenagers as Sex Offenders
Nov 11th
Sex offender lists are stupid per se. But did you know that the best represented age group on them is 14?
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Consider two young people, confused by their own budding sexuality, curious as to the dynamics of sex, terrified by it, but drawn to it anyway. Nature, or God, if you prefer, built the human body so that that the young are flooded with hormones that inspire lust and a need for release. Perhaps the mind is not ready to grasp what is happening, but the body demands it. At the very least, it is NOT very intelligent design. But it is what it is. Wishing won’t make it different. These two young people seek some seclusion. “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours.” Nervous hands unzip zippers. Tentative touching, complete silence as they forget to even breathe. A door suddenly opens. They try to cover up. They don’t understand why they did it or what it means. That is part of what they were trying to figure out. Something from deep within compelled them to seek something they didn’t understand. Nature, or God if you insist, endowed the human species with a body that floods these young people with hormones, creating desires they don’t comprehend. Perhaps they are too young to fully understand. At the very least imposing such a burden on those so young indicates a total lack of intelligent design when it comes to human sexuality. A stern talking-to, perhaps going to bed without supper, or wise parental advice is how previous, less terrified, generations handled this. |
But that was before we let the special interest groups and politicians terrorize us about the “threat to our children.” Since then we have passed hundreds of ill-conceived pieces of legislation “to protect our children.” Now we are sacrificing our children on the very political altars that we helped build.
What was once considering a normal rite of passage, typical curiosity that the newly sexualized young have about themselves, their bodies, and the bodies of others, has become a heinous crime. Not long ago a curious adolescent or child, caught exploring, or playing doctor in the back yard, was given a talking-to, sent to bed early, and warned to not do it again — a warning most heeded for at least another few years, after which time warnings were useless. Today, it has been criminalized, and criminalized in a way far exceeding crimes of violence. A youth who has sex with another youth, even if voluntary, could well face legal sentences far worse than if they had killed their friend.
Please read the whole article at Classically Liberal. They have also collected a partial listing with relevant cases.
I for one think it’s kinda sad that even the author of the good and much needed article above thinks sending kids to bed without supper is a proper way to handle such situations. Not so long ago European parental guides suggested to let kids do whatever they want to do when it comes to sexuality because everything else would let them get the impression that sex is something bad and dirty.
Teen Sex belongs in Teen Literature
Nov 9th
Oh boy, I just read a column by Canadian author Cory Doctorow. He got a shitstorm of anger from teachers, students, parents, and librarians because he dared to write about a 17 year old boy having sex and drinking a beer. I really should know better by now but still… the fact how things like this are handled in North America never fails to amaze me. I know half of you guys stop reading here because you know what awaits you but that’s ok. Yes, I’m a smug eurofag and no, I can’t stop bashing North American countries for being so hypocritical, unprogressive and fucked up. So let’s make it short here: I know there are many people living in the US and Canada who are upset about this stuff just like I am. So if you’re a teenager and can’t stand the Christian censor machine who’s trying to control what you can read and think: Go and get some Youth lit from Europe. No matter if it’s Swedish, French, Dutch or German, many (sadly not all) of the great coming of age books released here are getting translated sooner or later and I never stumbled upon one that doesn’t have sex scenes ;)
My first young adult novel, Little Brother, tells the story of a kid named Marcus Yallow who forms a guerilla army of young people dedicated to the reformation of the US government by any means necessary. He and his friends use cryptography and other technology to subvert security measures, to distribute revolutionary literature, to liberate and publish secret governmental memoes, and humiliate government officials. Every chapter includes some kind of how-to guide for accomplishing this kind of thing on your own, from tips on disabling radio-frequency ID tags to beating biometric identity system to defeating the censorware used by your school network to control what kind of things you can and can’t see on the Internet. The book is a long hymn to personal liberty, free speech, the people’s right to question and even overthrow their government, even during wartime.
Marcus is 17, and the book is intended to be read by young teens or even precocious tweens (as well as adults). Naturally, I anticipated that some of the politics and technology in the story would upset my readers. And it’s true, a few of the reviewers were critical of this stuff. But not many, not overly so. What I didn’t expect was that I would receive a torrent of correspondence and entreaties from teachers, students, parents, and librarians who were angry, worried, or upset that Marcus loses his virginity about two-thirds of the way through the book (secondarily, some of them were also offended by the fact that Marcus drinks a beer at one point, and a smaller minority wanted to know why and how Marcus could get away with talking back to his elders).
read, read, read!
because they fear nothing more than a freethinking youth
Picture This! closed
Nov 3rd
Picture This! Entertainment and its sister label Picture This! Home Video have shuttered, closing its doors on September 29 according to a message posted to its website. Doug Witkins founded film company DW Diversified 25 years ago and entered the distribution market with off-shoot Picture This! thirteen years ago with a gala launch at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. His aim was licensing North American independent LGBT films to distributors and networks around the world. In 1998, the company established its domestic wing, which has released almost 100 features and shorts theatrically via home entertainment and TV in North America.
The labels championed gay genre films as well as “coming-of-age” stories, including “Garcon Stupide,” “Come Undone,” “Clara’s Summer,” and the “Boys Briefs” series. It is unclear as the company navigates bankruptcy court what will be the fate of its library. More about this at IndieWIRE
Kids smash Gender Roles
Oct 6th
US-based toy retailer Toys"R"Us has been reprimanded for gender discrimination following a complaint filed by a group of Swedish sixth graders about the store’s 2008 Christmas catalogue. According to the youngsters, the Toys"R"Us Christmas catalogue featured “outdated gender roles because boys and girls were shown playing with different types of toys, whereby the boys were portrayed as active and the girls as passive”. Thumbing through the catalogue, 13-year-old Hannes Psajd explained that he and his twin sister had always shared the same toys and that he was concerned about the message sent by the Toys"R"Us publication. “Small girls in princess stuff…and here are boys dressed as super heroes. It’s obvious that you get affected by this.” – Read the full article at The Local
Hey Koes, it’s a pony! ;) Photo made by Cheatara
I’m well aware of what kind of comments will be posted by some of our readers but I don’t really care. I’m so sick of these stupid gender clichés. You like boys to be “boyish”? Well, good for you but that doesn’t mean they want to be boyish just because you or the society expects them to be. We should get rid of the whole concept of acting masculine or feminine. The case above isn’t really special for Sweden but I’m glad to see that this Swedish attitude comes to Germany too (even if some Swedes might already be annoyed by all the political correctness ;p).
UPDATE: Boing Boing had a post about this too earlier today and the first 2 comments there made my day. Sorry America, you just got pwned ;o) On a more serious note: Stop thinking of teenagers as brainless mutants, kthx.
Adrian Mayfield – Tricks of the Trade
Sep 6th
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Rarely has a book for young adults been so eagerly anticipated as Tricks of the Trade, the third book by the popular young author Floortje Zwigtman. She understands better than anyone else that adolescents aren’t looking for a neat book of instructions for the future. These are stories that tell it like it is, historical novels about surviving in conditions where the laws and morals of polite society no longer seem to apply. Adrian Mayfield is born in the poor East End of Victorian London, the son of a pub landlord and a seamstress. However, a different career lies in store for him. It’s not a scenario that the street-hardened lad could have envisaged: a wealthy older gentleman falls in love with him and takes him home. The man is Augustus Trops, a second-rate artist from Flanders. He introduces Adrian to the flamboyant circle of Oscar Wilde, where he meets other men like Augustus and finds work as an artist’s model. The work pays well and he meets the most interesting and powerful people of his time. Adrian is very pleased with his new life at first. Everything appears to be going swimmingly. Until, that is, London’s beau monde decamps to Europe for the summer holidays, as happens every year. Adrian, by now accustomed to luxury, ends up without any income. |
In a male brothel he discovers the flip side of his new life in the twofaced London of the nineteenth century, where gossip, blackmail and brutal police violence make homosexuality a highly dangerous way of life. Then he faces the choice of whether to put his integrity and his friendships on the line so that he doesn’t have to live in a mouldy, cockroach-infested garret.
Tricks of the Trade is an intense book that is difficult to put down. It draws the reader in without resorting to cheap sensationalism. This is a result of Zwigtman’s unique ability to combine critical distance with open intimacy. The raw, breathtaking writing of this sharp, historical portrait really makes the reader think about life. Zwigtman is one of the great modern writers of books for young adults.
This is the first book in a series of three and was published in Dutch under the title “Schijnbewegingen” and in German as “Ich, Adrian Mayfield”. There is no English translation yet because all interested publishers asked the author to removed some of the detailed sex scenes considering the age of the target audience but Zwigtman refused to do so.
Forget the Time
Sep 1st
CocoRosie Week Part I
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There was a time when nothing was unlit If time is running too fast I am a child I watch the sky and this rainbow alleviates myself Forget the time |
Lyrics by CocoRosie, Translation by Chimel. Photos found by Pink Neptune and Nyneue
Im Sande des Wahns
Aug 23rd
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Soaked Greed in a dark Night, it happened. Nie mehr soll ich dich in den Armen halten. Embrace me tight! |
Over the Clouds
Jul 21st
An ‘enterprising and creative’ 17-year-old with Asperger syndrome convinced British aviation officials that he was launching a new airline. Posing as a visionary global entrepreneur — his email .sig files read ‘American Global Group, 35 Countries, 22 Languages, One Team’ — he used phony websites and human engineering to arrange meetings with airport directors and book a local appearance for the 300-person US cast of ‘High School Musical.’
Don’t get a teen boy bored. He might come up with funny ideas.
Tait, who pretended he was in his twenties, even flew to Jersey to attend a 1½-hour long meeting with the director of its airport. Their talks were considered promising enough for a further meeting to be arranged, which was due to be held next week. Other air industry bosses found themselves dealing by telephone or e-mail with Tait’s fellow executives, David Rich and Anita Dash, who proposed to launch a cut-price Channel Islands-based airline servicing most of Europe… "Some of the things he said were the sort of things that were indicative that there might have been some substance to his claims," said Coupar. "If they were real then there would have been opportunities for us to expand our business and that’s not the sort of thing we are going to ignore."
Tait also made approaches, with varying levels of success, to other airlines, including Titan Airways and Aer Arann. When he made contact with Jersey airport, his patter was convincing enough to effect a 90-minute face-to-face meeting with Julian Green, the airport’s director, who said last night: "Jersey airport can confirm it has had discussions with Adam Tait over recent weeks about an ambitious network of services between Jersey, the UK and Europe. Full article at Times Online (Story via Boing Boing, Photo via Kloland)
The Center of the World
Jul 13th
When I was about 14 I carried a book with me for weeks, if not months, because I just couldn’t let the protagonist go away. It must have been the first time that I really fell in love with a book. Welcome to The Center of the World…
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A coming of age story set in a remote mountain range in Germany; Steinhöfel weaves the elegant tale of a seventeen-year-old boy named Phil. Although the novel does deal with Phil’s sexuality, it primarily illustrates his tumultuous relationship with his unconventional mother, Glass, and reclusive twin sister, Dianne. From the birth of Phil and Dianne by their teenage mother in the prologue of the story, the family occupies a large estate, called Visible, on the outskirts of a socially repressive and ultra-conservative town. The town not only discriminates against Glass because of her promiscuous nature, but they transfer their criticisms to her two children. Therefore, throughout Phil’s childhood, he feels ostracized despite his mother’s advice to ignore the harshness of the "Little People," or the people who inhabit the town. Phil does discover refuge in the form of a young and vivacious girl named Kat, who becomes his one and only ally. However, despite Phil’s seeming acceptance of his sexuality, he does not believe that his family or his friends would approve of his relationship with a charming and attractive runner, named Nicholas, who becomes his first boyfriend. The novel is written in a first-person narrative with intermittent flashbacks that describe the roots of Phil’s personality. |
Steinhöfel’s greatest accomplishment is that he portrays homosexual relationships as the equivalent of heterosexual relationships. By demonstrating that the journey toward self-discovery of a young gay man is the same as that of a young straight man, Steinhöfel shows that discriminatory views on homosexuality are completely unfounded. In addition to vividly depicting Visible’s breathtaking surroundings, his crisp and graceful prose provides insight into Phil’s complex thoughts and emotions. Satisfying the reader with Phil’s self-discovery, Steinhöfel does an excellent job of balancing the scales between satisfaction and misery, having and wanting. By the end of the novel, one aches with a confused combination of happiness and grief. Steinhöfel and his novel deserve every word of praise!
English ISBN: 0440229324 | German ISBN 3551353158
English Version at Amazon | German Version at Amazon
destroyer.pdf
Jul 7th
I know quite a few people were too scared to buy a magazine about teenage boys considering all the hysteria going on around the globe. Well, (imagine Professor Farnsworth’ voice here) good news, everyone! At least 4 issues of the 9 published so far are now available as a PDF download for just € 4,99! Pro tip: You don’t wanna miss Destroyer 7! Trust me ;o) And I don’t even mean the interview with me in it ;p Apropos: The numbers in that interview are not really accurate anymore, just if you wonder. We have 17.000 daily visitors by now and the server costs $ 280 per month. But back to topic: Go, get ‘em all!
The Boy Poet
Jun 18th
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