where does myspace find these nitwits???

I noticed two separate stories in the news this morning about dim-witted myspacers doing embarassing and desperate things. In both events, I've pretty much decided that if they'd happened in association with a less high-profile website, it would hardly be news, that people would read the story and think, "what a couple of nitwits" and not give it a second thought. BUT, because these poor desperate people DID try to lure and marry and ARE trying to sue in association with myspace, they're not the idiots: the website is to blame. The vicious, predatory, full-of-lurking-evil website.

Admittedly, the world of horrible, canned page layouts ("thanks whateverlife.com!!!!!") and lame "everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-me" surveys is a slightly different ballgame to me than to that much-targeted 14 year-old girl perpetually falling victim to online stalker-schemes in the news.

I've dabbled with myspace. It's a novelty. It's a place to gawk at pictures of old high school friends all dolled up for halloween, or a place to leave silly little "How was your date last night?????" messages for a friend. It's a fabulous venue for my smug self-satisfaction, because half the point of tracking down people I went to high school or college with is to see if they've gained weight or married that moron they were dating 10 years ago. It's harmless. My friends and I send each other stupid song lyrics and post pictures of our engagement rings and make fun of our bosses. We bug each other on our birthdays. We waste time at work. It's an easy way to keep in touch.

But, as with every "time-wasting, harmless, easy way to keep in touch," there's that caveat. Anything fun and novel can apparently be turned into a predatory device that targets the naive, the inexperienced, the young and eager.

And the NITWITS.

Here's the first Myspace Nitwit Story of the Day: (article here)
A 20 year-old Palestinian man child "fell in love" with a 16 year-old Michigan girl and convinced her to come to Palestine and marry him. They were soul mates, apparently. They "loved the same songs." If that's not reason enough to leave your Michigan suburb and your sophomore girlfriends and cozy up near the West Bank, I don't know what is. To this poor lovelorn boy's credit, he DOES have a job in Palestine...he's never been in "trouble," for whatever that's worth...and he promised that his blushing bride-to-be would sleep in his sister's bedroom. Not his.

The girl made it as far as Jordan before her passport was seized and officials sent her back home.

I'll allow that there is a star-crossed, Romeo & Juliet element to the entire charade, but are they IDIOTS??? This girl gives the entire wonderful world of online social networking a bad name. Yes, let's leave mom and dad and fly our grown-up, in-love self all the way to Jericho and live happily ever after! The nitwit-turned-fiance "decries attempts to portray him as an internet predator." I think I'd side with the heartbroken Palestinian kid in this case. Hey, he wanted to "walk with her through the tree-lined streets of Jericho." Sounds romantic. Very "Ten Commandments." It's myspace's fault anyway.

UPDATE: I just read that the groom's family is campaigning to get their would-be-daughter-in-law back. Back to Palestine. Is is just me, or does that smack of international kidnapping super-plot? sure, she SEEMS like a nice would-be-mother-in-law...


The second Myspace Nitwit Story of the Day is here:
A 14 year-old girl sued the website yesterday after being sexually assaulted by another member. I think we've heard this scenario a few dozen times already. Sweet young things fall prey to malicious man's story about being their team's star quarterback, they convince the sweet young thing to meet them somewhere, the rest is criminal history. Poor judgement to meet face-to-face with someone you'd became aquainted with in a notoriously dishonest capacity? Yes, poor judement even for a 14 year-old girl. Is she a victim? Yes. Is it her fault? No. Is it myspace's fault?

*Sigh.*

I just don't understand. The girl and her family allege that the site has "no meaningful protections or security measures" to shield the underage from predatory users. Apparently her parents have no meaningful protections in place, either. I'd also venture a guess that right up until the assault, during the entire wooing process while the aggressor convinced her he was a high school senior on a football team, the girl LOVED the lack of protection. She loved logging on and seeing that big, bright red, "NEW MESSAGES!" indicator. She reveled in the lack of security, because it allowed her to do stupid things and put herself in stupid positions.

How on EARTH is this the website's fault?

Brings me back to the ultimate finger-pointing American way. Why take responsibility for ourselves and our families when we can be indignantly litigious and demand $30,000 retribution for our pain and suffering. THIRTY GRAND??!!

It's enough to make me want to change the age on my profile to 14, aggressively "befriend" people I've never met, then act like it's the website's fault when things take a turn for the uncomfortable.