Home'scool Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 When I send my 14 yo daughter to Sparknotes to get some background information on The Communist Manifesto, and at the top of the page is a small picture of a young woman. The picture has been cropped so you can only see her face, but she is doing something that looks suggestive and sexual. The caption says "What in the world is this girl doing? Find out in the Sparknotes Guide to Spring Break!" I hate that my daughters are exposed to this kind of stuff on a daily basis! I know it is part of society and all that, but sometimes I feel it is just everywhere! Even researching The Communist Manifesto isn't safe. I know, young men from high school and college will be looking at this site, so there is your target market, but I just wish that young girls from high school and college wouldn't have to be caught in the same net. I also was a bit upset the other night at the movies (I did warn this was a rant!) I was taking my daughters to see something, and in front of me were about 6 young boys (ages 16 or so) and they all bought tickets to the movie "Taken" I have not seen the movie, and from what I hear it is not too violent (all things being relative) but I thought how these young boys were going to sit through a 2 hour movie about a young girl who is kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. I'm sure it isn't going to turn these boys into raving maniacs, but how much exposure do these boys get on a weekly basis that reduces women to either sexual images or sexual victims? Sigh ..... being a mother to 2 girls really has opened my eyes to this stuff. It was just always *there* when I was growing up and you learned to deal with it, but now that I see it through my daughter's eyes I find myself getting pretty miffed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesloonybin Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 :iagree: And my Dh and I went to see Taken, it is an EXTREMLY disturbing movie for parents of girls! As soon as the movie finished, I called my teenage daughter, who was at home, (during the day) to make sure she was ok. Of course I called while she was in the bathroom, so when she did not answer, I started to panic a bit. Then she called back. I do NOT recommend the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravengal Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I set a special bookmarks folder aside for my dd to use for her school subjects, and only put prescreened links in that folder. Most browsers have a feature that allows you to disable images and animations, as well. I just tried it on the Sparknotes page you mentioned and it got rid of all (including the offensive one) but one image. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 When I send my 14 yo daughter to Sparknotes to get some background information on The Communist Manifesto' date=' and at the top of the page is a small picture of a young woman. The picture has been cropped so you can only see her face, but she is doing something that looks suggestive and sexual. The caption says "What in the world is this girl doing? Find out in the Sparknotes Guide to Spring Break!" I hate that my daughters are exposed to this kind of stuff on a daily basis! I know it is part of society and all that, but sometimes I feel it is just everywhere! Even researching The Communist Manifesto isn't safe. I know, young men from high school and college will be looking at this site, so there is your target market, but I just wish that young girls from high school and college wouldn't have to be caught in the same net. I also was a bit upset the other night at the movies (I did warn this was a rant!) I was taking my daughters to see something, and in front of me were about 6 young boys (ages 16 or so) and they all bought tickets to the movie "Taken" I have not seen the movie, and from what I hear it is not too violent (all things being relative) but I thought how these young boys were going to sit through a 2 hour movie about a young girl who is kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. I'm sure it isn't going to turn these boys into raving maniacs, but how much exposure do these boys get on a weekly basis that reduces women to either sexual images or sexual victims? Sigh ..... being a mother to 2 girls really has opened my eyes to this stuff. It was just always *there* when I was growing up and you learned to deal with it, but now that I see it through my daughter's eyes I find myself getting pretty miffed.[/quote'] :iagree: :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JVA Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 We went to see Taken also.... jarring but eye-opening...I also called our daughter after the movie- lives in another state going to grad school....just wanted to hear her voice. There were two fathers with their young boys in the theater. I wanted to go up and shake them.:001_unsure: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 :iagree: And my Dh and I went to see Taken, it is an EXTREMLY disturbing movie for parents of girls! As soon as the movie finished, I called my teenage daughter, who was at home, (during the day) to make sure she was ok. Of course I called while she was in the bathroom, so when she did not answer, I started to panic a bit. Then she called back. I do NOT recommend the movie. Actually, I really enjoyed watching this movie. I love it when a good guy gets the bad guys and gets them good. Sorry. However, If my daughter asks if she can go on any kind of a trip where I don't know the adults who will be supervising personally, the answer will be NO! ( of course, the movie is NOT for kids of any age) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 When I send my 14 yo daughter to Sparknotes to get some background information on The Communist Manifesto' date=' and at the top of the page is a small picture of a young woman. The picture has been cropped so you can only see her face, but she is doing something that looks suggestive and sexual. The caption says "What in the world is this girl doing? Find out in the Sparknotes Guide to Spring Break!"[/quote'] Lovely. It is everywhere, and being inundated with junk against our will is frustrating. At times I hear people say, "Oh, I don't even notice that stuff. You just have to ignore it." Well. Yes and no. I find saturation to the point of blindness equally depressing. Sigh ..... being a mother to 2 girls really has opened my eyes to this stuff. It was just always *there* when I was growing up and you learned to deal with it, but now that I see it through my daughter's eyes I find myself getting pretty miffed. Rest assured some of us with young boys feel share your sentiments. I control what I can control, e.g. I avoid stores (that is, almost any conventional store) where I'm assaulted by trashy magazine covers at the checkstand. In this case, if I were you, I'd contact Sparknotes and voice my complaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I'm no prude, but as the mom of two almost six year old boys, I'm also appalled at the just plain seedy junk in our so called society. I've read the full Little House series to the boys and once in awhile have let them watch a Little House on the Prairie DVD from the 70's -- no more. The TV folks stripped the sweetness and innocence from that show too. And please believe me, I'm not a prude, but I don't see why children should be exposed to sadistic behavior, prostitution and more. On Little House. My dh is a techie. I'll ask him if there's a way to block the "girl" ads from your computer. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I agree w/ Colleen totally. :iagree: Call Sparknotes. And if you want me to call, I'll do it. Ask other moms to call too. And moms of boys care very deeply about this problem too. A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 My 16 yr old dd is often afraid to do internet searches for research. Often, she wants me there, and it defeats the purpose of her doing it on her own. She has said "You just don't know what will actaully be there when you click a link". I think it's sad. It makes me very angry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marylou Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 ' date=' but sometimes I feel it is just everywhere! .[/quote'] That's because it IS everywhere! We don't go to malls anymore. I can expect my husband to "bounce his eyes" only so much! Have you ever been to www.americandecency.org It's a great ministry on a shoestring budget. Oh, and beware. . . tube top season is just around the corner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I downloaded the free K-9 Web Protection program and set it to block all advertisements, along with nudity, pornography, etc. It's a great program! My boys can now go to sites and not see those "advertisements." Instead they see a cute little k-9 doggy saying the advertisement is blocked. :w00t: No more half-naked women enticing my boys to join a dating club...works for ME! ;) Not to mention, it blocks MySpace and YouTube from them (I set it too) and when they want to go into those sites they have to come to me for a password and I can set it for a 15-60 minute usage time. We only have so much broadband access a month so spending hours and hours on YouTube is not an option here. Keeps them out of trouble too. ;) And even when I unblock as site, I have NOT unblocked the advertisements...those still remain blocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravengal Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 I forgot about K9! I'll second its effectiveness in keeping the junk out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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