“Don’t talk to strangers,” the classic phrase of parents everywhere needs to be emphasized more so today. In Kevin Alexander’s MySpace Not Responsible for predators, he argues that MySpace cannot be held responsible for the behavior of young adults or who they choose to speak with. He states that “There is no way to stop a determined predator. There is no way to stop a determined victim” (119). He uses the case of a 14 year old girl who agreed to meet with and 19 year old man the she had never met, only chatted with on MySpace. It was a normal teenage date with dinner and a movie but went terribly wrong when he raped her. This is a very tragic circumstance that Alexander uses to plea with parents to be more aware of their child’s online and offline activities. “MySpace is a business and one that has never advertised itself as an online baby-sitting service” (119). says Kevin Alexander. Whether MySpace chooses to take new security measures to prevent predators or not, Alexander makes a very convincing argument. He not only claimed that MySpace cannot be held accountable for the actions of others but he supported it solidly. In the case of the 14 year old girl who later moved to file a lawsuit against MySpace, he asks a critical question “where were the parents?” (120). If the mom or dad knew this was a boy she had never met (no matter his assumed age), it would be irresponsible of them to allow their young daughter to be alone with him. Alexander understood this was a tragic occurrence but was bold enough to question what some may have overlooked to find the truth of MySpace and predators.
Alexander, Kevin. “MySpace Not Responsible For Predators.” Elements of Argument: A Test and Reader. Annette T. Rottenberg and Donna Haisty Winchell. Boston.MA: Bedford/St.Martin’s.2009. 119-120.print
Good work on the assignment, Robin. Be sure to put the period after the citation when quoting. Ex: “There is no way to stop a determined predator. There is no way to stop a determined victim” (119).
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