This Beyond the Book post is dedicated to
Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown.
For the longest time I didn’t want to write this post. It made it too real. But seeing as how this is the “digital age” and EVERYTHING is computerized and electronic, I knew I had to.
“you can get past a mistake, but it’s much harder to get past being a cruel person.”
Mostly everything we do nowadays has some sort of digitization behind it. Books and even GROCERY SHOPPING can be done on-line. And now, so can sex. We just call it something different: sexting. “Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit messages and or photographs between mobile phones.” It even evolved a little bit to thinking they’ve gotten “smart” and took pictures from the neck down so you can’t see their face. Unfortunately, that STILL doesn’t make you smart.
Now don’t think for a second if you’re the person who receives the picture you’re out of the water. If you so much as show it to anyone else, you can be arrested for circulating child pornography. In case you didn’t know, THAT IS A FELONY! And then they may give you probation as well as make sure you’re a registered sex offender. (And this is for both genders. If you’re a girl and you show the pic of your ex around, you can be arrested and everything as well.) It’s a serious offense that should not be taken lightly. And that’s what I love about this book. It not only shows the depressing part where the person was outed and embarrassed beyond belief, it shows what can happens to the other party involved.
As for the person that becomes embarrassed, the most common end for them is suicide. People start calling them all types of names and they lose friends and respect over those pictures and they slip into a depressed state. They feel like they have no one and they end up just killing themselves.
“Whether you send, receive or even possess sexual photos of teenagers or children it is a felony in most states. And it isn’t limited to cell phone texting. Using any form of electronic communication (email, instant messaging, any form of social media, etc.) involving sexual content and minors may have dire consequences.” States are now going as far as passing laws against not only cyber bullying, but sexting as well.
Teens, keep yourselves safe. Remember at your age not everything lasts forever. I know when I was a teen I was tired of my nail polish by the time I had finished painting both hands and feet. Find other ways to show each other that you care. If you love texting that much, send a text a day saying you love each other or something. If you love photography that much, take pictures of something else that has nothing to do with your body. Find alternatives. If they can’t be happy with that, they’re obviously not the one for you. As I said in my review, “in this story Brown has written a brilliant realistic fiction novel that should be used as required reading in schools.” It is raw and real and will teach all students about such a great subject in a non preachy way.
Check out these things in the media that give you more insight on sexting:
