Watch the video and consider the following:
How was social media used by teenagers (in this case Brad's daughter and her friends and other kids), and to what effect? What is your reaction to the incident as Brad describes it? From our reading, and from your experience, does that surprise you?
What prompted Brad (the dad) to use social media to air his opinion?
What are the benefits to his using this forum? Are there any consequences? Consider others connected to the situation.
Do you agree or disagree with this dad's using YouTube in this way?
According to Brads rendition of the incident, the teenagers involved were using social media inappropriately and as a way to attack another person and cause them emotional and psychological harm just because they didn't like Brads daughter. I wasn't too surprised at this incident because teenagers now days say things and throw words around like its no big deal. They fail to evaluate the meaning and impact behind the words they choose to use and don't seem bothered by their actions. Of course, the fault is not all on the child, the parents of the twins involved are also at fault. When I heard the voice messages from the other father I was surprised at him and how he has no disregard to the words he used and puts others down and basically bullies them just like his kids do. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I think Brad was prompted to use social media because it was his way of knowing someone could hear his side and realize the things kids say really do have a profound effect on them and their mental health. He wanted to know he did everything in his power to bring attention to the situation and hope his daughter doesn't put her life in danger from what hurtful things others say. A benefit to using social media is that you can reach a very big audience, you will grab someones attention. The downside is that people can also be even more disrespectful to things people post and take things way out of context. Social media is a way to say hurtful things without having to look that person in the eye while your saying it. I don't necessarily think using social media was a wise decision by Brad, there could have been other ways in dealing with this. Even naming the people involved wasn't a wise choice, its just adding fuel to the fire.
ReplyDeleteSuch negative use of technology by teenagers and people of other ages , unfortunately and without surprise, happens often in different ways. The anonymity or indidrectness that comes with technology allows people to conceal themselves, avoid direct responsibility for what they express, and , as in this case, the twins relied on the functionality of Snapchat to deliver offensive messages. It is quite jarring to me how the twin's father acted just like them, immaturely and without even an ounce of tact.
ReplyDeleteI do not think, however, what Brad did was entirely correct. His frustration is understandable, but exposing other ordinary people just like that is a bit extreme. While the twins are the instigators of this conflict, their parents are the one to hold responsible, because clearly the apples didn't fall far from the tree. The twins may be easily endanagered by such exposure with threats of physical violence from the african-american community
For starters, I think what Brad and his wife could do to help his adopted african-american daughter is to teach her how to deal with bullying. Also, an important thing they need to cover is racial socialization -- they should prepare their daughter to navigate racially charged environment of US society -- that will help her immensely in future.
Secondly, if police is not of any help, Brad can become an advocate, try to work with the school administration and perhaps make them address the general issue of bullying and racism by organizing classroom talks about the issue.
Social media is usually used by teenagers in harmless ways. Most of the time, it isn't more than funny pictures or selfies sent back and forth. However there are times when teenagers take their usage of social media and technology too far. The teenagers mentioned here were using it thinking that they were being funny, or thinking that it wouldn't effect her, to call her unnecessary names. Similar to what Lilly said, I'm more surprised at the other father's reaction than I am at how the teens acted. Teenagers are beginning to use their prefrontal cortex for executive functioning, but still don't seem to think too hard about consequences when they're with their friends. They're so influenced by the people they are with, that they'll pretty much say and do anything to be accepted in a group, even if that means putting down a girl they don't even know well. It also makes sense that the teens would act this way, since the other father in the situation seems to promote this behavior.
ReplyDeleteBrad using YouTube to voice his opinion clearly made himself heard. I think it raised not only the immediate problem at hand, but also sharing that these types of parenting styles aren't uncommon and they have a profound effect on today's children. Many people heard him and it hopefully brought up conversations in other homes about the use of derogatory terms and how those words can make a person feel so down about themselves that their only escape is suicide. However, since this video went so viral, there's a possibility that Brad's daughter got critiqued for it. In high school, you should be fighting your own battles. When your parent gets involved and starts calling out names of other parents, the drama escalates quickly. I do agree with how he handled the situation because it brought the issues public. I think his voice was heard and it showed his level of involvement in his daughter's life. This kind of stuff happens daily and parents should be more aware. I'm curious to know if the other dad ever stepped up to actually parent his teen instead of acting like one.
In this case, the teens were trying to be sneaky about their bullying through snap chat (once you send it you can't store it, or replay it more than once) and were using the app inappropriately to target this mans daughter. I'm not surprised at the name calling because I think that's a phase all teenagers go through. They don't really know the meaning of the words they are putting out into the open but they use them anyways to feel "cool" or because they had heard them used before and could get attention from the words because they knew they were "bad words". I think using the N word surprised me because I think growing up that there were "bad words" and there were words that you never use, that being one of them. The bullying doesn't surprise me because children that age are so focused on their peers and who's cool, whats cool, etc. But the extent they took bullying is shocking. I don't really know what else to expect from kids though who are parented by parents who believe that their children do nothing wrong and allow them to get away with such things.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that social media should of gotten involved in order for this Dad to voice his opinion. Yes, it makes people aware of how social media can be used as a bullying technique and shows different parenting styles but It probably put the daughter in an awkward situation and made her experience public which would be embarrassing for any teenager, even if they're the victim in the situation. I think the Dad should have went to the school before posting this on youtube or even contacting the police, although he had every right to be concerned.
I think this new generation growing up is going to continue testing the boundaries of bullying especially through technology. Clearly, these kids knew what they were doing when sending these messages to this man's daughter. They knew that they could keep getting away without with no proof until thankfully a video was recorded. I think that this is an awful situation but one that probably isn't too uncommon with the amount of kids who use SnapChat presently.
ReplyDeleteI think Brad using social media gave him an outlet for help that he otherwise was unable to access. Obviously, he wasn't going to get anywhere with these kids' parents so he turned to a musher wider audience. I think this was an awesome to put the spotlight on ignorance and racism in our present society. I agree with all of the actions that Brad said, even naming the father, however I think that giving the information about the twins may have been a little excessive given their age.
The teenagers (Brad's daughter and her friends) used social media as a way to express the fun they were having at the sleepover. They used Snapchat to interact with friends from school, and unfortunately caught the attention of the twins who prompted to respond to the teens with vulgar and rude comments regarding her race and weight.
ReplyDeleteAt first, I didn't think much of the video. I just assumed it was going to regard a parent who was ranting about his kids and how to deal with teens. However, his statement of adopting an African American girl into their family caught my attention. As Brad continues to describe what occurred, it not only began to show Brad's character, but also his role as a parent to his child. It doesn't surprise me that Brad would react the way he did. Although I cannot relate to him, knowing my parents and most parents, keeping their children safe and away from danger is their main goal/priority.
I feel as though, he somehow felt trapped and stuck and needed a way to express his feelings to locals and nation/worldwide. The benefits of this is it warn others to be cautious of people like Deron(Darron) and to possibly inform others to be careful with teens and their usage of social media. The consequences are, the other teens could get a backlash from all this media attention and could prompt them to be mentally and possibly physically affected from it too. As for the father, it may only fuel his anger and hatred towards Brad, his child, African Americans, and "N Lovers".
Although there were other better alternatives, I do agree with the dad using YouTube in this way. He did everything he could do as a parent (gain solid evidence, try to contact the girl's parents, inform the police, inform the school, contact the parents again, attempted to reason with the twin's father, and being a loving father to his child) so informing others on his pain and anger through social media was in my opinion, okay. If he used it in a way to purposely degrade the others (with no evidence, no manners, no sense of knowledge whatsoever) then maybe his actions would not be acceptable.
The teenagers used Snapchat to bully Brad's daughter calling her names and being racist. When they were calling her names, that was not shocking to me because name calling is common, unfortunately. It is just sad how kids at that age use those words, know what they mean, and how used those words to hurt someone. Even if they do not not know that word means, they still have an idea that it is a bad word to use.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very sad of what had happened to Brad's daughter. I was surprised that he called the police and got the children involved too. I am glad he did though because what the kids did, was not right and cyberbullying can harm kids and make them even become suicidal if gets that far. The voicemail that he received shocked me that someone would even say that (the N word), and call the dad names and tell him to grow up. Brad wanted to get it off his chest because he didn't know what to do, so he went to recording a video on YouTube. He told the guy that he would post it and tell the social media his name and he wanted them to own it.
Promoting that there is cyber bulling going on through social media shows that parents should be aware of it, and how it could affect their child. Consequences are sharing peoples full names and the location of where you and others live. Also his daughter possibly being exposed to the public, which could be embarrassing for her.
I agree with Brad using YouTube as a way to connect with others about cyber bullying, and how important the subject is. He was promoting awareness that this is happening to kids, and also promoting how racism falls into affect too.
Like many of my classmates have already touched on, the ability for teenagers to use technology as a bullying technique is way to common today. They are able to hide behind the screen and say things that they would probably never say to someone's face. This makes bullying bolder, and worse than ever. Also, as technology advances, things such as snap chat that have the message or video disappear after a certain amount of time, allow for even worse messages to be sent and then disappear into cyberspace.
ReplyDeleteDue to this, I am not surprised by the incident. I think that Brad's video is emotional and straight to the point. I think that he took all of the right actions to take care of the situation himself, without immediately turning to social media. He simply wanted justice. While many of my classmates have stated their disapproval of the video, I am not on this side. I agree with it. I think that too often people tip-toe around issues because they don't want it to get too out of hand, or they are too caught up in the politics of being politically correct, following the rules, or protecting teenagers because they are "just kids". Sometimes, all of this should get thrown out of the window, because people need to own up to their actions and pay for what they did wrong. It would not be ok to just let this issue slide, especially as the parent. I would be interested to see how this video actually worked or did not work, or what backlash was seen due to it. If I were to bet, it was totally worth the risk. I think Brad did a great thing here.
The social media was used extremely inappropriately by the teenagers in this video. Unfortunately it is all to common to come across bullying whether it is through various types of social media or just good old fashion face-to-face. Cyber bullying however, is becoming more common because it is easy for teenagers (and children) to hide anonymously behind their comments or to erase evidence of the bullying via snapchat. All parents in this situation are somewhat to blame for this bullying incident. The twins parents (or dad at least) are obviously oblivious to how their children's and their own words and actions are affecting others. Because it is so easy for children to communicate over social media it is the parents job to inform their children that what they hear/say is not true and they should not let what others say hurt their feelings (this is a lifelong lesson).
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Brad did and could go on and on about this because it is an everyday occurrence and like he said children are committing suicide way too often to just let it even one incidence go unheard of unnoticed. Yes, there are other ways he could have gone about this but the awareness he raised will help other parents and hopefully bullying from both the giving and receiving end. By posting this video on social media it may embarrass his daughter but that is much better than letting his daughter think that the behavior was acceptable and her feelings should be swept under the rug. It is not okay to behave like that and there should be repercussions for their actions.
In this case, social media was used as a method of cyberbullying. Snapchat makes this way easier for teenagers to do, because the snaps disappear after you view them, and it can make it harder for teenagers being bullied to prove it and reach out for help. My reaction to the snapchat was horrible and it amazes me that people can be so racist and ignorant in this day and age. Brad was very upset by this and felt out of control in his daughter's well-being. This doesn't surprise me, because I would also be very upset if I was a parent in this situation.
ReplyDeleteI think that Brad decided to use social media to channel his frustration because he did not know where else to go to after he had exhausted all of the resources which should have taken care of the situation. He also wanted to get justice for his daughter who was being maltreated by other teenagers in her school. Benefits to using this form are that he will be able to reach a lot of people and spread his message very quickly. Consequences are that he might get negative feedback and that his daughter might feel embarrassed of him that he resorted to such drastic measures.
I agree of this dad's use of YouTube. He had nowhere else to turn to for help, and wanted to send a message to warn people about the dangers of cyberbullying. However, I don't think he should have mentioned the child of his friend who committed suicide. It is likely to still be a fresh wound to that family, and the publicity of this video was likely to intensify that pain that they were already experiencing.
I just think the video itself is ridiculous. A little part of me thinks that the Brad makes the situation too dramatic, but as you watch the video you can’t but feel bad for the guy.
ReplyDeleteThere are many benefits for using this forum. In this case, according to Susan, Brad did outside help and the video did also spread viral. But, because Brad did submit it online, (and probably without his daughter’s consent) he could be seen differently by individuals and families in his hometown. Some people might love the fact that he tried to stand-up for his daughter. On the other hand, other people may look down on him and question his decision to post on such a sensitive topic. As for the daughter, who received the most consequences, has to deal with her dad’s decision daily. She is the girl that overwhelmingly can’t fight her battles for herself.
Personally, I would not have posted this video to YouTube, but if it spreads the awareness that it needed than I am all for it. I also love how Brad is an adopted father. I would like to adopt children one day, so if I was in his shoes I would also want to do something about this particular situation.
The girl's use of Snapchat was definitely shocking and totally awful. At the same time, I'm not sure the dad's use of YouTube was very well thought out. We all know that the internet is forever, when you put something up, it is nearly impossible to take down. Just the fact that we are watching this video after someone's obvious attempts to take it down demonstrates this! I totally understand that the father wanted to be heard and raise awareness of how damaging cyber-bullying can be. However, this video can have long-term consequences for his daughter and the other minors' involved, and I'm not sure that is what he would have wanted if he had taken more time to think it through. I think there are other ways that would have demonstrated more maturity and helpful ways of advocating to his daughter and the other teens involved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kristi that in high school kids should feel like they are only fighting their own battle, and that Brad involving this other family and naming them on social media wasn't the right thing to do. I do think that the school was too lax about this issue however, and that he should have been able to voice his anger about this and those twins should have been held completely accountable for their actions, without their names being broadcasted over the internet. The unfortunate quality of snapchat is that enables secrecy and prevents parents from monitoring in the way they need to. Honestly, I don't think snapchat should be something kids have access to until they are older or on their own because ultimately parents can't monitor it or avoid sexually explicit photos being sent to their kids or bullying from occurring due to the transient characteristic of the application.
ReplyDeleteI could really understand the struggle and the frustration that the father is going through in order to seek help for his adopted african american daughter. Tobe honest I got pretty angry myself watching the video and hearing what the other father was saying. for him to call him certain words and making racist comment just shows that he is a really bad role model/father for his children. Social media was used in order to bully and the african american girl. They used it in a series of videos on snapchat to call her inappropriate names. This happened to leak to other children at school which became very unbearable to the daughter. I feel that the main reson that Brad had to use youtube was because no one (not even the authorities) would help him seek justice. Thats why he was able to get attention when the video went viral. The local news was also able to get involved in the incident and the father responsible for the incident had to move out of the state. I felt that the benefit of this was that the father was able to get the satisfying justice that he wanted for his daughter from the internet. the consequences/disadnvatages would be that the families personal information about this incident was known thus causing the daughter to be more embarrased since more people apart from her school know what happened to her. All in all I do agree with the father and the method he used because it was effecient and the only way to really get him the justice he deserved from this situation but I also feel that he should have discussed this with his daughter and worked with her along this video before posting it just to save her from instant humiliation.
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