'Juicy' Gossip

Commentary Editor
 

   While New Jersey Consumer Affairs took legal action against a college gossip Web site for consumer fraud, founder of JuicyCampus.com Matt Ivester claims the site isn’t legally responsible for the posted comments.

   Upon discovery of this news, I decided to check out what the fuss was all about.

   I searched the Internet and downloaded the site. Most of the tabs were nonfunctional except the tab containing the “Latest Gossip.” When I clicked this tab, very slowly a plethora of immature topic titles flooded my screen.  For example, one topic headlined the words “Ryan (name withheld) has a teeny penis,” while another claims a female student gave a male student a hummer while he took her virginity.

   As I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous claims, I noticed it not only gave the name of the student(s), but also what university they attended. I can understand a larger campus may have a thousand John Doe’s, but a smaller university doesn’t and a student can especially be identified if they have a unique name.

   I then wondered why the N.J. Consumer Affairs decided to sue JuicyCampus.com?

   I found that a student’s address had been listed. When asked to remove certain comments, the Web site denied their requests. The Web site continues to run, while I might add again very slowly, even after a Colgate University student was arrested after he posted, “"I wonder if I could shut down the school by saying I'm going to shoot as many people as I can in my second class tomorrow. I hope I get more than 50.”

   Apparently posting life-ruining comments about other’s sex life, partners, affiliation, genitalia and its size, and even death threats are acceptable, but when it comes to school shootings then it’s a different story.

   Some people may argue its freedom of speech, but I think there is a huge difference between spreading childish rumors on campus and announcing to possibly millions of people the allegation that so-and-so is a slut and then list her phone number, address and place of work. In my opinion, there are just way too many mentally-challenged people in the world to safely put any personal information on the Internet.

   I personally found nothing intellectual or entertaining when I visited this site. Even the advertisements showed ignorance and immaturity. The advertisement “T-shirts banned on campus” showed 50 options of T-shirt sayings ranging from “Your P**** Smells like Sushi” to “Jesus Craves White Castle.” Needless to say, that was the so-called straw that broke the camel’s back, and I headed towards The New York Times Web site for something to cleanse my brain of the retarded input I had just received.

   I don’t claim to be mature all the time and I do have a sense of humor, but hurtful and distasteful humor is unnecessary in order to get a laugh.  If you are that bored and have enough time available in your college schedule to blab about people, talk about things that matter or, God forbid, put down the weed and do your homework.

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