Friday 1 June 2007

Vote early, vote often. Or, more likely, not at all

Being friends with teenagers has its worrying moments, for old dears like me. You talk to them on MSN (yes, I know there are whole lots of chat rooms, but I'm not all that chatty) and the next thing you know, you're talking to a whole lot of other 14-year-olds and you feel way out of your depth, especially as they are quite uninhibited, not realising that you could, technically, be their granny.

Then, a day or two later, you are dutifully working on the daily grind, or else pleasurable blogging (whether as blogger or bloggee), and someone starts to engage you in conversation. You respond in a friendly way, but really want to get rid of them asap, because they could be anyone who has an e-identity like *pinkfluffythong* or *foureyedsexpot* and is, only too obviously, 14 years old. Eventually, after a day or two, you start ignoring them, and they swear at you. "Hey you fat old slag, answer me...fucking answer me, shitface*" (expletives deleted, natch, I wouldn't want to subject you to the real things 14-year-olds say).

Soon, you block them. And feel a little impolite, but after all, you have nothing to say to them.

And then you get an invitation to talk to someone whose email and username mean nothing to you. I was unsure. I asked Ro. He said, I had the same thing, I expect it's someone H (mutual teenage friend) knows. Or it could be spam. "Have you accepted him then?" "Yeah, see what happens."

I know, of course, that one does not download a file, not even in the name of someone one knows, in this circumstance, without checking with the person. I am stupid, but not incautious.

It appears that the person is part of a band. He or she wants me to go to MySpace and vote for them**.

Sigh.

*it took me overnight to notice that I spelled all this wrong. Please correct to 'u', 'ansa' and 'fckin'.

**Hey, why should I suffer alone? You go and vote for them too. If you can get your head round the realisation that NME want your name, age and address to permit you to register. Lie? Surely not.
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=177743240

http://www.nme.com/newmusic/this-band-is-dead-just-like-pop

7 comments:

Imperatrix said...

Oh my gosh. That's pretty rude of them. Teenagers are like a whole other species, aren't they?

(She asked as her firstborn is about to become one...)

Z said...

It all makes me feel a bit old and out of touch, but then Ro does too, and he's only 22! They just say that sort of thing to each other, they had no idea I wasn't their age.

Ooh, the teenage daughter years. I really don't envy you, Imperatrix.

Girlplustwo said...

oh, but z, the mere fact alone that you engage with them at all...it's downright priceless.

oh to be the 14 year old that stumbles onto you.

dharmabum said...

what fun z - the things u seem to be engaging yourself in. there was only once that i ever entered a chat room - my first time, when i was 16. and it was also the last time - figured it wasn't my thing anyways.

sometimes i feel a lot older than i am. growing up soon can have its flip side too u know *sigh*

expletives deleted - i like that. :))

Z said...

Jen, angel, trust you to find the positive spin!

Dharmabum - having been married, with a baby and a large 3-storey house by the time I was 20, I can agree with you there. I'm regressing now though...Ro said something I was very amused by, yesterday. I'm off to work in a minute, but I'll write it down, later.

How do we know said...

hmm... ROFL abt that Myspace voting thingie...

Am surprised teenagers want to talk to you, because their parents are probably waiting for them to send a msg :-)

Z said...

Tell me you voted for them, darling. It would make their day.