Damn, He Got A Point: Sneak A Peak

Kahlil Haywood

There are different things we do in order to keep our lives interesting for ourselves. Many people look to spontaneity to add excitement to their lives and relationships. Some people even choose to do this by “sexting.” This is a new term that has been coined over the last two years.

Sexting means sending sexually explicit text messages to someone. Sexting really came into the forefront, mainly because minors were caught doing it. The fact that they were caught sending lewd photos to anyone is highly frowned upon in our society. I take this time today to ask if there is really anything wrong with sexting.

In New York State, there are laws against sexting. If a minor is caught sexting in New York, it is a felony offense. This law also includes creating messages, or distributing sexually explicit messages of minors. In a recent Newsday article, there was huge backlash coming from different readers in reference to the craze about sexting amongst minors. Some of the readers felt that minors were sexting in order to show their “dedication” to someone, while other readers believed minors sexted out of lack of self-respect. These may be true in some cases, but I disagree.

I’m no longer a minor, but when I was, there wasn’t even a term for sexting. What I can recall is having fun with my phone, and, yes, I would get sexts from girls I was talking to, and there weren’t any ill feelings towards it. I don’t think they did it to show any dedication to me nor did they do it out of lack of respect for themselves. These ladies just wanted to have fun; it was just something we did that created added appeal. “Sexting is stupid. We all do it or have done it. So, what? It’s my text… personal stuff. I say what I want,” says C.W. Post alumni Simone Robinson-Clarke. I know we’re speaking in terms of us being legal, but the fact is that we’ve been doing this way before hand.

Sexting should be fun and should be between two people who feel like sending or receiving or both. No, I don’t advocate five-year-olds doing something like that, but when you’re getting older and exploring yourself, if it isn’t harming anyone, I don’t see a need for regulation. Senior Chrystal Baez said, “Sexting can be fun but dangerous; it’s a great way to build excitement and imagination for one another but should only be done with a boyfriend or girlfriend or even husband and wife.” I definitely believe sexting should involve two mature people. Bottom line.

Just like anything else, if you’re going to do this, it should be done properly. Whoever participates in sexting should know the delicate material he or she is dealing with and respect the wishes of others. Keep thing solely between you and the other party. Maintain respect for each other all the while still having your fun. If you ask me, sexting has been blown out of proportion. Younger people need to simply be taught about having more respect for one another and to be more discreet.