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Myspace.com group: Forever Young


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#91 futureofscience

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Posted 05 March 2007 - 01:45 PM

Hey, I've just signed up a myspace account as well, if anyone wants to add me feel free. I'm http://www.myspace.c...futureofscience

#92 Aegist

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Posted 05 March 2007 - 10:39 PM

Have created a beautiful account.

http://myspace.com/evil_jailbait


Will join.

-Infernity


Twenty years old my ass young lady! [tung]

Looks to me like Infernity is a bit of a gamer too... Warrcraft3, Neverwinter Nights... what other games do you play Infernity?

#93 doug123

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Posted 09 March 2007 - 09:16 AM

Myspace...it seems so many on it are...yeah, so overly narcissistic!

It seems our society is tending towards more and more narcissistic behavior:


Not all Gen Y'ers are spoiled brats
What the study on narcissistic twentysomethings really reveals.


By Sara Libby, SARA LIBBY is an editor at Creators Syndicate.
March 2, 2007

WHEN I WAS IN COLLEGE (a whole nine months ago), you couldn't navigate campus without running into students in T-shirts that read "At USC, we're not snobs … we're just better than you" — a nod to the school's University of Spoiled Children nickname. As it turns out, it isn't just Trojans who feel strongly about their own self-importance.

A study led by San Diego psychologist Jean Twenge, released this week, found that today's college students are more narcissistic than ever — a development some fear will harm personal relationships and, ultimately, American society.


The researchers asked students questions on a "Narcissistic Personality Inventory," then compared the responses to those of college students in previous generations. Gen Y'ers agreed overwhelmingly with statements like "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to." The conclusion? My friends and I are an egotistical bunch.


The study has a point. We're the generation that always got a soccer trophy, no matter how well the team played — the ones whose precious self-esteem has been pampered and protected.

Now that we've come of age, it turns out we are pretty special. Older generations had to star in a movie or write a book to get the masses' attention. All we have to do is eat pig intestines or date six people at once and bam! — someone aims a camera at us. If that doesn't work, we can do the camera work ourselves and post the results on websites that begin with words like "My" and "You," sites that also encourage us to share our favorite books, movies and TV shows simply because we're so damn interesting.

Naturally, all of this has given us a certain sense of entitlement, one that's displayed on MTV's "My Super Sweet 16," in which teenagers demand Hummers and Jags as birthday presents and performances by A-list rap stars for party entertainment. The birthday boys and girls often break down when any extravagance is refused because, they all insist, "I deserve it."


But I can't jump on board with the study's suggestion that we're all just vain, spoiled brats. Plenty of college students commit themselves to noble efforts, whether it's ditching their spring break vacations to help rebuild the Gulf Coast or signing up for programs like Teach for America. In the study, Twenge viewed this trend skeptically, suggesting that all charitable endeavors taken on by today's youth are done merely to boost resumes.

Maybe that's true, but I think that instead of being monstrously more self-centered than previous generations, we simply have the technological tools available to accommodate our self-absorbed tendencies, and we live in a world — not of our making — that considers self-regard a prerequisite for success.

Still, if adults keep inflating kids' egos without also instilling the importance of working hard, valuing others and having character, then they'll reap what they sow: kids who are treated like royalty — and act like it.


This article is reflecting on a study reported on in this article:

Posted Image
Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette
Ashleigh Pedersen, 24, is a graduate assistant in the fiction writing program at the University of Pittsburgh. Today's students are "more used to being told their work is OK even if it isn't," she said.


Collegians too special for their own good

Mister Rogers saw it coming: Today's students self-centered
Friday, March 02, 2007

By Sally Kalson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Fred Rogers saw it coming and knew it could be a problem.

A group of psychologists released a study this week that found today's college students are more self-centered and narcissistic than those of previous generations. In part, the researchers pointed to overindulgent adults for raising children to believe they are "special" no matter what they do.

Mister Rogers, of course, wrote the seminal song on this subject in 1967 -- the lyrics say "You are my friend, you are special."

The researchers didn't blame Mister Rogers in any way. But the late, great pioneer of developmentally appropriate children's television could see his message of love and acceptance being misinterpreted by a more indulgent society to mean "You are so special, you can do no wrong."

Mister Rogers knew children could do wrong, said Hedda Sharapan, director of early childhood initiatives for Family Communications Inc., the producer of the "Mister Rogers, Neighborhood" series.

Indeed, Ms. Sharapan noted, Mister Rogers had always emphasized that loving adults had to set limits and boundaries to teach children right and wrong, self-control and empathy. Yet somehow, the larger context was getting lost in the fast-evolving, three-second sound bite, self-esteem-touting culture of instant gratification.

"Fred saw that things were changing in society, for many reasons," Ms. Sharapan said. "He was concerned about how people were misinterpreting the message. One day in the studio, he said, 'I wish from the very beginning I had said it this way: You are special and so is everyone else in this world.'

"It takes a lot of energy to say no to a child and stick to it," she continued. "Children need to know they're loved no matter what, but you also have to show with real conviction that certain things are not acceptable. That's the part that got lost. The pendulum swings."

Now it has swung too far for the good of society, not to mention young people themselves, according to the findings of lead author Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego State University, and four other researchers.

They looked at responses to the standardized Narcissistic Personality Inventory, given to 16,475 college students across the country from 1982 to 2006. The results showed that students' NPI scores have risen steadily, to the point that two-thirds of current students ranked above the 1982 average.

This may not be all that surprising for a generation whose every move from infancy was immortalized on videotape, whose tiny digital cameras enable the endless snapping and transmitting of self-portraits, whose cyber-culture invites them to post Web pages devoted entirely to themselves.

Yet the trend is harmful, the researchers said, because narcissists are short on empathy, long on aggression when criticized, and obsessed with self-promotion over helping others. They're also more likely to lack emotional warmth and have problems with romantic relationships.


Not everyone is buying the generalities.

Rebecca Welsh, a University of Pittsburgh senior from Maryland, said there may be some truth to the findings, but she also noted that many students are involved in volunteer work.

"I do see students reaching out to help others," said Ms. Welsh, 21.

"You can see some people being vain or pompous in classroom discussions, holding their opinions more highly than others'. But there are students who do community service, too."

Noted Ms. Sharapan, "A lot of students are deeply committed to the environment, are out working for Habitat for Humanity and other causes. I wish the researchers would tell us about them."

And Kiwanis International, which runs service leadership programs for high school and college students, released a statement praising the large numbers of young people who are "prime examples of social awareness, civic engagement and community service."

The statement noted that the Corporation for National & Community Service found volunteerism among college students increased by 20 percent from 2002 to 2005.

It also cited a 2005 survey by the Higher Education Research Institute that found feelings of social and civic responsibility among new college freshmen at the highest level in 25 years.

Nevertheless, people who work with college students on campus say it's hard not to notice the trend toward self-involvement.

"A lot of faculty and staff in higher education are talking about what they see as a sense of entitlement in today's students," said David Hornyak, director of advising for the Honors College at Pitt and a graduate student in applied psychology.

"Where did this sense of entitlement come from? Part of it is a general service orientation," where students think of education as a commodity and teachers as the service providers.

"A professor here was talking to a student who wasn't attending his classes," he said. "The student told him 'I paid for this class, and if I don't want to come it's none of your business.' To him, it was just something he entered into under a contract."

As for student volunteerism, Mr. Hornyak questioned how much of it was heartfelt rather than perfunctory.

The tendency of the so-called "millennial generation" to believe in its own exceptionality may be giving young people a warped self-image, he continued.

"If you've ever watched an 'American Idol' audition, it's amazing the number of young people who truly can't sing but yet are crushed when someone like Simon gives them a reality check.

"This study indicates that students just automatically assume they'll succeed without any frame of reference. They lack critical thinking and self-reflection."

He believes that those traits can be learned. "Maybe students just haven't been given the opportunity to do that," he said.

Maybe not.

Ashleigh Pedersen, 24, a graduate assistant in the fiction writing program at Pitt, said today's students are "more used to being told their work is OK even if it isn't."

"We're encouraged not to say 'This is wrong,'" she said. "The hope is they'll feel more open to going on and not feel shut down."

Does it work?

"I go back and forth on that," she said. "There really is such a thing as bad grammar."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Sally Kalson can be reached at skalson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1610. )

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Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.


Edited by nootropikamil, 09 March 2007 - 10:19 AM.


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#94

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Posted 09 March 2007 - 03:17 PM

I have a MySpace profile. It is dedicated to Autism Awareness. http://www.myspace.com/nomercury.

#95 doug123

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Posted 09 March 2007 - 11:18 PM

I have a MySpace profile. It is dedicated to Autism Awareness.  http://www.myspace.com/nomercury.


These days on MySpace, I'm truly impressed to see even one or two links to promote a good cause -- rather than whole pages of this "ME, ME, ME!" stuff.

That's super cool of you to make a Myspace profile to promote Autism Awareness, wonder. Your MySpace profile is truly humbling...however, I might suggest raising your awareness that Autism is probably far more influenced by genetics than by mercury in vaccines.

Take care.

#96

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Posted 09 March 2007 - 11:45 PM

I have a MySpace profile. It is dedicated to Autism Awareness.  http://www.myspace.com/nomercury.


These days on MySpace, I'm truly impressed to see even one or two links to promote a good cause -- rather than whole pages of this "ME, ME, ME!" stuff.

That's super cool of you to make a Myspace profile to promote Autism Awareness, wonder. Your MySpace profile is truly humbling...however, I might suggest raising your awareness that Autism is probably far more influenced by genetics than by mercury in vaccines.

Take care.

nootropikamil, Thanks for the compliment and checking out my profile. I truly appreciate it!! Genetics plays a small part in Autism but it is the vaccines. So lets agree to disagree!! Besides it is my Site!!! ;):);):p Again thank you for the compliment!!!

#97 doug123

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Posted 10 March 2007 - 05:19 AM

Yep, it sure is your site! Do your MySpace your own way!

I think MySpace is novel because it allows individuals to position themselves as an entity on what is largely an anonymous Space called the Internet. ImmInst also allows some individuals to do that too in some ways, I guess.

However, just like anywhere else: "don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you read..."

(Quote from Mark Twain.)

Take care.

#98 wall

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Posted 12 March 2007 - 01:12 AM

Hey I noticed the LE Survey website is down - if you want I can host this permanently for free. Whoever owns the domain should contact me if they want this hosted. Also I noticed you added me to the Meme profile but I just have a 1 year imminst member graphic! ;) I have been here since the start, I was a member of bjklein.com before he started this site. I know I havn't been very active here though - just so much going on in my life. But I am willing to host the lesurvey or any other website related to the cause for free w/o any advertising. I am also willing to make graphics and help with any other web related projects people might have. Or even making a clean myspace template. I have an acct there as well myspace.com/a365.

#99 Live Forever

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Posted 12 March 2007 - 01:27 AM

Hey I noticed the LE Survey website is down - if you want I can host this permanently for free.  Whoever owns the domain should contact me if they want this hosted.  Also I noticed you added me to the Meme profile but I just have a 1 year imminst member graphic! ;)  I have been here since the start, I was a member of bjklein.com before he started this site.  I know I havn't been very active here though - just so much going on in my life.  But I am willing to host the lesurvey or any other website related to the cause for free w/o any advertising.  I am also willing to make graphics and help with any other web related projects people might have.  Or even making a clean myspace template.  I have an acct there as well myspace.com/a365.

Yeah, I know mrfesta was in charge of the LESurvey site and he hasn't been around in awhile. I talk to him occasionally on AIM and Google, so I will email him to see if he still has the old data backed up to upload to another site.

As far as the graphics go, you can use whatever graphic you want mate. There are a lot in the thread:
http://www.imminst.o...f=89&t=10357&s=

If you want to browse, or I can create another one for you if you don't see one you like. (just respond in that thread)




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