In the digital age, there is a serious need to ensure that our children learn to use social media responsibly. Indiscreet social media posts put jobs and reputations at risk and cruel messages can irreparably damage self-esteem and even mental health.
In the past decade, social media has grown quickly as a legitimate form of communication. It has outpaced government legislation, dodged parental scrutiny, redefined societal norms and, in many cases, thrown good, old-fashioned common sense out the window.
Major companies are using social media not only as a recruitment tool but also as a way of weeding out undesirable applicants. Teenagers need to be taught that a swear-word-riddled rant on Facebook may come back to bite them a few years later when they are applying for a job. The lesson should be that privacy on social media is only an illusion and you should never post anything you wouldn't want to be printed in a newspaper.
Governments around the world are now adopting legislation criminalizing cyber-bullying. In many instances, this was advocated by parents of teens who tragically committed suicide because of constant abuse from peers online. So when Anatol Rodgers High School Principal Myrtle McPhee announced that an assembly would be held this week on the dangers of "experimenting with social media", one could not be blamed for viewing this as a sensible and progressive move. That is, if the assembly was called for any of the above reasons. It seems, however, that the catalyst was instead a "gay, Mexican demon named Charlie".
McPhee said her students have been "experimenting" with Charlie to the point where it warranted asking no less than 20 pastors to walk the campus at 6 a.m. and pray for the school. McPhee said her students learned how to communicate with the demon from YouTube and Whatsapp posts. She said students write "yes" and "no" on a piece of paper and place a pencil in the middle.
"There are video recordings coming from C.C. Sweeting and one coming from C.V. Bethel where you saw the pencil moved," the principal said. "To me, it looks like it's real. You can't take chances with this."
What McPhee may be referring to is the "Charlie Charlie Challenge" which began trending on social media in May. Like the classic game "Bloody Mary", or as with a Ouija board, the idea is to summon a "spirit" and pose questions to it.
The assertion online is that "Charlie" is the ghost of an old Mexican. And while many sources point out that the name Charlie isn't very demonic - nor very Mexican - there is no mention of the supernatural creature's sexual preference. But, in The Bahamas for demons to be especially terrifying, they must also be homosexual or they won't register on the conservative Christian radar. In the end, like Bloody Mary and the classic Parker Brother's game, the "Charlie Charlie Challenge" is just childish nonsense.
We therefore hope that rather than spreading unnecessary alarm, McPhee spends most of the assembly imparting some actual valuable life skills to her students concerning the practical and responsible use of social media. And, we hope that the Ministry of Education ends the nonsense of pastors praying to keep "demons" out of schools. There are no demons. We need not have superstition overwhelming logic in our public schools. It is inappropriate for such silliness to be taking place in institutions of learning.
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