Relation to Fahrenheit 451

In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, these firemen that are for creating fires rather than eliminating them are against the usage of any books in any household. Their job is to get rid of any book that enters their sight and burn them to ashes, and then burn the ashes so that the book is nonexistent. They think books are made to change the way people think, act, and communicate. This is true, but for the better of the people; books bring you to another world, another point in time, another way of life. It is seen more as a cleansing resource rather than one that brings fear and harm to you. Just like books, texting is changing the way kids think, act, and communicate, and this is bringing danger into their lives when teens least expect it. By burning the books they thought they were creating safety for society. If we get rid of texting, that will create safety for our society as well.

Scenario

I am not a licensed therapist. Nor do I have any degree in psychology. I am a hard working stay at home mom. I am dedicated to giving everything up for my kids. This past week has been very stressful though because my child was hit by a car while he was walking home from his girlfriend's house. He has broken 3 ribs, has permanent brain damage, and has fractured his spinal cord. It almost came to the point to him being paralyzed. This could have been prevented if it weren't for my sons addiction to his cell phone. He had just left her house and was already texting the girl. Not only was my son texting, but the driver in the car that hit him was as well. He walked right into the road without doing what he was taught-- look left, then right, then left again--instead he just kept walking while looking at his phone. You would think it would be common sense to stop before crossing, but research shows that each generation, kids are becoming more attached to their phones, and each year kids younger and younger are receiving cell phones from their parents. Should I scold my child for texting and not paying attention, or should I give him all the love I can so he makes it through his injuries? Should texting be excommunicated from the country because it is creating more harm than anything? How can we handle this situation in a properly manner without making our society angry with our decisions?

Teen Addiction to Texting

Above the Influence Foundation,

I am here today to inform you about a crisis that is happening all throughout the United States for many years. That being said, I am becoming convinced that this generation of teens faces a new addiction of texting. I see kids who text during movies, in class, and even during worship services and Bible Study. Although teens get told many times that texting is a problem and it needs to be cut back, I don't think they will stop this nonsense. Why? Because much of their actions and the way they take in this advice resembles that most of them don’t care and they all are considered addicts. "I honestly don’t think there's anything that can make me stop texting." or "I don’t think anything will happen to me when I text and drive because I feel like I'm a good enough texter." (anonymous) These are quotes from teens that were questioned about their texting addiction. As a mother, I often talk to my kids about addiction-drugs and alcohol, but how many of us have conversations with our kids about an addiction to cell phones? I understand that kids text each other because they are relational and they want to stay connected with others. Don’t get me wrong, I am human too. I have been guilty of texting when I should have been paying attention in a meeting. I understand that this is the way they communicate. Somewhere, somehow, responsible adults like me need to draw a line and say, "enough is enough." We need to recognize that texting can cause more harm than good in some situations. While the popularity of mobile phones has grown enormously in the past two decades, it's still unclear how greatly cell phone calls and texting contribute to car crashes. What is clear is that talking on the phone and texting behind the wheel both lead to distraction, and driver inattention is the leading cause of accidents.

I did some research and found that in 2008, at any given moment, over 800,000 Americans were texting, making calls, or using a handheld cell phone while driving during the daytime. With distracted driving killing nearly 6,000 Americans in the same year, it's no mystery that cell phone use is risky for drivers. Despite the risks, the majority of teen drivers ignore the cell phone driving rules. Did you know that 56% of teenagers admit to talking on their cell phones behind the wheel, while 13% admit to texting while driving? As you can see, this number is extremely high, and it doesn’t seem to be decreasing any bit. 48% of young Americans from 12-17 say they've been in a car while the driver was texting, and each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year. Four out of a hundred doesn’t seem like many, but if you compare it to how many people live in the United States, 4% of humans is an immense amount and it should not be this way.

"Please silence all cell phones" pops up on the screen in every movie theater. Teens are always trying to find their way around things. Most kids listen to this statement when they get into the theater, they turn the volume on their phones to SILENT! Sure, they are following what the screen told them, but they know that’s not what the theater was trying to get across. We all know what "doing the right thing" means, but many of us think it is okay if we don’t always follow the rules. What's the worst that could happen? Lifestyle has changed in the past generation for children. I see parents with their kids, and instead of the parent being the boss, the child is telling the adult what to do. How can parents and adults allow such behavior? It has come to a point where we are too afraid to punish our kids because we feel bad if we do so. I will admit that yes I do threaten to punish my kids, but do I ever follow through with it? Of course not, because I love my children and I never want to see them cry or get hurt, and I believe that each and every other mother would back me up on this statement. The real question though is who is the blame for the obsession? Part of it is their own, having to do with responsibility, but some of this blame falls on us as parents. Parents are roll models to children and we have to set good examples for them to follow. When my kids see me texting they think it is okay for them to as well, but when I see my children texting I am always telling them to stop, yet I keep doing it. My kids always try to tell me that it isn't fair when I do this, but the truth is, I never have realized it before. Our society is to blame for this craze of technology, and it seems we are not able to operate a normal life without any electronical device.

Now, I am not for or against this issue that I bring up. I am simply stating the problem and giving a few solutions in creating a better society. I have put a lot of thought and dedication into making my decisions clear and understandable so that all citizens can manage my choices. Getting rid of texting in general, is that a reasonable option? Many may disagree. It is an efficient, quick, and easy way to communicate with others, yet it is a distraction. Like I said before, it is doing more bad than good to us all. This may be a probable and a quick fix to the situation, but it is not going to go ever well with the people that live in this country. Another option consists of just banning texting while driving. This can prevent many deaths and crashes to form a safer public living space for everyone. A few states have passed this law already, but I believe it should become a world wide law that everyone should follow or serious consequences will follow. This law doesn’t necessarily have to be permanent, but it could be more of an experiment to see if it works. With that being said, we could also experiment with having your child get a cell phone at a certain age and no earlier. I am not sure if this would work because people of every age text. This would be just like driving and getting your license. You have to be a certain age where people believe that you are responsible enough to handle a phone, because, from what I spoke of earlier about young children getting phones, responsibility is a major action when it comes to receiving a phone. All of my solutions are clear and I believe there are many more, but what I am trying to say is that texting is supposedly changing how we act, think, and communicate but not for the better and it is our job to change the dark road our society is heading on.

Sincerely,

Emma Jansen