Final Blog

This course was interesting to me, as I love Women's Studies classes! There were quite a few topics that I really liked learning about, especially about human trafficking. It is so astounding that this happens here, in our country in this day. Right before we began studying that section, I had actually watched an episode of Escaped. In the show, a girl from Russia was telling a story about being lured to the United States and then forced to work as a stripper in Detroit. She would work from 11a until 2a, then her captor would drive her to an apartment where she lived among other residents. She was terrified and no one even suspected. It ended up with her escaping but I was shocked by it. Then we start the chapter on human trafficking and how many women are used for this purpose. I just cannot believe this happens but it makes me view women in a different way. It made me realize there are stories behind women's lives that we do not always know.

Another important chapter was on the rape subject. It never really dawned on me how many women, including myself view sex as our duty. Even when we kid around about it, it is not a joke. I have friends who talk about not being in the mood but "having to" and I do the same thing. It is something that has been instilled within our souls through society.

Virtual Harassment

A few years back, I joined MySpace and set up a page. I really thought it was fun to keep in touch, post graphics, and find old friends. One day I added a guy that lived in my city and I thought he was someone I had known from school. Turns out, I didn't know him at all. At first he acted nice, saying he was just meeting new people on here, he worked a lot so did not go out very much, etc. This guy was always on the site, always! Every time I logged on, I would immediately receive a message from him. I had posted some pics (normal, tasteful photos) and he commented on them all saying "Marry me!", "I am in love", and other obnoxious sayings. I quit responding to him after this and he finally sent me an email that said "Obviously I have done something to make you mad, although I don't know what. I am not going to play these games with you so I am deleting you. It is better this way than dragging this out. You have not responded to me and maybe we will meet in another life". YUCK!! I felt so enraged and disgusted by his email. Initially, I wanted to respond back with something not so nice but thought that would only make the situation worse so I blocked him from my page.

After that I went to his page and he actually had written a blog about me. This blog said all kinds of stuff about how I was so arrogant and couldn't even speak to him. It went on to include all of his psycho whining and badmouthing me. I turned him into the Myspace but I doubt they did anything and I really could care less. He has serious problems to be that way over someone he does not even know. Well, the scariest part is that I went to Wal Mart one day and he was there shopping! I recognized him without a doubt, it was him. I just acted like I didn't see him but felt really sick about it. I wasn't too worried though because my 6'4", 310 lb husband was in the car......................

The internet is a scary place. Especially with people being able to find out your personal information online. Women and children are in such danger because of the predators lurking in the world. It is becoming more common to hear about kids and women running away to meet someone they met online. I believe that the majority of people are trusting and really don't realize that the person they "know" may not be that person at all. Use of the internet is monitored at my house with my daughter and we make sure to keep all personal information off the computer.

Seeing the Effects of Meth

Soon after high school, I had a very close friend that used meth regularly and hid it from everyone. She was smoking meth on a daily basis at one point and I would have never guessed it. Somehow, my friend managed to hide it from our circle of friends. I believe when it got to the point where we would have recognized the signs, she had isolated herself from us and was smoking all the time. I am very surprised by the profile of a meth user but she fit the profile. When I visualize meth, I see someone with no education, no money, and a dysfunctional past. My friend was not what I pictured since she was a middle class, high school graduate who worked as a nanny and had college educated parents. Although her risk was increased since her mother had abused drugs at one time and her parents divorced when she was very young.

This friend just stopped one day and admitted to me that she had been doing it, which I had heard that she was doing "speed or something" from an acquaintance but I did not really believe it was that bad. About a week ago, she finally told me how deep she was into the drug and how she hid it from everyone including me. I was surprised because, up until that day, I hadn't realized how severe her problem had been and how much strength it took her to just quit cold turkey. The only sign I could look back and say that she had was oily skin. I even remember the acquaintance talking about her oily skin and hair. The main sign of a meth user I thought was meth mouth, which she probably did not do it long enough to get I guess (or was just lucky).

Of course she is very successful now with a husband and a great job. She told me that she hasn't done any drugs in 8 years and would never touch the stuff again. I find it weird that she was able to hide it so well and was able to just quit one day. After all the research on meth I have done, I believe that she is a very rare case.