Internet site sparks controversy

    The Internet has been criticized for many practices, but its worst offense appears to be its attraction to youths.

    Now the net is offering preadolescent girls Boy Crazy! cards for trading with their friends.

    Boy Crazy! is a trading card game made for preteens.

    Real boys ages 12-21 are pictured on the trading cards.

    The boys’ height, age, favorite color and ideal traits they look for in the opposite sex are included on the cards.

    Young girls buy these trading cards over the Internet from the Boy Crazy! website.

    Most people might find it an outrage that older boys’ pictures are being sold to preadolescents over the Internet, but the owner of the enterprise, Cindy Thornburg, thinks she is progressing by helping preteen girls clarify their sexual roles.

    The main purpose of Boy Crazy! is to encourage girls to log onto the Internet, chose a boy of their preference and send him emails instead of waiting for a boy they personally know to call or ask them out.

    In other words, girl power is encouraged. The Boy Crazy! website even gives girls a chance to vote for their favorite Boy Crazy! boy.

    Each week, the boy with the most votes is named “Boy of the Week.”

    Finally, at the end of the year, the boy with the majority of votes becomes “Boy of the Year.”

    The catch for these preteens is that the more they vote for any boy, the likelier their chances are for winning a dream date with the “Boy of the Year.”

    Boy Crazy! is only a 10-month-old enterprise, but it has gained popularity among preteens all over America.

    Thornburg has not fully realized that consequences such as date rape, kidnapping and stalking can arise from providing such services for these young girls.

    We live in a society that discourages interaction with strangers, yet Boy Crazy! encourages just that by making the young girls think they know these boys.

    Thornburg, engrossed in multiplying her enterprise, operates under the guise of helping girls realize that liking boys is perfectly normal and that there are “so many boys, but so little time.”

    Young girls should be given the chance to mature in a normal environment.

    A website such as Boy Crazy! will corrupt the minds of preteen girls before they get the chance to mature.

    Ten-year-old girls should not be expected to express their feelings for the opposite sex. They should be encouraged to make the honor roll at their schools and join extracurricular activities.

    Measures should be taken to ban Thornburg’s website, and parents should monitor their child’s use of the Internet.

    Parents also should restrict the amount of money they give to their children because these Boy Crazy! cards are not free.