Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia sites.

Rise_from_the_West:

druscilla; bones.:

Geocities, tripod, angelfire, homestead, and myweb.ecomplanet consistently remove pro-ana/mia sites.

Well, that's why you have to force them to recover. I have known people that have recovered from eating disorders and they are GRATEFUL for the forced recovery their parents, friends, teacher etc pressed upon them. They may not want help now, but they will be glad once they get it.

And what I meant by not banning things that make it difficult to recover is that the people on these sites are murdering each other. That's what it is. I don't think websites promoting bodily harm should be allowed. In a way, though, they could never be banned, because of first amendment rights. Just goes to show you how many holes our founding fathers left in our, "Testament of Freedom".

some people can't recover, and don't believe in recovery - therefore resulting in them not recovering. Some people hide these things until they're in too deep, so far that recovery is a long way away.
And you're never really 'recovered' from anorexia/bulimia. You'll always have it...

And as much as I disagree with the sites, it's the Freedom Of Speech, and you have a right to make them.
I don't think they're holes, I think they're proper. It's not really freedom of speech if you're banning people from saying things, is it?

I think that sites advocating anorexia/bulimia as lifestyles instead of disorders should be banned. I am not sure what the legal issues are behind websites in the sense of what actually gets banned, but there is no freedom of speech argument in this case, in my opinion, as assisting a suicide is considered a justiciable crime.

Not A Person:

I think that sites advocating anorexia/bulimia as lifestyles instead of disorders should be banned. I am not sure what the legal issues are behind websites in the sense of what actually gets banned, but there is no freedom of speech argument in this case, in my opinion, as assisting a suicide is considered a justiciable crime.

But like I said earlier, freedom of speech. I'm pretty sure they can't legally do that.

I think you can never take Freedom Of Speech too far. It is a right and just because you don't agree with what someone's saying doesn't mean they can't say it. Freedom of speech comes from the idea "I may not agree with what you have to say but I'll fight to the death for your right to say it." and that's something that everyone should live by.

The majoirty of people in the world don't agree with Nazi's either, however a Nazi lives down the street from me and he has a Nazi group that meets a couple nights a week and has their own website. We can't tell him he can't have friends over and we can't take away his website, but we can stay away from him and tell children to stay away from him. That's all we can do.

Nazi websites can help convince impressionable minds that African Americans should be elminated and Pro-Ana websites can convince the same impressionable minds that starving yourself to look thin is right. It's our job as people who aren't as easily swayed to keep those who are away from those kinds of people/websites. Since people with impressionable minds are generally 14 and under all that means is teaching them who to stay away from and have their parents install parent controls on their computer.

Freedom of Speech IS A PRIVILAGE. We already have a President who is basically trying to take it away. Flag burning, Nazi groups, and Pro-Ana websites are legal because everyone has a right to their beliefs.

I don't really think they should be taken away, but I don't support them. The creed and the commandments are sick, but I've never seen that on a site. Most sites [I've seen] just offer tips for not eating, not such harsh rules.

Pro ana and mia talk about it as a lifestyle choice and are not promoting anorexia or bulimia, but are used as a place for current sufferers to communicate with each other. If a person chooses to become anorexic or bulimic from visiting the site, that is their choice.

I do believe in freedom of speech. If obese people are allowed to make sites promoting their lifestyle [such as the big is beautiful sites], then surely people at the other end of the spectrum should be allowed sites too.

I know people will say that it is influencing young children, but surely the parents should be monitering such a young child from such sites. Pro Ana and Mia sites aren't the only dangerous sites that can influence young children. Also, most children from middle school up know about eating disorders, if they want to go on the sites to find out about it, it is up to the child.

I don't condone eating disorders or the sites in anyway, I just feel they should be allowed to talk about it, just like any person can talk about their illnesses.

Not A Person:

I think that sites advocating anorexia/bulimia as lifestyles instead of disorders should be banned. I am not sure what the legal issues are behind websites in the sense of what actually gets banned, but there is no freedom of speech argument in this case, in my opinion, as assisting a suicide is considered a justiciable crime.

I think I need to clarify my meaning, as it has somehow been construed as critical of freedom of speech. So here is my explanation:

In the United States, there is no such LEGAL thing as an absolute freedom of speech. There are and can be limits put on what people are allowed to say, in what matter, and when they can say it. This is not subjective observation - this is the fact of the laws in the United States. Now, I only have definite knowledge about the way the "freedom of speech" is legally applied in the US, it may be different in other nations.

Currently, there is Supreme Court precedence that makes it illegal for pornagraphers to send unsolicited advertisements. I do not know if there is a case that deals with what is allowed to be on websites (as the internet has not been around as long as pornography, there is less legislation regarding online practices). Do I think that there is a legal justification for supressing freedom of speech with regards to pro-ana/pro-mia websites and groups? Yes. I am pretty sure advocating suicide is a crime or could at least be said to be a clear and present danger to those who have access to such sites, and there is Supreme Court precedence regarding the degree of danger asociated with free speech and when a line has been crossed. Do I believe the freedom of speech should be taken away or neglected or the like? Absolutely not.

I googled this just now, seeing as i've never heard of it and what I am reading is making me sick to my stomach.
This is wrong, there are food charts with the exact amount of calories. and then it tells you how to get the fuck rid of it
i am against this fully.

I hate to see painstakingly thin girls around. It makes me sad and it makes me wonder what is going through their mind in that moment. Are they looking at other girls and thinking "wow, I want to be like that" when in reality, they are much thinner than the girls they are looking at. Also, they attract a lot of negative attention to themselves and are more likely to get raped, kidnapped, etc., because it is obvious they are weaker than people who eat properly. Not to mention the usual fact that if they carry on that lifestyle, they are eventually going to die.

As for the sites, I think that's disgusting. They shouldn't be shut down however. If anorexic girls want to support each other without being judged, then that place is right to go to. However, I read the commandments and they automatically made me feel really bad about myself. I think that if you insist on not eating, you should at least think positive thoughts. Rather than 'I'm so fat, I hate myself," think something like 'I'm going to be so beautiful and I am such a strong person for carrying the process out." This is not saying that I support eating disorders.

All I can really say is, If you are anorexic or bulimic, and you want to be better, stay away from the sites.

They are probably the worst things for you.

People suffering from body image and eating disorders are supposed to be stopped and helped, not supported and encouraged to continue. >.>

If you pay for the site yourself it should not be removed.
If you are running in through Tripod, Angelfire, Yahoo, MSN groups, blogspot, etc. I believe that they should take it down.

The Freedom of Speech Ammendment is a double-edged sword, isn't it? We're allowed to say what we feel and what not, but at the same time...you can say things that are sick or wrong, or the like. These Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia sites are just...I read the Ana Creed and the Thin Commandments and it made me feel, for lack of a better word, like shit.

If they existed to help girls and guys alike with these disorders, then I would support then, but the "there are no victims" things really got to me. There are victims and there always will be victims. Anorexia Nervosa and Bullimia are illnesses of the mind, telling the body and the heart that the only way to be "perfect", which varies in everyone's eyes, is to have an extremely thin waist.

It's sad to hear about all of these people on websites like that, whom brag about how much weight they've lost, and how long it's been since they're truly eaten. In a way, it's like pedophiles and rapists in jail, having the prison therapist come in to talk to them all in a group. Most of them tell vibrant stories about children/people that they've molested, while some of them even get off on it. Given some are doing it to get it off their chests and trying to heal, a good portion of them aren't. They're just boasting and reliving their (sick) experience.

Albeit I find it sick and mind-warping, we really can't do anything but sit and watch. Society is completely discouraging now a days.

I have a background image for my story To the Bones was was deleted from the image site I was hosting it at. I assume, since I host other pictures there, because they found it inappropriate. It contains both the Thin Commandments and the Ana Creed.

Which it is. So I had to upload it elsewhere.

These websites are disgusting, in a way it's brainwashing people into thinking they're fat. Sure we all want to lose some weight here and there but these websites are just wrong.

That honestly is scary. Really scary.
Girls and teenagers in general already have body image issues that practically makes living and co-existing with others a living hell, and these sort of things are should be very alarming to any society.
Anorexia and bulimia is not a toy to be tossed around like that; it kills.
Even thought those sites may oblige by 'freedom of speech' but brainwashing teens isn't freedom of speech to be honest. Twisting false facts into their heads isn't really supported by that term; it's very much similar -and not very much different- from enforcing their opinions about young girls.

And sure they can consider it as a lifestyle [and it's not very different that other destructive 'lifestyles' that include substance abuse and such..] but they shouldn't go around advertising such things in that manner.
As if I'm against those sites, of course.
The scary thing is not regarding the girls that are already suffering but regarding the girls that these sites can trigger these diseases.

druscilla; bones.:

If you pay for the site yourself it should not be removed.
If you are running in through Tripod, Angelfire, Yahoo, MSN groups, blogspot, etc. I believe that they should take it down.

Yes, this is something along the lines of how to shut down some of these sites. The government could also give extra funding to schools that do not allow access to these sites (if they do not already).

I find it strange that we want to ban pro-ana/pro-mia sites while we have no problems with things like this.

You can't ban just one part of the internet. If you create a precedent people will want to ban more and more things they don't agree with. It's more than freedom of speech. The internet is also part of the media. Freedom of press comes into scene now. If we can ban a pro-ana site that means someone can ban a news site, or a political blog for being ''dangerous''.
You can't take off just one bit of the Internet, because them people will want more.

It's just like Kosovo, it's about setting a precedent.

Pro-ana and -mia sites already do get shutdown if they're on freewebs or geocities or the like.

druscilla; bones.:

Pro-ana and -mia sites already do get shutdown if they're on freewebs or geocities or the like.

I'm ok with that. A website host or server has the right to decide what kind of content they want to host or allow, because that reflects on their freedom of speech. But, for the government to mandate shutting sites like that down, I think that's a seperate issue and I don't support that.

I don't agree with bulimia or anorexia and feel it's a lot to do with the media brainwashing people, including the internet. However there is the chance that I only believe this because of the media itself...If that makes sense. We always hear the negatives because it makes news.

I don't personally agree with it because there are so many deaths from it, and I feel bad for people who are "suffering" with the "illness" but it's their choice. I don't think we should ban the sites. I mean if the site is promoting anorexia and bulimia to the point of risking death then I think they may have a problem. Like most sites, there needs to be limits, but banning them isn't the way to go.