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Thread: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

  1. #1
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    Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    So I have to do this literature review... it's 1100-1200 words and due by 7.20p this evening... basically, I need to research something, include my summaries of  literature on my topic and then put it down on paper. I'm so fascinated by this site...

    Weird??

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    I don't understand how you're combining literature and MDS.  I don't think it's weird to write a paper on it, though.  Someone came through here once and did research on the site for a project.  I have written papers on stranger things (Star Wars, Buffy, Tru Calling).  Go for it and get on it!  You don't have much time!

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    No way!!! It would rock.  More people should learn of this fascinating site!!!  Oh wait...I think that would stem more hate mail though.  Go for it, then post it. 

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    [quote author=HomicidalLlama link=topic=6774.msg312637#msg312637 date=1177423251]
    I don't understand how you're combining literature and MDS.  I don't think it's weird to write a paper on it, though.  Someone came through here once and did research on the site for a project.  I have written papers on stranger things (Star Wars, Buffy, Tru Calling).  Go for it and get on it!  You don't have much time!
    [/quote]

    Well, basically it's worded like this: Write a 1100-1200 word essay reviewing the pertinent critical literature on a subject of your choice. You should comment on all the major literature on the topic, objectively summarizing its main ideas or conclucions. It should also discuss the important trends or patterns you found in your research.

    I figured I'd use online newspaper articles or interviews with MP... *shrug*

    I'm excited :)

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    [quote author=HomicidalLlama link=topic=6774.msg312637#msg312637 date=1177423251]
    I don't understand how you're combining literature and MDS.  I don't think it's weird to write a paper on it, though.  Someone came through here once and did research on the site for a project.  I have written papers on stranger things (Star Wars, Buffy, Tru Calling).  Go for it and get on it!  You don't have much time!
    [/quote]
    I'm not sure how it's connected either, but as you said, this site is fascinating as are the people who come here. I wish you luck. I usually don't have trouble writing in a day, but it leaves too much room for error so be careful with your editing.

    Post it when you get done and let us know how well you did on it.

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    I have all these ideas floating around in my head and I'm struggling to figure out how to connect them... ugh!!!!

    Alright, this is what I have so far...



    Deep in the heart of the internet lurks a website named mydeathspace.com. It serves as a world wide obituary archive, where users can access news articles and MySpace profiles of the recently deceased. There have been mixed reviews as submissions to the website come from friends or relatives, or just those with a morbid curiosity. The site receives “15,000 to 20,000 unique visitors a day” (WASHINGTON POST) and the founder, Michael Patterson, says he receives “75% hate mail and 25% fan mail.” (OC REGISTER).

    Everyone seems to have a MySpace page these days, and with America’s ever growing blood lust, it is more than easy to access online news articles of fatal car accidents or crimes. It would only make sense that those immersed in an obsession with death would seek out MySpace profiles of the dead. But, it is not only strangers who submit deaths, it is also family members or friends who would like to honor their now gone loved ones. And it is not only friends or family of victims, it is also a thousand or more people who all share the same morbid curiosity for other people’s misfortunes. The question is does MyDeathSpace really serve its purpose? Is it a tribute site or a database of ideas for those who have a death wish?

    Primarily containing information on teenagers, MDS displays deaths of any sort, from victims of random or targeted violence, to suicides or drugs overdoses and to freak accidents. Originally started to alert teens to the dangers of drugs and drinking and driving, MDS has turned into morbid archive of troubled youth now gone. “Patterson said he wanted his site to be a wake-up call to young people. ‘I wanted kids to read about people their age dying in drunk driving accidents and then not have that fourth or fifth drink that weekend when they're attending a party. … Teens think they're invincible. Looking through the hundreds of deaths on MDS shows you they are not.’” (NYSUN) Unfortunately, some troubled teens become so obsessed with the site that they go to extremes, “Patterson writes that in late April, a young girl from Florida contacted MyDeathSpace and threatened suicide. She gave him passwords to all her online accounts and told him to save a spot for her on MyDeathSpace.” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES) Patterson was able to contact police and get the girl the help she needed.

    And while Patterson receives a lot of vicious hate mail, he has also received several thank you’s from lost souls, “’MyDeathSpace has helped countless teens,’ he writes. ‘While you can mouth off about how pathetic I am and how miserable my life is, other people send e-mails thanking me for what I have done.’" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES) On the other end of the spectrum, MDS has also turned in to either a source of comfort of a source of pain and lament for some.

    For most people who submit the profiles and news stories because they knew the victim personally, MDS has helped their grieving process. “’I have lost a few friends and now a family member,’ Nicole Lambert of Fairchild, Wash., wrote to ABC News in an e-mail. ‘It is nice to be able to view their profile and remember and leave comments. It is a nice way for friends and family to get condolences and see how loved and how missed that person will be.’" (ABC NEWS)

    However, some are not so keen on seeing a friend’s picture and obituary plastered on a public website; even if the deceased was once a member of the ever growing forum. One member, Danielle Toal, was a regular. She would often comment on death posts and even told friends when she dies, she wants to be on MDS. Unfortunately, only four months after registering with the forum, Toal died in a car accident. Of course, her profile was submitted for fellow users, family members and friends to access and mourn. Her sister, Sheila Cisneros, however, was furious, "With my freedom of speech, I would like to say that MyDeathSpace is currently a mockery of our lost loved ones." (RADAR)

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    MY ENGLISH A LEVEL FINAL WAS ON MDS!!


    i dont wana explain it il feel like an obbsessed idot!! haha but it completly revolved around mds and i got an A!

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    You have some good information in there and it seems to cover both basis. (pro-con)

    Watch for passive voice and be careful of being wordy. Try to stick to the point and you will do a great job.

    Good luck!

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    So far so good... thanks for your input, Gem! :) I think my prof will really like it... I've been able to link the family/friends opposing views, suicide and MDS and information on MP... :D

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    I never thought of using this site as a topic for a paper...hmmm 
    Is what I've done too much to take, or are you just afraid of being nothing?

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    [quote author=AstridAsteroid link=topic=6774.msg313611#msg313611 date=1177446582]
    So far so good... thanks for your input, Gem! :) I think my prof will really like it... I've been able to link the family/friends opposing views, suicide and MDS and information on MP... :D
    [/quote]

    Your welcome and I hope you do well. Any help I can give just ask or email me.

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    I got a B+!

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    [quote author=AstridAsteroid link=topic=6774.msg332556#msg332556 date=1178108282]
    I got a B+!
    [/quote]

    WTG! Happy Semester End!

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    [quote author=AstridAsteroid link=topic=6774.msg332556#msg332556 date=1178108282]
    I got a B+!
    [/quote]

    congrats!!

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    Re: Would it be weird if I wrote a college paper on MDS?

    I was googling something related to MDS (I was doing a check to see how fast something posted on MDS would come up on a search result) and I came across someone who did this panel thing at UCI on MDS.  I was gonna post about it, but then I decided not to.  I wonder who that was?

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