In the early 80s the Violent Femmes released “Kiss Off,” a song whose meaning, like so many others, was left to interpretation.
But one line in particular resonated with my fellow teens:
“I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record…”
The dreaded permanent record. The massive, overstuffed file folder that recorded every D-, detention, reprimand, allegation of harassment or cheating, tardiness, rebuke for chatterboxing, insolent expression, disruption, classroom nap, missed homework assignment, truancy, curse word and fight that we may or may not have earned from kindergarten all the way through high school graduation.
It wouldn’t be until college that I realized the only permanent records that could really hurt us were credit reports and IRS records. Even the FBI has limits as to what sort of information they can legally collect without cause.
But over time a third form of record keeping has evolved and as abstract as it is, its permanence may be indisputable.
The internet and its subfolder social media doesn’t forget.
That’s a lesson Chula Vista Elementary School Board member and president (for now) Kate Bishop may have been reminded of recently.
On Wednesday Bishop tried to resign her post as board president after Twitter posts she published in 2011 and 2012 were widely spread via the Reopen California Schools Twiter account.
(A technicality requires Bishop remain in her presidential post until October. Nevertheless she indicated that even after resigning the presidency, she will stay on the board).
One of the posts highlighted by Reopen has Bishop presumably joking about what “hot” 3 year olds her kid can hit on on Valentine’s Day. A 2012 message had her remarking that since she was in her sexual peak she was asking for someone to bring her an “18-year-old boy, STAT!”
Awwwwkward. Certainly not the worst social media posts by a pre-public figure but given the climate we live in today—where every online utterance is stored and repurposed for a variety of reasons—it shouldn’t be surprising they have come back to haunt her.
Maybe in the 80s the permanent record wasn’t “a thing” but today it’s very real, thanks to the internet. Something for us all to consider.
