According to physiologists, not to mention parents and teachers, an adolescent is a paradox, an individual with a seemingly adult body whose head contains a totally unfinished brain.  It is a brain that knows no boundaries and has limited self control.  As a former (alas!) adolescent, I recall with a shudder certain escapades and actions with "What was I thinking?"  Well, okay, as I wrote, I was a teenager and not really thinking or thinking why not?  Or thinking I was clever and my parents knew so little about the modern age.  Or something.  Luckily, I also had some budding common sense and so emerged relatively unscathed, but oh, how I would like to relive my youth! 

And so I understand why teenagers in particular are putting anything – and I mean anything – out there on all forms of social media, ignoring warnings that social media is forever.  And spreads in unusual ways.  But teenagers, knowing everything, laugh at the warnings, as teenagers have always done/will always do for eternity.

But now one adolescent girl lost her job because she couldn't resist posting a selfie of herself at work.  Commenting rudely about her customers.  With racist overtones.  But with a twist.  She was promptly fired.  Some agreed she should be fired.  Others did not.  What do you think?

Okay, she's a teenager.  But she shouldn't be conducting personal matters at work.  What was she thinking?  Freedom of speech.  But some speech is...hurtful, I believe, is the correct PC word.  And she's a minority.  But minorities and majorities of all kinds visit Brookfield Zoo without incident.  She later stated, “I know what I am & racist is not one of em” and removed her Facebook page.  She may be right.  But why did she proudly post this?  Her selfie lives on.  She is jobless.  And a teenager.

Can the Reverends Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and Michael Pfleger be far behind?