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Catfish

If you haven’t heard the name Manti T’eo yet you will. The Notre Dame football player claims he was a victim of an Internet hoax. He was embraced by America this season after the death of his grandmother and girlfriend. Major media outlets covered the story portraying T’eo as an inspiration who overcame obstacles. It turns out one of those hurdles, his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, doesn’t exist. (Should’ve gone with a simpler name. Sarah Smith? Maybe Mary Adams?) She isn’t dead because she never lived. (Lance who?) The photograph used on television said to be that of Lennay is actually a California woman. Someone stole the picture from her Facebook account. Be careful what profile picture you upload to the social media site. Take my word that Facebook is the first place reporters look for pictures. So, if you commit a crime or die your Facebook profile picture will air on the news. Do you want to be remembered as the drunk girl doing a body shot at Daytona Beach? Then, use a candid shot from church or set those settings to private.

These scandals are making my job as a parent easier. I don’t need to draw up an elaborate speech about why we shouldn’t lie. I just point at the TV and say, “See, told ya .”

T’eo says he and Lennay had an online relationship and talked on the phone. It’s like that guy who claims his girlfriend lives in Canada. You know, the girl that nobody has ever met. She actually lives in a drawer and requires a bike pump to entertain, eh?

If T’eo’s story is true and he was duped into falling in love with a fictional character he must be humiliated. If he was in anyway involved in perpetuating this lie he will be.

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