Whatever happened to common sense?

Last week on the Tonight Show’s Jaywalking segment, host Jay Leno interviewed people who admitted taking erotic “selfies,” photos of their naked bodies and genitalia, using cell phones and electronically sending them to their significant others of the moment.

Are such people so glued to their smart phones that they are unaware of anything going on in the real world?

Are they unaware “selfies” of his genitals cost Anthony Weiner his seat in Congress and the loss of the primary election for mayor of New York City and, least of all, made him the butt of comedians’ jokes?

Are they unaware that employers and potential employers are scouring social media to find out what employees and prospective employees are doing and saying, and their behavior can cost them a job?

Are they unaware that such behavior might affect their credit rating—yes, their credit rating—and result in banks denying them mortgages and loans?

Are they unaware that the NSA (National Security Agency) is sucking up everything: phone transmissions, email, social media and everything else you do on the web? Not to mention the activities of the CIA, FBI, police departments and professional snoops hired by corporations. Nothing is private anymore in our current soft fascist state, not your “selfies,” not your medical records, not your buying habits, not you associations.

Are they unaware that such explicit “selfies” can be used against them by stalkers, bullies, ex-lovers and ex-spouses?

It’s bad enough that people post photos of themselves, family members and friend on social media, thereby, aiding the authorities setting up facial recognition software, but why take, send or post photos of your private parts that could come back to haunt or hurt you, or even get you killed? Whatever happened to common sense?

How about the University of Iowa teaching assistant who intended to email her math for business class answers to their homework but, instead, accidentally attached what has been described as a homemade porn video?

Huffington Post reported, “But when they opened the attached .zip files for ‘the solutions for number 76 and 78,’ they got an eyeful of their T.A. and her male companion. The images were obtained, allegedly via students, by humor sites like Total Frat Move, which published a description of the homemade porn.”

The teaching assistant is lucky she didn’t lose her job over her “mistake,” and, instead, was reassigned to a non-teaching position. However, where was her head? Was she glued to her BlueTooth when she hit “send”?

Actions have consequences but few seem to consider that in the electronic age. They’re too busy yakking on their cell phones, scrolling through apps, playing games, taking and sending photos of everything and anything and things they shouldn’t to use common sense, if they have any.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Is that too difficult to comprehend?

Bev Conover is the editor and publisher of Intrepid Report. Email her at editor@intrepidreport.com.