I'm 35 yrs old, & recently I've become an uptight prude -- at least insofar as what's on television, in magazines, and in PG and PG-13 movies.

I had underage sex, dabbled in drugs in college, I like the occasional pornography, and for much of my adult life every other word out of my mouth was a crude expletive.

So, what has changed?  Nothing really.  In terms of what is o.k. for adults, I don't see any need for any kind of censorship or even decency (if indecency is what you like, go crazy).  

I'm single and don't have kids, but I think that since my neice & nephew were born 4 & 5 yrs ago, respectively; I've been looking more critically at the types of "entertainment" intended for viewing by minors.

Every time I watch television it occurs to me that nearly half of all shows, and more than half of all commercials, are not appropriate for kids.  At least, they're the kind of things that my parents would not have wanted me exposed to when I was a kid.  Just about everything on MTV is geared toward sex, and not in a good way.  Shows where bisexual skanks pick among degenerate losers of both sexes, obviously only to engage in sex.  In addition, I've noted that "Family Guy" is now on at regular viewing hours on several stations.  Personally, I usually find the show hysterical (even though written by a flaming leftist), but it is clearly not intended for kids despite the fact that it's a cartoon.  

The things which bother me most are commercials.  No ratings, no warnings, no discussion of appropriate content.  It started with shampoo commercials where women have orgasms, and now kids get to find out about "erectile dysfunction" and "natural male enhancement" on a regular basis.  Even the "Girls Gone Wild" commercials are no longer restricted to late nights.

WARNING: PROFANITY AHEAD

7 yr old daughter: "Daddy, what's 'natural male enhancement'?
Father: "Well, honey, that's for men who want a bigger dick."
7 yr old daughter: "But why, Daddy?"
Father: "Well, because chicks dig huge cocks"

What the hell else are you supposed to say, if your kids have these questions?

END PROFANITY


The latest thing to bug me is the movie "Juno".  From all I've heard, it's a good movie - well written, well acted, etc..  But, it also clearly sends the message that underage sex and teen pregnancy are a-okay, and no big deal - certainly not something to be discouraged or disparaged.

Once upon a time, the mere idea of "un-wed" pregnancy, or even sex out of wedlock (let alone underage) was taboo.  I'm not suggesting that such things should be taboo, but I really don't think that they're anything to be encouraged, nor their effects to be dismissed as a joke.

Does it bother anyone else that this movie clearly idealized underage sex and teen pregnancy?  

Am I over-reacting?


I'm just glad it's my Brother who has the kids & not me.

Eyas wrote:I'm 35 yrs old, & recently I've become an uptight prude -- at least insofar as what's on television, in magazines, and in PG and PG-13 movies.

Every time I watch television it occurs to me that nearly half of all shows, and more than half of all commercials, are not appropriate for kids.  

Geez, you raise so many valid points.  Where to start?  I am the father of 3 little girls and I have learned the art of the quick-draw on the TiVo control.  I have been asked the "Daddy, what is erectile dysfunction?" by my 5 year old.   And it was supposed to be the family hour.  

Except the family hour isn't any more.  When I was a kid I watched "My Three Sons," "Star Trek," and "I Dream of Jeannie."  Jeannie was just about the most provocative thing on TV back then.  In fact her network wouldn't permit her to wear a costume showing her navel!  Go back and check it out.  No navels!  

Advertizers sell cars, shampoo, and even pretzels with barely unclad women faking orgasms.  The most pressing medical problem in America today appears to be that OLD MEN aren't having enough sex!  I know this because there are no less than 3 major drugs on the market right now with more coming (pardon the pun!).  

The raciest thing to ever happen on Star Trek was the famous green-skinned girl dancing on the tube for all of 90 seconds.  Oh, and Kirk once kissed Uhura!  First interracial kiss on TV, btw.  And she was quite a babe!  On "Star Trek: TNG" the android does Tasha Yar!  And Riker can't keep his fly zipped, ever.  It should have been called "Star Trek: STD!"

Eyas wrote:At least, they're the kind of things that my parents would not have wanted me exposed to when I was a kid.

The point is that when we were kids we couldn't have been exposed to this kind of stuff on TV.  The networks wouldn't have allowed it!  But things have changed.     

Eyas wrote:Just about everything on MTV is geared toward sex, and not in a good way.  Shows where bisexual skanks pick among degenerate losers of both sexes, obviously only to engage in sex.  In addition, I've noted that "Family Guy" is now on at regular viewing hours on several stations.  Personally, I usually find the show hysterical (even though written by a flaming leftist), but it is clearly not intended for kids despite the fact that it's a cartoon.  

Lots of things have changed and I began to notice it when I returned to the US in 2000.  A G rating has way more innuendo and provocative content than it did 5 and 10 years ago.  PG and PG-13 ratings have as much "provocative" content as R rated movies when I was in college.  R is the new X.  And to make all this seem less objectionable they dropped the X rating and replaced it with NC-17 which is basically XXX.   (Come to think about it "NC-17" is almost identical to "NCC-1701" which is the ship number for "The Enterprise" on "Star Trek: STD!"  Think about that, all you conspiriacy theory types!)

Eyas wrote:Once upon a time, the mere idea of "un-wed" pregnancy, or even sex out of wedlock (let alone underage) was taboo.  I'm not suggesting that such things should be taboo, but I really don't think that they're anything to be encouraged, nor their effects to be dismissed as a joke.

Does it bother anyone else that this movie clearly idealized underage sex and teen pregnancy?  

Am I over-reacting?

I'm just glad it's my Brother who has the kids & not me.

That time is long-gone. In 2006, 37% of all children were born out of wedlock.  When I was a kid I am pretty sure it was in the single digits.  Let's agree to ignore the moral implications.  The economic implications are huge.  Poverty is driven by single-parent homes.  Every analysis proves that yet we act as if it is untrue or irrelevant.  Single-parent homes are largely poor homes.  Virtually every analysis demonstrates that kids do better in two-parent homes where a mother and father raise the kids.  Our modern society elites vilify that model.  

Everyone, even many libs, agree that teen pregnancy is a major problem.  But then libs turn around and promote and glorify teen sexuality at every every turn, detach sex from any consequences like STDs and pregnancy, and vilify any efforts to discouraging kids from having sex!  Kids will be influenced by what they see advertized on TV.  And TV programs advertize sex for teens.  

I don't think you are over-reacting at all.  It is just curious to hear someone who is not a Christian and doesn't have kids bring up the topic.

That time is long-gone. In 2006, 37% of all children were born out of wedlock.  WhenI was a kid I am pretty sure it was in the single digits.  Let's agreeto ignore the moral implications.  The economic implications arehuge.  Poverty is driven by single-parent homes.  Every analysis provesthat yet we act as if it is untrue or irrelevant.  Single-parent homesare largely poor homes.  Virtually every analysis demonstrates thatkids do better in two-parent homes where a mother and father raise thekids.  Our modern society elites vilify that model.  

Everyone,even many libs, agree that teen pregnancy is a major problem.  But thenlibs turn around and promote and glorify teen sexuality at every everyturn, detach sex from any consequences like STDs and pregnancy, andvilify any efforts to discouraging kids from having sex!  Kids will beinfluenced by what they see advertized on TV.  And TV programsadvertize sex for teens.  

---

Agreed, I just don't think they can make up their own mind! Being that I'm 14 I HATE the horror movies on around halloween time and everytime, frankly it scares the hell outta me. Its got some pretty graphic crap in there. And then to turn around and look on MTV (which I haven't watched a show on in at LEAST a month because its all stupid either white kids pretending to be black or someone gettin da cah pimped!) I just can't stand most of this, I know that when I do have a girl friend I'm not gonna get her pregnant and then leave her or abuse her. Which is the case with most liberal people. Anyway I've got too much to say and not enough words to describe this. But yes. I do agree with Paleocon though its true very very true.

Taylor wrote:Agreed, I just don't think they can make up their own mind! Being that I'm 14 I HATE the horror movies on around halloween time and everytime, frankly it scares the hell outta me. Its got some pretty graphic crap in there. And then to turn around and look on MTV (which I haven't watched a show on in at LEAST a month because its all stupid either white kids pretending to be black or someone gettin da cah pimped!) I just can't stand most of this, I know that when I do have a girl friend I'm not gonna get her pregnant and then leave her or abuse her. Which is the case with most liberal people. Anyway I've got too much to say and not enough words to describe this. But yes. I do agree with Paleocon though its true very very true.

Wow!  I didn't know you were 14!  You are a youngster.

The Halloween stuff that comes out now is so incredibly perverse!  Compared to the old horror movies I watched as a kid it is totally debased and perverse!  

I was on a bus home from church today and there was a 20-something white guy making a cell phone call in front of me.  Every other word was "yeah, bro," or some other wannabe Ebonics slang straight from the ghetto.  What makes that cool?  Is getting busted for pimping or selling drugs that admirable that upper middle class white young adults want to copy it?  It just makes no sense to me.  

I have friends who started having sex really early and it hurt them and many other people.  Something like 80% of abortions are due to the male coercing the female into having an abortion.  That is the dirty little statistic that LIBS never seem to mention.

Well, it's good to know that I'm not alone in the moral degradation of America.  I still can't believe I'm writing those words.  For years I felt that everything was fair game, but then I realized that I was thinking of things in the context of what's appropriate/allowed for adults.  I wasn't considering the impact of the loosening of moral standards on kids.

Paleocon,
   Love the fact that you're a trekkie (although I never got into the one with the chick captain, and never liked Deep Space Nine - purely an original Trek & SNG fan).
   I know I'm an atheist, but unlike liberal atheists I do have a moral compass.  I could get more detailed, but I think generally that much of it comes from my upbringing by a religious Mother (my Dad was atheist/agnostic/irreligious) and in a society where everyone else generally accepted Judeo-Christian values.
   The fact that I don't have kids, yet worry about this stuff, may be a little weird.  I said that it may be due to the birth of my nephew and neice (better my brother than me); but I think my concerns actually began earlier than that.  There came a point when I realized that Highschool (and even Junior High) had become a competition to see who could be the biggest slut.  Part of me was envious (why weren't things that way when I was in highschool), but mostly I realized that - Highschool or not - I wouldn't never have had anything to do with those kinds of girls in Highschool, in College, or afterwards.  Then I got to thinking: what the Hell were the parents of these kids doing?  Now, I'm no pedophile or statutory rapist, but when a good-looking 16 or 17 yr old highschool girl walks by with tight sweatpants that say "juicy" on the ass, or wear jeans that come down in the front to the point of showing pubis; well,... I'm only human.  I feel dirty for even looking; But, is that what the parents of these girls want? Every guy from age 11 to 70 looking at their kid's crotch or ass?  Anyway, that's where I think it began.  Then, I started considering how this trend could have become so prevalent, and started noticing what these kids were exposed to on a daily basis from tv, movies, magazines, and even sex-ed in school.  I began to go slightly insane and thanked God (even tho I'm atheist) that I didn't have kids.

   I'm very sorry that you were asked by your 5 yr old daughter what "erectile dysfunction" is -- that's exactly why I started this post.  Your daughter should not even know or hear about such things - let alone be barraged by it on a daily basis on tv.

________________________
Taylor,
   I'm glad to hear that you're not influence by a lot of the stuff I'm talking about.  I know that many, or most, kids aren't.  I'm not so much concerned about what guys your age are exposed to.  I was thinking more in terms of kids under age ten.  Even so, you (and those kids under ten) are constantly exposed to a lot of sexually graphic stuff, or innuendo that neither Paleocon nor I had to deal with, and more importantly, that our parents never had to deal with.

_______________________
As far as horror movies go, most modern horror movies are big on graphic impact & light on actual horror.  Think about "Jaws".  A 32 yr old movie that's still scary, despite the fact that you never see the shark until late in the movie.  It literally kept half of America from swimming for years afterward.  The movie that scared me the most when I was your age (maybe a little younger) was "Alien", and you don't see the entire beast until the very end.  Blood & gore are all very well, but you always know it's special effects.  Terror is in what you don't see, not in what you do see.  That's why most modern horror movies, in my opinion, are crap.

There is one exception.

This may blow Paleocon's mind, considering that I'm an atheist, but the scariest movie EVER is "The Exorcist".  It's one of my top ten movies, & I've seen it a million times, but it still freaks me out a little.  I never watched it until I was about 20 yrs old (so I thought I was immune to being scared by a movie); but I swear I could hardly sleep for days afterward.  I can't say why a movie with such an overtly Christian theme should scare me so much, except that it was an extraordinarily well-made movie (a rarity these days).

Guys,

The term you are using is one I that I suggest you avoid. It is a very loaded term that so many people find terribly offensive. I suggest you reconsider the use of the term.

Just a thought.

This just in!  You cannot say teen pregnancy isn't a concern after this.

Birth leave sought for girls
Soon-to-be-moms at East High School ask for four weeks of maternity leave.
By Jeremy P. Meyer
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 01/07/2008 02:00:49 AM MST

Kayla Lewis, a senior at East High School, asked school-board members last month to establish maternity leave for students who are new mothers. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post) Pregnant students in a Denver high school are asking for at least four weeks of maternity leave so they can heal, bond with their newborns and not be penalized with unexcused absences.

The request is unusual in Colorado's public schools, where districts tend to deal with pregnant students or new moms with specialized programs or individualized education plans.

Denver Public Schools has no districtwide policy, leaving it up to schools to work out plans for students to continue their education.

Two counselors from East High School approached the school board last month, saying the policy at their school is unfair and inconsiderate because it forces new moms to return to school the day after being discharged from the hospital or face being charged with unexcused absences.

Read the whole article

My GOD, I need to get out of the class now for just thinking about pregnant girls already in highschool geese, can I have a NO PATIENCE leave please thanks...

Eyas wrote:

Paleocon,
   Love the fact that you're a trekkie (although I never got into the one with the chick captain, and never liked Deep Space Nine - purely an original Trek & SNG fan).[/quote]

I couldn't stand the first few seasons of Star Trek: TNG.  Nothing ever happened!  Then, ironically, after Roddenberry died, the new writers actually believed in plot lines and action!  It was okay until about the last two or three years of the show when the show became obsessed with sex.  It almost became "Star Trek: Sex and the City!"  

Eyas wrote:Now, I'm no pedophile or statutory rapist, but when a good-looking 16 or 17 yr old highschool girl walks by with tight sweatpants that say "juicy" on the ass, or wear jeans that come down in the front to the point of showing pubis; well,... I'm only human.  I feel dirty for even looking; But, is that what the parents of these girls want? Every guy from age 11 to 70 looking at their kid's crotch or ass?  Anyway, that's where I think it began.  Then, I started considering how this trend could have become so prevalent, and started noticing what these kids were exposed to on a daily basis from tv, movies, magazines, and even sex-ed in school.  I began to go slightly insane and thanked God (even tho I'm atheist) that I didn't have kids.

I cannot understand how parents let their children go out dressed like this.  You might as well put a sing on your butt saying, "Please, rape me!"  Or how about, "I am an easy, trampy, slut!"  It blows my mind.  I do not want every male on the planet staring at my kid's crotch and I certainly don't want my kid wearing stuff that will lead them to do so.  

I don't recall when this first took off but I was out of the country from 97 to 2000 so I may have missed it.  But it is sick.  I recall a couple of years ago A&F was actually advertising "thong" panties for 10 year olds!  How bloody perverse.  Let kids be kids!  What good can it do a society to sexualize 10 year old little girls?  When ever I go to the mall, which is rare, I see obviously pre-pubescent girls dressed up like hookers!  What are parents thinking?  

Eyas wrote:As far as horror movies go, most modern horror movies are big on graphic impact & light on actual horror.  Think about "Jaws".  A 32 yr old movie that's still scary, despite the fact that you never see the shark until late in the movie.  It literally kept half of America from swimming for years afterward.  The movie that scared me the most when I was your age (maybe a little younger) was "Alien", and you don't see the entire beast until the very end.  Blood & gore are all very well, but you always know it's special effects.  Terror is in what you don't see, not in what you do see.  That's why most modern horror movies, in my opinion, are crap.

There is one exception.

This may blow Paleocon's mind, considering that I'm an atheist, but the scariest movie EVER is "The Exorcist".  It's one of my top ten movies, & I've seen it a million times, but it still freaks me out a little.  I never watched it until I was about 20 yrs old (so I thought I was immune to being scared by a movie); but I swear I could hardly sleep for days afterward.  I can't say why a movie with such an overtly Christian theme should scare me so much, except that it was an extraordinarily well-made movie (a rarity these days).

Jaws and Alien were pretty scary movies.  And I think that the implied horror made it far more scary than some gorefest like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre XXIII."

The Exorcist is pretty scary.  I can one-up you on that.  I went to college in DC for one year.  I would walk to and from my dorm downtown to the Georgetown University library when I needed a special book.  One night, I stayed really late and was walking home well past dark.  I started walking and noticed some stairs to the main street and decided to take them.  About half-way down the stairs I got this incredibly scary sense of deja vu!   I looked around are realized that I was on the stairs that they used when filming "The Exorcist!"  I was only about 18 but I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

Hmm I do understand that paleocon I do not wear a single thing that most other kids wear (except for Dale JR shirts) which if you may or may not know is a driver in nascar so nothing bad there. Kids now are sucked up with the older kids and so on. If you don't want your kids to be dressing like the sluts in the mall, don't pressure them just don't dilberately avoid it, say buy a gift card to a place where they can't get that or something like that might help.