Why today's youth culture has gone insane

World Net Daily ^ | Jan 16th, 2003 | David Kupliean

[longtermmemmory]

Those were MAN earings. It was not borrowing the sparkly earings from your girlfriend.

[AuthenticLiberal]

o earrings for males (eager to display their "feminine side" which the '60 cultural revolution sold them)

The close mindedness of that comment is astounding. Apparently this paragon of critical thinking never heard that most men who wear earings and who are heterosexual do it for the individualistic with slightly piratical look. Usually goes over well with the ladies, which I can attest to from personal experience ;)

[proxy_user]

I believe your critics are pointing to sinful behavior in the course of raising venture capital and launching IPOs.

[Queen Jadis]

Obviously into the Big Sewer......Who are today's youths role Models anyways:

Puff Diddy? - A Criminal

Michael Jackson- A child pervert

Kobe Bryant-A rapist and adulterer.

Fatty Arbuckle? - A Rapist

Errol Flyn - A peadophile

Joan Crawford - A child abuser

While I agree with the point that you are making I think the real problem is how overly forgiving the public is today of amoral behavior. Fatty Arbuckle's career was ruined back in the 30's. These days however, Puff Diddy/Daddy is doing as well as ever, RJ Kelly (filmed having sex with underage girls) is doing fine. Robert Downey Junior seems to keep getting roles.

My point is that for the above mentioned life goes on as normal, however the impression that it gives our youth is that drugs and criminality will not affect THEIR lives adversely which is far from the truth. Unfortunately for society the outlaw has become the hero.

Welcome to the "post modern" era of liberalism.

[RussianConservative]

Ritual scarification and 3D-art implants are big. So are genital beading, stretching and cutting, transdermal implants, scrotal implants, tooth art and facial sculpture.

Nothing to new, many civilization have this:

Scarification
In some cultures, a smooth, unmarked skin represents an ideal of beauty, but people in many others see smooth skin as an unfinished, unattractive surface. Scarification, also called cicatrization, alters skin texture by cutting the skin and controlling the body's healing process. The cuts, which are treated to prevent infection and to enhance the scars' visibility, leave visable incisions after the skin heals. Inserting substances like clay or ash in the wounds results in permanently raised weals or bumps, known as keloids. Substances inserted into the wounds may also result in changes in skin color, creating marks similar to tattoos. Cutting elaborate and extensive decorative patterns into the skin usually indicates a permanent change in a person's status. The designs often have symbolic meaning, and the same patterns may be used on textiles, woodcarvings, ceramics, and sculpture. Because scarification is painful, the richly scarred person is often honored for endurance and courage.

Tattooing
Tattoo involves puncturing the skin with a sharp instrument and inserting pigment through the outer layer, the epidermis, into the second layer, the dermis. Tattoos are intended to be permanent; only recently have expensive laser techniques allowed people to remove them. Tattoo patterns and techniques have varied with different cultures. Traditional Polynesian tattooists tap a needle with a small hammer, while the Japanese work with bundles of needles set in wooden handles. In the West, the electric tattoo machine has revolutionized tattooing, expanding the ease of application and the range of colors and designs. Besides being decorative, tattoos send important cultural messages: a commitment to some group, an emblem of a rite of passage, even a fashion statement. Tattooing has been used to indicate high rank in some societies, rebellion and low status in others. Despite numerous religious and social injunctions, tattooing has been a popular form of body art throughout the world.

Moko
The art of tattoo as practiced by the Maori of New Zealand. Worn by both men and women, moko was a sign of distinction, reserved for those who were the most noble and accomplished.

Piercing
Piercing is decorative only insofar as it allows the body to hold certain kinds of ornaments, which are inserted through the skin in a way that permits healing around the opening. Most commonly pierced are the soft tissues of the face, but many peoples, past and present, have also pierced other parts of the body. Ear, nose and lip ornaments, as well as pierced figurines, have been found in ancient burials of the Inka and Moche of Peru, the Aztecs and Maya of ancient Mexico and in graves of central Asian and Mediterranean peoples. The act of piercing is often part of a ceremony marking a coming of age, a change in status or the accession to office. Ornaments may be restricted to certain people or worn only on certain occasions. Because ornaments can be made of precious and rare materials -- ivory, gold, jade and precious stones such as diamonds and emeralds -- they may signal privilege and wealth.

Body Shaping
The shape of the human body changes throughout life, but in many cultures people have found ways to permanently or temporarily sculpt the body. To conform to culturally-defined ideals of beauty, people have bound the soft bones of children's skulls and feet, stretched necks with rings, removed ribs to minimize waists and, most commonly today, sculpted their bodies through plastic surgery. The widespread practice of head shaping, dating back at least 6000 years, continued in many regions, including Europe, through the 19th century. Head shaping still occurs in some places such as isolated communities of South America. Becoming fat is a sign of health, wealth and fertility in some societies, and fattening may be part of a girl's coming of age ceremony or a way to proclaim the high status of a ruler, either male or female. Tiny waists, small feet and large or small breasts and buttocks have been prized or scorned as ideals of female beauty. Men's bodies have also been molded by deliberate fattening, weight lifting, head binding or wearing corsets.

Photo from the collection of Mark and Carolyn Blackburn, Hilo, Hawaii

is photograph features the tattooed body of Horiyoshi III, one of the most prominent Japanese tattoo masters, holding his still un-tattooed son. The traditional Japanese tattoos on Horiyoshi III's body feature ocean waves and wind, eddies and whirlpools, all celebrating persistence and fortitude embodied in the image of the carp.

This male figure from the Mexican state of Nayarit shows lines of scarification that outline zones of painting on his face, neck, arms, torso, and waist. He has sculpted hair and wears multiple rings that were attached by piercing the nose and ears, probably indicating high status.

The elite of coastal Ecuador's Jama-Coaque culture (500 B.C. - A.D. 500) elaborately decorated their bodies to display their social status. This figure holds a seed bag and digging stick. He wears a large turquoise labret through his lip and turquoise studs in his nose. His headdress and poncho are decorated with conch shells.

This 1973 photograph by Henry John Drewal features a Yoruba woman with tattooed scars, Kolo, that combine designs into an overall pattern that mirrors the indigo cloths made and worn by Yoruba women, as seen in this image.

[missyme]

Point being Errol Flynn Joan Crawford and Squash Arbuckle's behaviour was unknown to there generation.

Things like that were swept under the rug so any admiration was done in sincere appreciation regarding the talent of those individuals.

We give awards to known child molesters like Roman Polanski, or give Michael Jackson a glowing reception regarding the crimes he's accused of.

Kobe "Oh well so wha,t cheat on your wife buy her an 8 carret ring and it's "OKAY" So bad behaviour today is OKAY all you need is a lame excuse.

[templar]

I believe the way your taught by your parents does come out once again when your an adult.

This is Biblicaly correct.

[missyme]

I don't beleive today's culture has one idea about the history of the People and Cultures you just posted...

I am sure they do it because 'Anything Goes" nothing is done out of value or being sacred.

Ask someone under 23 what is sacred and they will tell you there "Cell Phone"

[garbanzo]

But of course...the only real truth is paganism - no matter how much gloss people put on it, over time humans revert to the same old thing.

[freebilly]

I like that the article is prescriptive as well as descriptive. He talks about selecting the subculture you want by homeschooling. That's very true.

Also, one of the FEW things I've done correctly as a parent was get rid of the TV (actually, truth be known, my wife threw it out. And I, head of the household that I am, said "Okay, dear....").

The absence of The Tube has had one of the greatest positive impacts on our family life.

I think about it now and ask, why would anyone invite vulgarity, promiscuity, and Dan Rather into their home...?

[freebilly]

Gosh. A stupid man raises suckers as kids.

Wrong. A wise man protects his young until they're old enough to protect themselves.

My college university linebacker, and my all league HS quarterback and all league outfielder will back me up on this.

[185JHP]

Excellence In Posting BUMP

[Triple Word Score]

You win some, you lose some, and some get flamed out. :-)

Thanks!

[Dianna]

Moreover, with the evolution of online pornography, every type of sexual experience has literally been shoved under the noses of millions of Americans against their will, who find their e-mail in-boxes filled with hard-core sexual images.

Now, wait a minute...are people getting links e-mailed to them or pictures? I have to ask, because, like any rational adult who chooses not to have anything to do with porn, I delete all my junk mail. I don't even read it. This author would have us think that we CANNOT get away from the porn. We can. I do. It isn't hard.

As a result, a recent urgent plea from well-known evangelist Chuck Swindoll lamented that one out of two American churchgoers today is caught up with Internet pornography.

Oh, that bad internet porn just sucked these people right in! They had NO choice, I'm sure.

[CyberAnt]

The real problem is that the "average" American youth is not particpating in this type of activity. This is really a fairly small percentage of youth. It's just that the "bad" activity is given more press, and young people can be lured into doing things assuming the rest of the world is doing it too. Parents need to take more control over what their children watch on TV and listen to (CD's; cassettes; etc.).

[Ethyl]

The close mindedness of that comment is astounding. Apparently this paragon of critical thinking never heard that most men who wear earings and who are heterosexual do it for the individualistic with slightly piratical look. Usually goes over well with the ladies, which I can attest to from personal experience ;)

Are you sure they were "ladies"?????

[Queen Jadis]

Point being Errol Flynn Joan Crawford and Squash Arbuckle's behaviour was unknown to there generation. Things like that were swept under the rug so any admiration was done in sincere appreciation regarding the talent of those individuals.

Yes we are in agreement here. I am sure you will agree that if their behavior had been made public their careers would have suffered. Especially in the moral climate of that era. I wouldn't mind it if the studios took back control of the "thespians". Perhaps if their contracts were dropped (like in the old days) they might think twice about irresponsible behavior. Although now they have their personal publicists who actually put a spin on drug addiction, madness, murder et all and it seems to work out fine. I give up!!!!

I might even be able to have enjoyed Sean Penn's performance in Mystic River, if he were not such a jerk.

[BudgieRamone]

"Except the belief that a woman should wait for marriage."

So should men.

I hate the "Try before you buy" mentality.
Unfortunately its the "way things are now" in our selfish immediate gratification society.

[missyme]

I think it's more than a few that are observing the smut of T.V and the Internet, especially those between the ages of 15 and 18.

Alot of parents have lost control of that age group.

[missyme]

I know I wanted to see Mystic River but I can't stand Sean Penn especially after he told Jim Cavziel who plays "Jesus in the Passion that his values have no place in "Hollywood"