Posted on 12/29/2008 8:05:34 AM PST by NYer
So I took the kids out to the mall to shop for Mom two days before Christmas. I want them to know that Christmas is not just about receiving but giving as well.
Now let me ask a weird hypothetical. If I showed up at the Mall wearing only briefs and say my wife showed up in a minuscule bra and panties we'd likely be dragged from the premises and arrested. And rightly so, especially if you've seen me in briefs. But no matter what, it's bad, right? So why is it OK for some of these stores to have huge window displays of essentially naked people. I mean, are these store owners out of their minds. Walking by Abercrombie or Victoria's Secret is essentially a walking tour of porn for children. Hey kids step on up and peer inside the sick twisted mind of adulthood where we view others as vessels of flesh waiting to be boarded and devoured.
It's lunacy.
So as we're passing a bunch of sex-soaked stories, I do my best to distract the kids from the window display. I start singing a loud Christmas carol and they all become embarrassed by me and try to stop me from singing anymore. So for anybody who saw the fat bearded dad singing in front of a ten foot porn window display with children laughing and climbing all over him, it was me.
But here's the thing. I know my kids saw it. They didn't mention it. But I know they see it. They see it. They internalize it. They think that window display represents the realm of adulthood. They intuit that adults desire 8-pack abs and 38 D breasts. And kids want to be adults.
Here's the truth. If a man was caught showing pictures of topless women in pink underwear holding their breasts or men in wet briefs, they'd be arrested. But when a store does it, it's capitalism.
So a few hours later I'm making the call I never thought I'd make in my life. I call the mall two days before Christmas to complain about the lewd window displays. The funny thing is that while I'm on hold I'm feeling like I'm the crazy one. I'm feeling like "I can't believe I've become the guy who complains about lewd window displays." I didn't think I'd ever use the word 'lewd' never mind call to complain about aforementioned lewdness. I'm feeling like I have to convince this guy on the phone that I'm not one of these crazy religious Jerry Falwell types. But then it hits me. I'm the sane one. Those displays are crazy to have in front of children. So instead of getting into a morality type conversation with the guy I just decide to speak his language. "I'm just calling to let you know that my family which comes to the mall often will not come back unless you guys stop allowing pornographic window displays."
So I make the call and I'm feeling proud of myself. And I walk back into the room where the children are watching The Polar Express on ABC Family. And then comes a commercial about some show about a fifteen year old girl who is pregnant. "Fifteen!?" says my nine year old.
"How can you have a baby if you're not married," asks my six year old.
They all look at me. "Hey guys Polar Express is back on!" And thanks to my amazing powers of distraction I muddled through yet another awkward moment. But I know my kids. Nothing escapes them. Questions build. They never fade away.
And we wonder why are children are ending up sexualized. It's simple. Somewhere between the Merry-go-Round and the pretzels they're seeing and interpreting the adult world. They're unprotected out there. The adults want too much to be like children and the children want to be adults. It's time for adults to start acting like adults.
Must be them new 509th Boob’s I’ve been reading about at Vicenza. As well this blows that “only pigeon shit & fools fall from the sky” myth !.....:o)
Is this a bad time to ask for a raise ?.......:o)
I specified the countries about to which I was referring and none of them engage in those practices nor are they under taliban rule.
Sure. Western European countries generally have a lower abortion rate than the US. We have an abortion rate very similar to Sweden, but higher than France, Italy, Germany etc.
>>Is this a bad time to ask for a raise ?.......:o) <<
LOLOLOL!!!!
1 Russia: 19.2885 per 1,000 people
#2 Bulgaria: 13.0232 per 1,000 people
#3 Hungary: 7.69032 per 1,000 people
Last I saw, these countries were Europe too.
Functional racing swimsuits are shaped by the demands of hydrodynamics. They minimise the breasts, for instance, and are clearly designed for reasons other than prurience. The increasing tendency of top-flight swimmers is to wear bodysuits covering more and more, not less and less, to benefit from the lower drag of the suit.
Your argument of “appropriateness” precisely begs the question. Even in France, not all beaches are topless or nude, so even the French acknowledge that not all have bought into the toplessness double-think, and it is certainly the case that such exposure was not considered acceptable, say, 75 years ago. All that citing Europe does is note that their moral disintegration is about 50 years further advanced than ours.
LOL !!!
Merry New Year !!.......Stay safe Mom !
And the same to you, my FRiend!
Excellent post!
I know most would find it shocking to even suggest such a thing, but surely there are specialty stores in your area. We only have a few malls here in the Tulsa area, but they are always crowded with screaming kids, obnoxious teenagers and oblivious parents. At least that's the way it was five years ago. That's the last time I went to one of those Orwellian hell holes and I ain't goin' back.
The damage in commodifying sexuality is in the consequent destruction of the family, and the social consequences of the resulting collapse of birth rates, not measured solely in terms of abortions.
European sexual immorality is the primary reason that Europe is now being colonised by Arabs and sub-Saharan Africans.
Immoderation always results in reaction. The Europeans wouldn’t wear swimsuits, so their future now is wearing headscarves or more.
Bless you, FRiend, for raising a good kid. :)
Smart, concise and discerning.
Yeah, and I know how far that’s going to go, under a Muslim Caliphate and Sharia law... LOL...
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[a “saying” heard about in Caliphate circles..., the only “good moderate Muslim” is a dead Muslim... :-).... ]
How do you define morality? By majority?
Thank you. I think back to my own childhood and can’t recall my parents having to have “the talk” with me, They didn’t have to as their conduct did the teaching and their lessons were quite clear.
Sex was a normal and good thing but like fire had to be treated with respect and had rules governing it’s use for our own good.
Sounds simple but that lesson kept me from a lot of grief.
For many of us, this issue is important. For many of us, morality is not a secular theme or goal.
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