… to all of you, my dear readers! A new year started and old traditions followed.
Traditions?
Some of my nieces and nephews here in the Philippines, , ages six eighteen, resent their deprived childhood. Although virtually all their friends have seen pieces such as “Batman”, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” or a lot of cable TV-channels with violence glorification by airing cartoons (for kids?) for example.
My friends and relatives cling in the old-fashioned notion that watching one act of violence after another may be harmful to young minds. And how about the disgusting wrestling shows, where blood and violence as entertainment seem to be ordinary parts of our daily life? Anything goes!
Are we being ridiculous? I admit that the Western movies I saw as a kid didn’t warp my life. I never saw anything really characterized by physical force, especially improper furious and passionate before I could tie my showlaces. I still don’t have the stomach to watch some special horror movies.
As a teenager I thought the Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend The Night Together” was s cool and unique. Wow! But it became a long way from this Guns N’ Roses lyric:”Doing dat grind with a push and squeeze/Tied up, tied down, up against the wall…” Sige folks, go ahead! Anything goes nowadays!
Meanwhile we have to realize that we can shelter our boys and girls for only so long. As they grow older, they will eagerly sample the forbidden fruits. Pop culture and peer pressure may overwhelm our influences. Especially having reached rock bottoms are for example such radio stations, which are proud to present a mixture of prayers, spiritual advices and …music. Sorry, I am not allowed to mention the real term here. I am sure, you know what I mean. Anything goes!
It’s easy to dismiss protests about entertainment as prudishness. But there is often a little difference between sex and rape in pop music and the rap recording of Two Life Crew. Clearly too much of today’s entertainment carries messages damaging young psyches and glorifying damages to our society. Violence is an affective meaning of resolving conflicts. Look around us!
Is violent entertainment glorification not really the contributing factor? No society will survive if its only rule is “Anything goes!” We are not suggesting that police (government?) will root out every raunchy record from store shelves. There will be always filth on the fringes of entertainment. The problem arises when filth becomes mainstream – when it is mass marketed.
Can media companies mend their ways with government interference? There is a certainly precedent for it. In the 1960s and 1970s much entertainment from the Beatles music to the movies “Easy Rider” or M*A*S*H* glamorized drug use.
Nowadays the message that children receive is strong: “taking drugs is dangerous and foolish! I hope we have a lot more of future messages for our children.
Blue-eyed as always (or mostly): I wish us a Happy New Year with peqace on earth and with people around us, who are still practicing some of the good old traditions.
About Klaus
Hi Klaus,Happy New Year.Interesting post,the things you mention also bother me.The Media use shock tactics and gloryfication now to grab our attention in order to sell us something and make money.Some would claim this is the work of the devil.The western media in general have to much freedom which shows, with the anything goes policy by peddling violence,filth and perversion.We all know very well that young minds are easily corrupted.Although freedom is to be valued,it shows that un-regulated freedom creates an anything goes policy.The same way that lawlessness creates anarchy,regards Chas.
Dear Klaus,
Yes, may 2009 bring lots of good health, happiness and peace! As for traditions, we can always modify and enjoy what’s best for the people out there—yong and old—and never deprive them of what they deserve…If you rememeber Sesame Street widely popular in the 70′s, Ferdinand Marcos ordered that particular TV channel showing it after so many years of being shown there. The whole country was puzzled and couldn’t understand why a children’s show of this kind, which was very educational and wholesome, was ordered canceled—for good. Marcos had the notion that it was bad for young Filipino sensibilities. How utterly wrong he was! Anyway, let’s hope sensible souls in the local and national media do not in any way interfere when they know fully well what’s good and bad for the people. So, dear Klaus, skip, hop, hurray!!! Take care now, Hill
Hi Klaus.
I want to share my favorite English movie (BBC) to you as a treat. You probably seen it but I’ve seen it tens of times. Can’t beat superb acting by Daniel Day-Lewis, Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, Simon Callow and Judi Dench.
E.M. Forster’s “A Room With A View”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xDfJekKLk8&feature=PlayList&p=0F00A16CEEFFF1E8&index=0
Enjoy.
Hi Chas, thanks for stopping by. Meanwhile one can also observe a “certain freedom” here in the Philippines. Many times “anything goes”… .
Hi Hill, yeah, I heard about it. I also like to thank you for your comment – especially your last sentences. Happy New Year and take care too…
Hi dr. sponklong, thanks a lot. Yeah, I have seen it already before on a dvd, but I will enjoy it again. Happy New Year and all the best for you…
Hi, Mr. Klaus!
Whatever your family new year traditions may be, I hope the new year will bring happiness and prosperity to you and your loved ones!
Prosit Neujahr!
Manigong Bagong Taon Po!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Happy New Year to you and Rose, and the rest of the 21 members of the family!
You have touched a very important topic, Klaus! As a grandparent to four very young children, I do worry about their future. What makes me sad is to see advertisements using the children to disrespect their parents. These commercials make the parents look so ignorant, uninformed or just plain clueless. And we wonder how these children behave unruly and obnoxious to the authorities?? I guess this is the trend now and thought to be progressive by the so-called intellectuals. The unfortunate thing is this is rampant and whether we like to admit this or not, we are unconsciouly raising rebels.
One of my heroes, Rush Limbaugh, (sorry folks
) before Christmas, was describing the “dilemma” of some parents go through who were unable to tell the truth to their kids their lack of money to buy presents as they used to. I would never be able to understand this one.
Cheers! Be well, be happy and be safe!
Marcelina
Hi JR Tingson, thank you so very much. The same to you and your family. And, salamat kaayo for always dropping by. PROSIT NEUJAHR!!!
Hi Marcelina, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU and thanks for stopping by. I can understand you very well, even having no own children, but experiencing how our nieces and nephews are growing up. A German friend told me about those advertisements, you mentioned in your comment. The “dilemma”, which you subscribed in your comment’s last paragraph seems to be happened in many Western countries. So sad! Anyway, I got other experiences with my nieces and nephews last Christmas. Thanks God! Be save and well too, Marcelina… .
hello klaus… just wanna greet you happy new year… hope this will be a better year for all of us… take care
Hi Athena, thank you so much. i wish you and your family the same… Take good care always…