I want to ask everyone who read this to please leave their opinion on something that I have wondered for a long time.....
Why, as educated, cultured Americans, are we "OK" with our children being exposed to violence....movies, games, toys (guns, G.I. Joe's, WWF, etc...) even cartoons have a lot of violence.....
BUT....we have meltdowns about anything remotely sexual being said or in front of or viewed by them?.....I am NOT suggesting pornographic material would ever be OK and no one should be actually having sex in public especially in front of children....but innuendos.... humor that actually go over their heads, certain clothing, language, passionate kissing scenes in a movie...even a scene that shows a couple just laying in bed with the appearance that they may have had sex... etc....Some people act as if a breastfeeding mother is something sexual and should never be viewed by children.
I remember many years ago (the late 80's) my friend Rebecca and I went to see the Sean Penn movie, "Colors" at the theater. This movie was rated R (as it should have been) so there was no reason for this couple to have their little boy who was like 2 or 3, there with them. During the movie this child had sat and watched deadly car crashes, fist-fighting, knife fights, shootings and drug deals as well as heard threats of violence being thrown back and forth.....his parents saw no problem....but when the scene of the gang member and his girlfriend in bed having sex came on, they quickly covered his eyes and turned him away saying "Don't look, SCARY...."
As long as it is a non-violent and a completely consensual between both parties act and isn't graphically being portrayed (major groaning/screaming, thrusting, etc) ....I would rather a small child see a scene of two people loving each other (Remember they don't show porn in mainstream movies), than seeing drug deals, fist fights, stabbings, shootings, robberies, murder, suggestions of rape/molestation, violent car crashes and explosions, etc.....
Why is it wrong for them to see two people laying there passionately kissing and enjoying and loving each other, but right for them to see people shoot or in some other way harm each other?
Let me also say, that personally, I think small children should ONLY be watching movies/TV shows made for them that are age appropriate, But, because children come into a room while adults are watching TV, because people think if they take a 3 yr old to a movie that they the parents want to see, because it isn't a kid movie they are not going to pay attention to it really any way (not true in most cases BTW...) and then you always have things like CNN and Fox News playing in doctors office waiting rooms, restaurants, etc...the news programmings real life violent scenes are many times much worse than anything Hollywood can produce... kids are going to see things that are not appropriate for them.
I think part of the reason that children are becoming more violent at younger ages is because of many things they grow up seeing with their parents right there watching with them. They are becoming jaded and apathetic at very early ages. Our children are growing up during a violent war...they themselves or they know other children who's parents or other relatives are active duty military and deployed and understand and fear those loved ones not returning....even things thought of as "innocent" and "family viewing" like "Funniest Home Videos" are technically violent and we laugh about it.....
Yet, show a couple enjoying and loving each other and parents become unglued and have to "shield" them from it.
Why not explain to them that those two people love each other and are expressing their love in a way only grown-ups do and that it is beautiful and something for them to look forward to when they grow up and fall in love, instead of treating it like something bad, shameful and scary. Maybe if our attitudes charged kids wouldn't grow up so curious about sex and thinking that violence is the answer and "OK".....
Opinions????
Why, as educated, cultured Americans, are we "OK" with our children being exposed to violence....movies, games, toys (guns, G.I. Joe's, WWF, etc...) even cartoons have a lot of violence.....
BUT....we have meltdowns about anything remotely sexual being said or in front of or viewed by them?.....I am NOT suggesting pornographic material would ever be OK and no one should be actually having sex in public especially in front of children....but innuendos.... humor that actually go over their heads, certain clothing, language, passionate kissing scenes in a movie...even a scene that shows a couple just laying in bed with the appearance that they may have had sex... etc....Some people act as if a breastfeeding mother is something sexual and should never be viewed by children.
I remember many years ago (the late 80's) my friend Rebecca and I went to see the Sean Penn movie, "Colors" at the theater. This movie was rated R (as it should have been) so there was no reason for this couple to have their little boy who was like 2 or 3, there with them. During the movie this child had sat and watched deadly car crashes, fist-fighting, knife fights, shootings and drug deals as well as heard threats of violence being thrown back and forth.....his parents saw no problem....but when the scene of the gang member and his girlfriend in bed having sex came on, they quickly covered his eyes and turned him away saying "Don't look, SCARY...."
As long as it is a non-violent and a completely consensual between both parties act and isn't graphically being portrayed (major groaning/screaming, thrusting, etc) ....I would rather a small child see a scene of two people loving each other (Remember they don't show porn in mainstream movies), than seeing drug deals, fist fights, stabbings, shootings, robberies, murder, suggestions of rape/molestation, violent car crashes and explosions, etc.....
Why is it wrong for them to see two people laying there passionately kissing and enjoying and loving each other, but right for them to see people shoot or in some other way harm each other?
Let me also say, that personally, I think small children should ONLY be watching movies/TV shows made for them that are age appropriate, But, because children come into a room while adults are watching TV, because people think if they take a 3 yr old to a movie that they the parents want to see, because it isn't a kid movie they are not going to pay attention to it really any way (not true in most cases BTW...) and then you always have things like CNN and Fox News playing in doctors office waiting rooms, restaurants, etc...the news programmings real life violent scenes are many times much worse than anything Hollywood can produce... kids are going to see things that are not appropriate for them.
I think part of the reason that children are becoming more violent at younger ages is because of many things they grow up seeing with their parents right there watching with them. They are becoming jaded and apathetic at very early ages. Our children are growing up during a violent war...they themselves or they know other children who's parents or other relatives are active duty military and deployed and understand and fear those loved ones not returning....even things thought of as "innocent" and "family viewing" like "Funniest Home Videos" are technically violent and we laugh about it.....
Yet, show a couple enjoying and loving each other and parents become unglued and have to "shield" them from it.
Why not explain to them that those two people love each other and are expressing their love in a way only grown-ups do and that it is beautiful and something for them to look forward to when they grow up and fall in love, instead of treating it like something bad, shameful and scary. Maybe if our attitudes charged kids wouldn't grow up so curious about sex and thinking that violence is the answer and "OK".....
Opinions????
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~Shea