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Monday, January 25, 2010

To hell with political correctness

I am a first-born. By nature I am a people pleaser. I want people to like me. So I tend to not rock the boat or do and say things that might make people mad. (My husband excluded. That I don't seem to have a problem with.)

But tonight, I'm rocking, shaking, and probably mad making. On the way to the gym a few hours ago, I turned on the radio and was listening to "Your Time with Kim Iverson." The topic of conversation was "Can you turn a booty call into a boyfriend?"

Seriously?

I listened to a few callers who talked about the trials and tribulations of trying to go from "in it only for the 'goodies'" to true love. Kim's sidekick shared her experience with a married man.

Seriously, seriously?

Not to sound old fashioned or prudish, but I'm beginning to see why "to hell in a handbasket" is such a popular phrase. I don't want my daughter hearing this kind of garbage (she wasn't in the car). I've seen Facebook pages of some of the kids her age (Annie doesn't have one) and think "Do your parents know that you are a member of the 'I Have Also Slept with Tiger Woods' group and are they OK with that?!"

And to be fair, some of these same kids are members of Facebook groups like "Above the Influence" and "Jesus is my Savior and I'm not Ashamed." It just screams to me that our kids need our influence and involvement in their lives. Not our lectures, but our willingness to have conversations about why booty calls do not equal love and why they should respect themselves enough to not go giving precious pieces of themselves away in the name of popularity or instant gratification.

I have to really think about the part I play in the perpetuation of all this. I regularly tune in to shows like Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy where affairs are the expected natural order of things. The difference, I know, is that I am an adult. I have a fully informed conscience. I can make value judgements on things I see on TV based on the convictions I have in real life.

We owe it to our kids to help them form those value judgements based on the benefit of our experiences where they may not have them yet. And turning off garbage like Kim Iverson is a good start.

So there, I said what was on my mind. It's not as eloquent as I'd like -- I wanted to get it down and out there before I chickened out. It's probably not politically correct. Likely not popular. Maybe I'll even lose a few followers in the process (Aaack! I hope not!).

But sometimes, even us people-pleasing first borns have to say "enough is enough."

8 comments:

Sharon said...

I am a big fan of "to hell w/ political correctness".
ONe of the books I'm reading talks about how worrying about the PC crap is actually HURTING our kids, especially our boys.
It's sad and pathetic that we, as a nation, accept this.
Ugh.

Sorry, off the soapbox now. It just ticks me off. I'm glad you made this post, and I think your kids are lucky to have you.

Maria said...

Thank you for the post...I'm with you!

Joanie said...

I'm amazed how easily younger folks can fall into bed with whomever.

And speaking as the (ex)wife of a man who cheated me (we can only hope he's cheating on the new wife, the one he cheated on me with), I don't take kindly to people who brag about messing with married men.

Twist said...

My mom doesn't want me to have a Facebook, and I don't really want to.

Cat said...

Here here! Our grown-up, experienced brains can process stuff with a lot more understanding. Exposing kids to it is just wrong. And you bet your boots my son's internet, TV, etc will be monitored when we get to that age. I think the sexualization and commercialization of childhood is one of the worst things the last 30 years has brought us.

Momza said...

We have a rule in our house: If it's not appropriate for the kids, it's not appropriate for the adults. period.

Lori said...

Yes, you are so right! I am an old mom and sometimes feel hopelessly out of step with all you young moms, so it is refreshing to hear you say this! Thanks

Eternal Lizdom said...

Kim Iverson is trash. And she's a twit. I listened to an interview she did with the founder of PostSecrets and she was such an airhead. And I've been blown away by the appropriateness of her topics and the direction the topics go in... Awful!