BS: The Sexualisation of our Children

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 02 Mar 10 - 05:07 AM

Your thread titles often read like like someone waving a banner demonstrating against something they see as a negative facet of modern society. Or objecting to something they perceive as a *dangerously* liberal trend in modern society.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 02 Mar 10 - 05:59 AM

And *that* is wrong?

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Jack Campin
Date: 02 Mar 10 - 06:30 AM

I once put Nick Toczek up in my flat for the night. He told me "I like to start the day reading the DAILY EXPRESS because I like to get REALLY FUCKIN ANGRY".

It's not like many people subscribe to the Morning Lizziegraph because there's any chance they'll agree with any of it.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Crow Sister (off with the fairies)
Date: 02 Mar 10 - 06:40 AM

LC "And *that* is wrong?"

I didn't say it was "wrong" Lizzie!

I said it was your *style*.

Try to get the two things seperated.
I find you colourful, distinctive, a very identifiable character online, with very particular views.

But if you are going to get your knickers in a twist over it, I'll simply ignore your posts in future. Then there'll be no room for any confusion.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 02 Mar 10 - 08:05 AM

Actually, JaCK, I AGREE WITH QUITE A LOT OF THE DAILY LIZZIEGRAPH. (Sorry, shift accident, not shouting!). As with the journal you ref in using this sobriquet, there is a lot of good sense hidden amongst the verbiage & the predictability of some of the attitudes. Worth seeking, IMO, in both instances.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 02:52 AM

Well... re the thread title... I heard that very phrase on Beeb Radio 4 the morning that this thread appeared. So Lizzie has only repeated what other (even reputable) news agencies have said.


The practice has been going on since I was a child. Say it with me now BARBIE! At six I received a board game called Mystery Date which was marketed to 6 to 14 year old girls. When I was 5, my mom bought me an itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini. And at 8 I had miniskirts, hot pants and go go boots.

I have to say that music videos really made me take note of an upgrade? in attitudes. I was quite disturbed to see my niece (when she was 6 and 7) wriggling around mimicing Brittany et al.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 04:20 AM

Thanks, Tam. I've called it that for years, because..that's what it is, basically. It's been worrying the heck out of me for many, many years now...and I've phoned up various Corporate names, trying to get them to open their eyes. Now, it seems, they may start to have no choice in the matter, as hopefully, public opinion finally begins to turn against them for what they have helped create.

Ultimately though, it is in the hands of parents, but I realise that it is now harder and harder to protect your children in a world that is seemingly awash with the desire to sexualise them.

Liberalism is all very well, but the great danger of it is that it also opens the doors for those with hideous agendas, because they find themselves in this free and open society, where nothing is frowned upon or judged...and they take advantage of that, bigtime!

I guess that's why society always used to have the unwritten rules of what was, and was not, acceptable...but those have been blown away now and you are regarded as prudish and odd if you dare to speak out against the flow.

I'm Proud to be Prudish, when it comes to the protection of our children's childhoods.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Jack Campin
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 04:52 AM

Actually, JaCK, I AGREE WITH QUITE A LOT OF THE DAILY LIZZIEGRAPH. (Sorry, shift accident, not shouting!). As with the journal you ref in using this sobriquet, there is a lot of good sense hidden amongst the verbiage & the predictability of some of the attitudes.

I should have been less ambiguous - I agree the Telegraph is often worth reading and I was referring to the bolus of Lizzie's opinions we get every time we open Mudcat.

Lizzie never cites the Telegraph - her ideas all come from the Daily Mail, which is a very different beast.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 05:09 AM

I'm Proud to be Prudish, when it comes to the protection of our children's childhoods.
Yet a potty-mouth at other times.
Do you accept that your regular use of sexual referents in your written language (and presumably in your speech)is part of the same problem, bringing matters that would normally be kept for the bedroom (or at least kept between adults) into general use?

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: mauvepink
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 10:26 AM

"Liberalism is all very well, but the great danger of it is that it also opens the doors for those with hideous agendas, because they find themselves in this free and open society, where nothing is frowned upon or judged...and they take advantage of that, bigtime"

Do you truly believe that? It is not Liberalism that is the risk. Liberalism should be about being open-minded and equality for all. It's the abuse of liberalism that leads to it being taken advantage of. That may be the cost of having an open society with rights for all.

Having rights should not mean having no responsibilities. We all should have them for ourselves and each other. Sadly, those who have no respect for themselves will never respect others and are usually most likely to take advantage of freedoms earned them by others. They are not liberal nor is ir liberalism. Often it is greed. The self, self, self, types are not liberal either

What I do hate is how being a liberal or showing liberal ideas is often so denigrated and used as an insult by people with non-liberal agendas who want control and discrimination on anyone who is different. That, for me, is where the danger comes from.

There are worse things to be called than a liberal!

;-)

mp

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Lizzie Cornish 1
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 11:59 AM

"Lizzie never cites the Telegraph - "

Actually, I do...you obviously miss some of the links I put in...


"her ideas all come from the Daily Mail, which is a very different beast."

Really? You say that, not me. I don't actually get any newspaper on a regular basis these days. The one I like best is The Independant, as it always has a different front page story to everyone else, and is intelligent, not running with the herd.

So, put that in your Paperism Pipe and smoke it. Thank you.





"Yet a potty-mouth at other times."

How kind, Nigel.

"Do you accept that your regular use of sexual referents in your written language (and presumably in your speech)is part of the same problem, bringing matters that would normally be kept for the bedroom (or at least kept between adults) into general use?"

No, I do not accept that. Why? Because I would never use sexual references in front of children, nor write them in a children's book.

I have, however, taken books from the 'teenage' section (and younger) of Waterstones, over to the counter and asked the staff if they think the kind of storyline, or language, inside the book is suitable for children or young people, pointing out that in my day (220 years back) this sort of story or language would never ever have been deemed suitable for them.   

They stare at me, blankly...and you can see the lights going off in their heads..."Weirdo Alert! Call the manager!"....so they do...and I go through it with him as well, because he likes to have an academic discussion on whether something, which I consider to be almost pornographic, is suitable for the elements of a story in the children's section of Waterstones.

So far, we have never seen eye to eye. He sells the books, I complain about them.

May I politely suggest that you look, then complain as well, Nigel...Ooh, and also, look at children/teenage books in your library as well, because you may be quite surprised at what's inside those pretty, sparkly little covers..

Never judge a book by its cover, has never carried a more sinister meaning...

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 12:48 PM

It all boils down to viewing children as something other than people. They are commodities, they are consumers, they are victims, they are perpetrators, they are hoodlums, they are brats, they are carers, they are statistics.

As long as the powers that be (corporations, governments and religions) view people of any age as something that benefits the respective group instead of the other way around then children will continue to be abused, used, coerced, etc.

People think child prostitution is new. It is not. Been around since the Hammurabi. And legal* in some western civilisations as late as the 1900s. Children in brothels were inducted into the trade at pretty young ages.

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: robomatic
Date: 03 Mar 10 - 06:16 PM

I think some people reacted badly to the title and start of this thread in the sense that it is a statement of something that is both obvious and not remotely new.
There is a popular animated series you may have heard of: The Simpsons and whenever there is a town meeting in Springfield, Reverend Lovejoy's wife always loudly proclaims her concern in the same way: "What about the children?"
Yes, young children, especially young females, have been sexualized in modern society. But in non-modern societies they are being killed in utero because they are female, having their clitori removed by tribal tradition, impregnated before they can safely bear children, and being put to work, sold into slavery/ prostitution.

Many times many times over the comparative few who get talked into being Little Miss Sunshine.

Yes you have an issue. NEXT!

Subject: RE: BS: The Sexualisation of our Children
From: Paul Burke
Date: 04 Mar 10 - 03:20 PM

Just dropped in to see if anyone had thought it was a good idea..