Will the responsible party please stand up? Everyone can stand up. Where do we get the idea that responsibility is an isolated or one sided obligation? Oh thank you very much for the parent advisory warning but if the material is being sold to my minor anyway what difference does it make? Its just like alcohol. Where do these minors get all that alcohol? Someone older is purchasing it for them and sometimes it is sold directly to them. With music it is always sold directly to them. I never had anyone stop me when I was a teenager from purchasing anything because of a warning label. "Oh no you may not purcahse that CD there is a warning label on it!" Oh please they want your money. They do not feel obligated to regulate the stuff because they're not the one's producing it.
Okay, I know you're thinking alcohol and music cannot even be compared but the concept is the same. So what is the point of their labels? To shut the complaing parents up? To keep quiet those who do not like what is being produced? Basically. Noone sees it making a difference, its a joke. For the few parents out there that are involved, because our homes are very broken and missing vital components called parents, how effective are those labels anyway? We keep repeating the same questions here but we know that every has a responsibility in their own family and we have a social responsibilty as well. We are to act on an individual basis in regards to our homes and communities. Everyone taking responsibiltiy for their parts is what we are talking about and that will bring us full circle back to one question. What do you consider to be right or wrong.? Obviously we are not in agreement. We have mass confusion today because everyone is wanting to redefine everything to suit their own preferences.
Do you have a core belief system or does anything go? Embracing tolerance means we must chuck a moral absolute. So what is right or wrong? With no moral standard how do you measure behavior as being acceptable or unacceptable, right or wrong? If indeed tolerance is the great religion of the day and you disagree with all the illicit sex, violence, and drugs are you to be considered intolerant? Having a standard does not make you intolerant and because you do not openly embrace the practices of today, that are becoming the norm, doesn't make you intolerant. The evidence is in folks all we have do is look around and see. With no standard or moral absolute we are destroying are our selves. There is a right from wrong. I base that on clear facts that we all are surrounded by. To know right from wrong and continue to do the wrong that is harming us is insanity. I vote for a moral absolute. I vote for God's idea of how man should conduct business on planet earth. Those 10 Do's and Don'ts are full of wisdom and pretty infalliable. We may think we know it all and redefine it all, according to what we think we know, but that has never worked. It's not working now and will never turn itself around. We have to start making the right choices to turn it around. Would everyone please stand up because everyone is accountable. God Bless.
I see where you are coming from about everyone being responsible for themselves. That is where everything goes wrong. When people do nothing but blame others for everything. The warning labels are pointless if there are no parents around to check what their kids are listening to. I don't ever remember my mom looking at the CD's I bought to see if they had any warning labels. Many parents today have no clue what kind of music is out there or what the big fuss is about so they don't even bother. The positive thing that can come from the warning labels is for those who do have parents that are concerned about what their kids are listening to. Not every parent has a clue of what artists are out right now or what kind of music they sing so the labels are a window for the parents to know that there is bad language or violence in the music. Then it is up to the parents to see what they want to do about it. Kids will pretty much listen to whatever they want to anyway. The parent can simply explain that what the artists sing about is not all true and to not follow everything they do because they are famous.
ReplyDeleteWow. I felt the passion that you had on this topic as I read your passage. I understand your point on everyone being responsible for his or herself, but there is a limit I think. How is a 13 or 14 year old teen going to be held responsible for something when s/he doesn't even know what responsibility is? At that point it is up to the parents or guardians to teach right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the tolerance v. morals section, I think that there is a medium between being tolerant and having moral standards. Just because someone is tolerant of someone or something does not mean that the morals and personal standards have been thrown out the window. Working in retail, I see stuff everyday that makes me sick, but as an employee I have to tolerate the ignorant customers and treat them equally with the righteous customers. But the fact that I tolerate the idiotic behavior in the store doesn't mean that I have given up on my personal beliefs. I really enjoyed reading your post and seeing your opinion on the topic, it is good to see someone put passion into work like you obviously have.
Seriously, where did our core belief system go? Probably right out the window with all the divorced couples in this world. People must feel like they can do whatever they want and they can, but when did morals become something to get down on. I bet everyone who wants to listen to music about drugs are going to stand up for that right but would they defend the right of a mother to censor that music from her kids. Where is the balance? I see many young people today who have no father figure in their life, their Moms are stressing out trying to raise the kids and everyone begins to lose it. The kids start doing drugs and other things depicted in music videos and the parents all of a sudden want to blame something, whether the record companies or school system. It is pretty sad that we have to resort to label systems after all. I agree with how you believe that parents and people need to start setting good examples for their kids and the youth of today. Whether they believe in God or not, they really do need to know the difference between right and wrong. What you had to say about tolerance was right on. Parents should be tolerant of their children’s behavior but not careless to the need to instill a positive moral compass in them.
ReplyDeleteThe title of your blog is what really caught my eye. I am in full agreement with the majority of your statements. I remember when my kids first starting buying CDs and asking for them. If I was with them at the store, I would not buy any CD that had the label on it. And if I found one in their room, I would take it away. Of course, for one birthday, her cute little old grandparents bought a CD for her that she had asked for by name. When I saw the CD, sure enough, there was that Parental Advisory sticker plain as day on the front of it. I have to believe they either didn’t see it or had no clue about the meaning of the sticker. That one went in my hiding place too!
ReplyDeleteSimliar to your experience, as the kids got older and could buy CD’s on their own; they were never stopped from buying a CD with the warning label. As you mentioned, the alcohol issue is much the same. Many teenagers can find older friends or even family members to buy alcohol for them. And as you mentioned, there are the lazy parents that just don’t care what their kids are listening to, drinking, smoking, ingesting or whatever.
It IS about taking a stand for our morals, values and beliefs. Everyone has a responsibility. Sadly, there is so much ambivalence out there and the attitudes that either “everyone does it” or “someone else will take a stand”. Stand up people! Stand up now!
And God Bless you also!