Journal Chacham's Journal: Quickies 11
And, strangely enough, I got modded up. Maybe there is hope.
He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion
And, strangely enough, I got modded up. Maybe there is hope.
He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him. -- Bion
Good grief! (Score:2)
Can't wait to see if we can hit even higher levels of PC siliness in 2003!
Indeed... (Score:2)
Right on, of course with the moderated comment.
I chose to sit out that thread, on the grounds that if the irony of an article which claimed that the VRWC (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy) must be manipulating science for political ends if recent studies didn't all reach the pre-ordained political conclusions which the NY Times has blessed was lost on the editors, and lost on those readers of the thread which I saw, there wasn't much point in posting...
Re:Indeed... (Score:1)
Thanx.
Though I'm *still* suprised not only that it was modded up, but that it wasn't modded down. I think more of slashdot now.
Bible thing... (Score:1)
And for that matter the barbie thing? (now this is screwed up - let the doll sell...)
I mean, it's great to share the linkage, but if you don't get the ball rolling with something it's hard to flame you =)
Re:Bible thing... (Score:1)
Well, if it was a religious school, and they said the Bible was more than just a book, I could understand. But if the Bible is just another book, how can it not be appropriate? While her choice may not be best, she has a valid claim.
And for that matter the barbie thing? (now this is screwed up - let the doll sell...)
I agree with that sentiment. However, I also think it is better not being bought. So I'm happy about the results.
I mean, it's great to share the linkage, but if you don't get the ball rolling with something it's hard to flame you =)
So, I'm lazy.
Anyway, sometimes I want to hear other people comment.
Pregnancy causes teenage pregnancy! (Score:2)
"I was delivering flowers from the gift shop and I saw a woman who just had a baby!" exclaimed Anita Lief, a 13 year-old-volunteer from Shelbyville. "The mother was happy and cooing, and I thought 'I want to have a baby' right away."
Her reaction is not unique. "An image like this promotes teenage pregnancy. What would an 8-year-old or 12-year-old get out of seeing something like that?" asked Sabrina Fagan, 29, who has a 9-year-old son, so of course she's an authority on everything, including the developemental impact of seeing images of pregnancy. "That's why I don't allow issues of Fit Pregnancy magazine around kids."
"We see this as a step in the right direction" was the response from the Raise Your Child In A Dark Room lobby. "We hope to see more RYCIADR-friendly actions by local business and government in the coming year. If we aren't thinking about the children, then, my friends, the terrorists have already won!"
Re:Pregnancy causes teenage pregnancy! (Score:1)
What if Barbie had a new friend. Joe the smoker. The idea here is complaint both from the right wing and the left wing. It is agreed that unmarried teenage pregnancy is a bad thing. It is agreed that kids are impressionable by what they see. It is arguable if allowing for a pregnant doll will help kids accept teenage pregnancy as a normal thing. For those who think it will remove the taboo from teenage pregnancy, this would be a bad thing. I think the right and the left are not arguing here.
Re:Pregnancy causes teenage pregnancy! (Score:2)
My issue is this:
It's that it is an observable fact that kids like to act like the dolls they play with.
Really?
A doll is NOT the issue with teenage pregnancy. Poor choices stemming from incomplete psyches that aren't fully mature, not being able to see consequences to hedonistic actions, insecure personalities using sex to get love or to feel good about themselves, these are the issues surrounding teenage pregnancy. To get worked up over a doll is just too hysterical.
Re:Pregnancy causes teenage pregnancy! (Score:1)
Don't ever miss that. Most of the country is leftist, yet the (not so) minority rightists vote is larger numbers. If you ever ignore the difference you are turning a blind eye towards what makes a great deal of the world tick.
Really?
Yes.
A doll is NOT the issue with teenage pregnancy.
Of course it isn't! However, it acclimates the child into thinking that it is an okay thing to do. Small seeds to a young child have immense effects on their outlook. Starting with a doll, everything counts.
Poor choices stemming from incomplete psyches that aren't fully mature, not being able to see consequences to hedonistic actions,
That which is hedonistic isn't necessarily bad. Eating is a good example. The lack of maturity, however, is an excellent point.
these are the issues surrounding teenage pregnancy.
True. But this is once teenage pregnancy is accepted as normal. If we could get to the child, and have the child be repulsed by the idea, then it will never come up as a realistic option.
To get worked up over a doll is just too hysterical.
The doll being especially important, because the child tends to gives a story to each doll, that is, to personify it and possibly like it. That in effect has an effect on how the child thinks.
I'm not saying that the choice of the child is based upon the doll. Just that everything affects people. Talk about pysche? A child is more impressionable than anybody else for the simple fact that children accept that which they see, and don't fight it as adults with formulated opinions and social biases do. And, the toy that a child personifies has a greater impression on their self-view. Dolls are extreme examples of this. To discount this effect is just plain silly.
Now, is it a problem and should a law be passed barring such dolls? Absolutely not. However, for concern to be voiced and the dolls pulled, was, IMHO, an excellent choice, and a step in the correct direction vis-a-vis teenage pregnancy.
Note, you still didn't answer my question. Would you object to a Joe the smoker doll?
Re:Pregnancy causes teenage pregnancy! (Score:2)
okay- kids past puberty don't usually play with dolls; kids before puberty CAN'T get pregnant.
So there are YEARS of learning in between.
To say that additional learning doesn't overwright early learning is wrong.
Gee, small girls play with dolls that look like babies, and that simulat crying, peeing, pooping, etc., wouldn't THOSE promote teenage pregnancy??
The issue is not a doll- the issue is What is going on that leads to teenage pregnancy? Dollars to donuts it isn't that some girl said "yeah, I Wanna have a baby"- Nope- they wanted to have SEX.
Or, they were coerced into sex. Its got nothing to do with dolls.
P.S.- Joe smoker doll? I grew up with R.J. Reynolds Camel campaign with the "Joe Cool" animated camels. And frankly, James Dean was a FAR bigger draw for becoming a smoker (much later on, I might add) than those animated camels.
P.P.S.- I have since quit smoking.
Re:Pregnancy causes teenage pregnancy! (Score:1)
No, it is not wrong. It can be overwritten when dealt with very strongly, and the kid agrees. Otherwise, impressions made during the very young years stick forever.
Gee, small girls play with dolls that look like babies,...wouldn't THOSE promote teenage pregnancy??
No. They want to cuddle a child, not necessarily get pregnant. The key here is aversion to teenage pregnancy, which everyone agrees is a good thing. The pregnant dolls help relax that aversion. That's all.
Its got nothing to do with dolls.
Of course it doesn't! However, when a girl wants to have relations with a boy some thoughts go through her mind. In many cases she freaks out and says that she does not want to become pregnant. The freaking out is not necessarily a logical action, rather, an action based on the polarizing effects of a pregnant teenager. If girls were to play with pregnant dolls at a young age, that would break this taboo, and so, the girl *is less likely* to freak out. Now, if, because of the doll the girl didn't freak out where she otherwise would have, there would be a direct correlation between the doll and the pregnancy.
Joe smoker doll? I grew up with R.J. Reynolds Camel
That wasn't the question. The question was would you be averse to the idea of Barbie having a friend named Joe who smoked? Would you mind if kids played with the doll, complete with ciggarrette?