Nearly everywhere you look, our culture is offering us sexual images - on billboards, on TV, in magazines. There's porn companies selling childrens merchandise; Video games that simulate rape; And magazines forcing little girls to become sexually aware...
Where once kids were passing notes in class, now they are sexting - sending explicit images of themselves via text - and teenagers are feeling pressure to have sexual experiences at a younger and younger age.
Melinda Tankard-Reist, editor of a new book called "Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls", she spoke to us this week on the devastating results of our over-sexualized culture on young girls and guys.
Now it's your turn to tell us your thoughts on this topic.
• Perhaps you're a teacher or someone working with young people in another capacity - what have you seen happening among kids and teenagers in this area?
* Have you seen some of these symptoms at work in your own children?
• Have you ever spoken out against sexualized media content - perhaps by writing a letter to the editor or commenting online, or writing a complaint to a company about its ads, or to a TV station about its programming.
• What was the response you got after raising your voice?
• What are your thoughts on some positive effective ways to turn the tide of oversexualised media. I'd love to hear your ideas.
Comments (2)
Internet Filtering will not stop porn. The overwhelming consensus of ISPs is that it won't work.
We need an Internet that you have to log on to so your connection becomes a legal responsibility. Same as you might log on to your computer at work. Connection to the "open" Internet would require a different password.
We found this was necessary with the postal service and then the telephone service - why do we think it won't be necessary for the
Internet? How many pornographic letters or phone calls do you get?
This way we can all opt-in for the "registered" Internet which is controllable.
Lots more to this but I'm convinced it's the only way for the Internet to become relatively safe.
Posted by Gary Wheatcroft | October 12, 2009 6:54 PM
Posted on October 12, 2009 18:54
I want to make a comment about:Sexualisation of Girls and its Consequences. Last night Sheridan asked Melinda: what should we do if the boys have seen the pornographic materials and have started to be addicted? the question is not exact, but it was similar. I would say: we have to do something. We have to find the real gift and dream of the boys. We have to be able to educate the boys toward his gifts, and make the boys passionate of his dream, so that he really want to achieve his dream. If the interest to his gift and the passion to his dream are bigger than his addiction to the pornographic materials, he will not have time to see the pornographic material anymore. Because his interest has changed from 'addicted' to pursuing his dream (becoming a great musician for example, or becoming a doctor etc).
The role of the parents is important in this case in directing the boys. Also, it is good to put the boys in the church environment. If his love to the Lord is bigger as he grows up in the church enviromment, the addiction will be gone. Hope you know what I am saying.
Posted by Hartono Gunawan | October 12, 2009 3:42 PM
Posted on October 12, 2009 15:42