Yea, I am trying to bore you !

I caught this article on MSNBC:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17540879/

Now, I don’t usually blog about social issues, or try not to bore anyone with my worldly outlook, however this particular situation sparked something. Anyone that has known me personally knows that I sometimes partake in the vices of our western society. I know some things I do are not right, which is why I try to avoid them and have been extremely successful lately. There was a point in time where that wasn’t the case.

With that out of the way, the article talks about a new book that suggest “hooking-up” or in other words casual sex damages young women. Not only do I agree with that but I commend the author Laura Stepp for having the determination to state this. Our society is being damaged by the current behavior of our offspring and no one seems to want to step in. I attribute that to laziness which is being masked as the ever popular “Let them be themselves” or “Let the child express him or herself”.

Well that’s good and fun, but what if they are wrong. I haven’t spent too much time on this earth but even my limited experiences outline some things that I wouldn’t want my child to have to go through. For example, when I was eighteen I discovered alcohol. Now, the legal age is twenty-one, so it’s really going to amuse you when I tell you that I had my drinking problems when I was eighteen to twenty.

I started going to college when I was a sophomore in High-School, and I managed to keep a 3.65 GPA until I graduated at eighteen. That’s when I got more freedom than I could handle. For the next two years I managed to screw up my GPA, drop out of college, and end up working as a security guard at GM. What would I spend my time doing? Drinking, socializing, and yes sometimes “hooking-up”. Now my particular situation is a bit different since I have a personality that can abandon addictions. One fine November night I looked at my life, working a dead end job, drinking too often and no real future. So, I stopped drinking. How? Well it was a pain. I remember the last party I went to and did not drink the whole night. I had somewhere around ten people attempting to intoxicate me, both guys and girls that I knew. So for somewhere around six hours I said no. I did not touch an ounce of alcohol for the rest of that year and the one following.

Where did that lead? I started doing contract software development for my current employer. I worked for them for another year when they decided to hire me since I was doing a good job. So you see anyone can fall victim to the vices of life, but not all can pick up the pieces. My father was very strict when I was younger but as I got older he let the reigns loose too quickly. Not that I am in any way blaming him , quite the opposite, he’s bailed me out of more things than I can count and has always been there. Even though we sometimes have our screaming matches.

Anyway, now you have some idea of where I am coming from when I say that anyone, man or woman, can fall victim to the vices of our society. With that in mind let’s look at what younger women (and men) have to look up to. As five to ten year olds they see ever increasing violent cartoons and even skimpishly dressed females in these cartoons. Once they graduate to their teen years they get exposed to such channels as “The N”, “MTV”, “VH1″ and all the other crap that fills their head. This is compounded by the internet, talk about a beast that cannot be controlled. I remember when I was a teen my dad wouldn’t let me be on the computer by myself because he feared what I would be exposed to. What happened to that? Why are parents having such issues controlling internet access? Lord knows there are tons of software packages out there that will allow them to control a child’s ability to access the net. Or… move the computer into the living room and allow them to be on from five to midnight, when you’re home (I know this is a targeted statement and some folks do not have “a 9 to 5″).

At any rate the point is that kids no longer have good role models and young women try to compete with … well I’m thinking it so I’ll say it… sluts like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Britney Spears, Cristina Aguilera etc. They see wild beach parties on MTV Spring Break, watch “reality” shows that portrait drinking and drugs as a way of life. Throughout all of these experiences that a teenage girl is bombarded with we have “feminists” that tell them they can do whatever. They can be as bad as the boys… well guess what genius, the boys aren’t as bad as the boys. When was the last time you saw some dude strolling his junk around in a micro-bikini or some other embarrassing outfit? No, men are “naughty” in some instances but in my opinion it is contained. Which gender is in more pornographic movies? Who gets abused? That’s right women. So what am I saying? I am saying that we need to at least guide our young female population, and letting them know it is not ok to bang anyone any night is part of that, furthermore tell our young men that it’s not ok to encourage that behavior or partake in it. That kind of behavior does not empower women, it belittles them, it makes them just another piece of meat. I have seen some “videos” on the internet and the way that some of those young women are treated is unbelievable. It’s almost like they are objects. How is that empowering them? It’s not. If we are to truly fight for that cause we must start with education. Yes you can express yourself but make sure you don’t destroy your character and being in the process. It’s all about guidance.

I’m running out of steam here, the point is that if we want to truly empower our young we have to guide them, and that has been lost. A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, it was not ok to be like the promiscous females in Hollywood. What mother would have her daughter act like Marylin Monroe? Casual “hook-ups” should again be a taboo, immoral behavior should be ostracized. If you don’t want to do this for the sake of some higher being, do it for the sake of our society and the future of our children. Anyway, point is that kind of behavior is not acceptable for any gender or age group, and apparently the majority agrees…

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17541502/

</rant>

Guess I know where I won’t be going…

Someone sent me a link to this video on YouTube. Jiffy Lube is the suck, apparently they’re so slick they’ll slide the money right out of your pocket … Guess where I will make sure to never go and recommend that no one else does either… that’s right Jiffy Lube. What a bunch of dill-holes !

Look at me be all artsy!

I was messing around with my friends camera about 2 weeks ago, and while I was at a local “establishment” I decided to take a picture.

Carefull with the full image, it’s like 3 megs.

Anyway, I thought that it was pretty cool. The one word that comes to mind when I see it is “Vices” …