Society takes one more step forward

[GeneralElectric]

....and by forward I mean one step closer to falling off a precipice.

I went to upstate New York recently and on the way up there me and a friend stopped in a McDonalds in New Jersey. While we were waiting to order my friend nudges me to check out the sweater that the girl in front of us was wearing.

The girl couldn't have been more than 14 and was wearing a Bitch 2 hoodie. I'm guessing it was a play on Dr. Seuss. That'd be fine in my book, but to make matters worse she had shorts skimpier than most folks' underwear. I couldn't really believe that parents let their kids out like that.

The icing on the cake was standing behind her in line as she told her friends about how her parents got her a nose job and that'd she'd be getting all those stitches out in a few days.

Kids these days...

[sandmangeck]

survivalists turned to consumers. At least she has my parents are idiots on her forehead

[hover]

I think this is more another New Jersey PSA than a rant on society. Where's Relic?



Next time you're in Jersey, go to Mooby's instead.

[steamthief]

Today, you are officially old.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by hover

I think this is more another New Jersey PSA than a rant on society. Where's Relic?



Next time you're in Jersey, go to Mooby's instead.

School is going to be starting soon so I'm bound to start another thread or two about how the girls at my son's high school are dressing.
It's really sad that girls dress as though "shameless, semi-worthless ho" somehow means "empowered and cool" now.

[FrankenIbanez70]

Every year from my experience in high school the freshman girls always had skimpier and more revealing clothing. I personally, (unlike most teenage guys) think its disgusting.

[Ayce]

And then they complain when someone calls them names.
Google "sl*twalk" Replace the * with a u

[Quickie]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

Kids these days...

Are trouble.

[IconBasser]

I hate to be the devil's advocate (ok, it's actually my favorite job), but I'm totally going to anyway!

It seems somewhat silly to me that people constantly bash on what other people are wearing. There is no objective "right" or "wrong" thing to clothe yourself in. I mean, obviously if she was wearing a two-piece in a blizzard I could understand some negative comments, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

There are obviously risks in being excessively sexually active, especially for a teenager, but there's really no evidence of that from the information we've been presented with here. Perhaps she just likes the aesthetic.

[MakiSupaStar]

F.S.O.A.

(Future Strippers Of America)

[pocketgroove]

It's a shame that kids feel that they have to do that in order for someone to like them. They feel like they don't have anything to offer somebody in the way of personality or character, so they have to draw guys in by putting everything out there. I know this - I just got out of high school in June. I didn't dress like an old lady, but I didn't dress like that either, and I did just fine, because I knew I was interesting person with a lot to offer.

But it is absolutely true - this sort of stuff is happening earlier and earlier. Most of my friends lost their virginity at 13 or 14, and the crazy thing is most of them had good, caring parents. As the kids have gotten worse at hiding their bodies, they've gotten better at hiding their lifestyles and activities.

And, IMO that sort of thing destroys the discovery and intimacy of a close relationship, because there's nothing special about getting to see something that's already been almost completely exposed to the entire world. Although, I don't know how close things are bound to get between two people who are with each other solely because of physical attributes, either. Oh, and when relationships turn out to be a failure because there was no substance to them, you'd better believe that hurts their self-esteem even more, which furthers the type of behavior that landed them in that situation in the first place.

[bassboy85]

Originally Posted by IconBasser

It seems somewhat silly to me that people constantly bash on what other people are wearing. There is no objective "right" or "wrong" thing to clothe yourself in. I mean, obviously if she was wearing a two-piece in a blizzard I could understand some negative comments, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

There are obviously risks in being excessively sexually active, especially for a teenager, but there's really no evidence of that from the information we've been presented with here. Perhaps she just likes the aesthetic.

I totally agree with you. Everyone should feel free to wear whatever they want. I mean our society is supposed to guarantee individual freedom but we stil have to have discussion such as this one. It's a paradox. Everybody is judged by what they are wearing, the first impression sometimes seems to be all that counts.
Consumption is everything that matters. I prefer buying quality womens watches instead of purchasing five cheap ones. But that's how it seems to work out for many people. The more you have the more appreciated you are. It's important that there are events such as the slutwalk, it shows that some people still do care.

[SoonerMatt]

Originally Posted by GeneralElectric

McDonalds in New Jersey.

There's yer problem.

Unfortunately I see stuff like that (and worse) here on a daily basis. Makes me glad that I'm only 16-ish weeks away from leaving.

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by Relic

School is going to be starting soon so I'm bound to start another thread or two about how the girls at my son's high school are dressing.
It's really sad that girls dress as though "shameless, semi-worthless ho" somehow means "empowered and cool" now.

Let me preface this by saying that I have 2 young girls and I certainly don't want them getting all skanked up to go out in public.

OTOH, maybe some of these girls are right. Perhaps what they are doing is challenging traditional gender roles and embracing the "New Feminism". The empowered girls that are growing up today to not see 'princess' and 'tomboy' as mutually exclusive options. They same thing with 'sexy' and 'smart'. They are becoming more comfortable with their bodies than previous generations and 1) don't feel the need to cover up and 2) are discovering the power they have over boys.

Obviously all of this needs to be augmented with a healthy dose of experience and maturity but, hopefully, that will come with time. Dress like a skank -> get treated like skank -> "Hmm, maybe I won't dress like a skank any more."

Then again there are also the FSoA's.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by PSPookie

Let me preface this by saying that I have 2 young girls and I certainly don't want them getting all skanked up to go out in public.

OTOH, maybe some of these girls are right. Perhaps what they are doing is challenging traditional gender roles and embracing the "New Feminism". The empowered girls that are growing up today to not see 'princess' and 'tomboy' as mutually exclusive options. They same thing with 'sexy' and 'smart'. They are becoming more comfortable with their bodies than previous generations and 1) don't feel the need to cover up and 20 are discovering the power they have over boys.

Then again there are also the FSoA's.

I disagree. Women dressing suggestively isn't empowering them. In fact, it's doing just the opposite. They're dressing similarly to the images corporations are selling them. They are playing directly into the male fantasy that's often portrayed in music videos, television shows, and other forms of entertainment - that is, women being sexual objects for men to lust for and use for their own pleasure.

[Jim Nazium]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

They are playing directly into the male fantasy ... that is, women being sexual objects for men to lust for and use for their own pleasure.

That has only been going on since, well, all of recorded history. Men do the same thing, trying to appear rich and powerful to attract women, which plays into their fantasy. Women are sex objects, men are success objects.

[Relic]

Originally Posted by jmattbassplaya

I disagree. Women dressing suggestively isn't empowering them. In fact, it's doing just the opposite. They're dressing similarly to the images corporations are selling them. They are playing directly into the male fantasy that's often portrayed in music videos, television shows, and other forms of entertainment - that is, women being sexual objects for men to lust for and use for their own pleasure.

Yeah this is pretty much how I approach it as well. There are ways to empower oneself that does not include reducing your worth of a person to your physical attributes alone.

[Skitch it!]

Same here, it does seem that bypassing personality, character and relabeling as a sum of parts is enough to move forward in life. To be fair they are bombarded with that idea from a lot of different media directions, thinking that kind of lifestyle comes with it, not all of course, but a fair enough amount. I personally find the standard of education here is on a downward spiral, a lot of teachers feel too up against it and seek other careers rather than trying to battle it out against increasing numbers so misguided.

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by Relic

Yeah this is pretty much how I approach it as well. There are ways to empower oneself that does not include reducing your worth of a person to your physical attributes alone.

I hear ya and tend to agree; however, that is the old view.

The new view is that they are not reducing themselves to their physical assets alone, but rather 'using what they got to get just what they want' to quote Mr. Brown. This includes their brains as well as their bodies. Simply, they are coming of age in a time when there are no restrictions on gender and they are starting to figure out how to turn it to their advantage. The rest of the world (us old guys) just haven't caught up yet.

This guy presents a bit of this idea but with more humor and better grammar than I can manage: My Eyes Burned Out By Boobs! Merry Christmas!*|*Death By Children

[Skitch it!]

I dunno, I couldn't resist checking out this parody of popular Ms.Chatterbox after the aural assault posted in another thread here but skip the blabber and start at 1.34

richdampcake's Channel - YouTube