Sexual harassment in grades 7 – 12…otherwise called puberty
By Michael Vass | November 7, 2011
There is no question that the world has changed in the past few decades. Video games, cell phones, the internet are all new innovations that are still trying to become fixtures that are useful and part of society. Along with the way adults are changing behavior, kids too are adapting. But along the way, likely thanks to the pervasive PC mentality, a whole lot seems to have been lost.
Back in the 70′s, kids played in the streets, got into fights, and had clumsy interactions with the opposite sex. Growing up was a series of embarrassing and goofy mistakes. You learned from them, got a bit thicker skin, and went on with your life. Those lessons made us reasonably well-adjusted adults. Most of us.
Today, kids don’t know how to play without parents arranging a scheduled play date. Teens are more likely to text the person next to them than look them in the eye and talk. Fights have been replaced with either Youtube footage of mob attacks or attempts to kill the school. And the clumsy interaction? Well that’s sexual harassment now.
Seriously, this is innane. No wonder kids today are so screwed up. They don’t know how to do anything that isn’t wireless and connected to a computer chip. If the power were to go out, they’d lose their collective minds.
But this sexual harassment thing bugs me. Are we so PC, so lost as a society, that we can’t understand that the awkward and embarrassing actions in puberty help to create moderately sane and responsible adults? Are we so fearful of allowing kids to be exposed to any conflict or challenge that we must even regulate the way their hormones cause them to act? You can just see the lawsuit coming down the pike now…
Little Jimmy told the other boys he likes Suzy (she likes Brad) and now there is a lawsuit about it. Plus Jimmy is going to go to counselling to learn how to behave better. 20 years later Jimmy is grown and a psychopath. But there is no connection.
Is this over the top? Somewhat. Are kids more aware of sex and sexuality today than 20 years ago? They have no choice. But let’s not confuse the awareness of information with the ability to comprehend or effectively use that information. Kids, with the whole internet at their fingertips, are less knowledgable today than perhaps ever, as a whole.
This generational impediment can only be screwed up more by trying to “correct” or “manage” the puberty hormone cycle. Comparing dating styles, noticing people that are attractive, talking among peers about changes in everything, now is tantamount to a crime. Worse yet, in this society crimes of this nature have created the impression that infamy is the same thing as fame. Which adds fuel for those that would go beyond the far-off boundaries that are now in place.
Should kids pick on people because of the way they dress, speak, look, act? Nope. They shouldn’t have in the 50′s, 70′s, 90′s or now. But they do it every year and generation. In the past, kids had the balls and the mental toughness to stand up for themselves. Hit the bully, outwit those mocking you, embarass the jock. And yes, even have your heart broken with rejection. It’s called life, and you either learn or die. Some are even motivated to greatness by it.
Protecting kids does not mean applying vague adult laws on children that literally just learned to dress themselves. Demanding that children act in a manner that is exactly like some college professor thinks would be great is not smarter than the way kids have been raised over the past several thousand years, or even the last 100.
Yes, someone sent a text about someone else that was embarassing, or mean. Deal with it. There are A-holes in the world. Yes, someone photoshopped a funny picture of someone, get over yourself. Do the same to them, learn how to do it better. Motivate yourself, become better at a skill or just a better person where know one will care how someone tries to mock you. Get some balls and stop whining to parents that are so terrified of their kids being anything but a star in their own eyes they are willing to destroy the potential of their own child.
Let’s look at this all from a bit of reality. There isn’t sexual harassment with kids in puberty. They barely understand what they have, let alone what they are doing. The fact they use cell phones and the internet does not make them more adult, nor does it imply adult punishments should be applied.
Instead, maybe parents should spend more time dealing with their kids. Perhaps, kids should be left alone to screw up at times.
A friend once was in a kitchen with me, and their kid was near the stove. The kid was warned not to touch the stove (it was on) as it was hot. I waited, as did the parent. The kid looked at us, saw we weren’t frantically rushing to stop anything, and calmly reached for the stove. Burned his hand a bit too. My friend then went over and took care of their kid. As they did so, they repeatedly said “Next time listent to me.” I never saw that kid touch a hot stove again. He grew up and became a cook.
In today’s world, he probably would have been protected from his own curiosity, denied the lesson, and wound up burning down a house while trying to boil eggs in college.
We seriously need some perspective.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
Leave a Reply
« Black Friday alternative | Home | Pause as a great boxer has passed »
Loading ...
Casino European Roulette with High-quality Technological style 3D graphics skin - play for fun earn and achievements! Mouse, follow in-game instructions.
Classic Black Jack game where you have to get a 21 to make black jack. Classic Casino game Hit on a chip to place bet. Then play and choose hit or stand acording to your cards.
