morality for sale
Our children are growing up too soon. They know too much and they see too much, too soon. And they won’t tell me where they’re getting it from. They are encouraged to venture into a world they are not ready for and not fully equipped to deal with. And who’s the pied piper of Hamlyn that’s leading them there? Commercialism, that’s who. Good ol’ plain capitalism.
No one in their right mind approves of the idea of the overt sexualisation of our young but let’s understand exactly what’s behind it. The recently published Bailey report made great and lengthy comment on all manner of sexual imagery that we are bombarded with but failed miserably to blatantly state the obvious: it’s all about a buck. Even Dave Mustaine, lead guitarist for speed metal merchants, Megadeath, realised this when he penned the album ‘Peace Sells, But Who’s Buying’ in the mid 90s. Believe me, if he saw it, a guy thrown out of Metallica for being a bit dim, then anyone can.
And here’s the rub: we cannot control what we are sold. Governments the world over will not dare act to regulate the market in the manner necessary, even when said market sells padded bras to seven year olds, ‘future WAG’ crop-tops to babies and thongs to small children. The likes of Rearhanna, Lady Go Go and Silly Allen are little more than on-show mannequins selling music (you sure about that? – ed) and lifestyle product. The sooner we sell you the longer we have you. We could however just say no and stop buying the stuff? My, now wouldn’t that be almost radical.
And in a not completely unrelated moment we were shown how the material commercialisation / commoditisation of women starts from the top-down. Just the other week our own Sammy Cammy entertained Mrs. Obama by having a bit of quality me-time on the sofa and ‘a natter about the variety and style of ball gowns they’re going to wear to look, like, totally amazing’. The boys meanwhile were doing the BBQ hunter/gatherer thing, in no less than…wait for it…shirt sleeves. Wow. Mr President and ‘er indoors then popped off to spend some quality time with the royal newlyweds and the world’s press was sent to ever more dizzying heights by the cacophony of frocks and frills which followed. Is there anyone else who finds it strange that someone who has never supported themselves is now seen as an icon and national treasure?
