I picked up a magazine left behind by the owners of the house we are renting called Savvy Family. I wonder if there are qualifications to be allowed monthly delivery of this periodical. The word "savvy" implies, in my mind, a sophisticated shrewdness that neither I, nor any other member of my family, possess.
So it was with interest and curiosity that I perused this periodical, paying particular attention to the paid advertisements. It is a local St. Louis, family-issues oriented rag that likely attracts the upwardly mobile. Included are ads for Kindermusik, pricey private schools, baby boutiques, COCA: the Center for Creative Arts, stuff like that. You know, for the enlightened parents of today. There was a self- affirming article by a mother who no longer wears a size two ( boo-hoo) and is working to instill in her offspring positive body images, invoking the mantra "muscle weighs more than fat". Another piece was about the many challenges faced by kids and parents as they anticipate the start of another school year. Then there was the one about trading in the Wonderbread sandwich and Cheetos school lunch for more healthful choices. Thanks, wow, how novel. I truly never considered the possibility. I hope Owen doesn't freak.
They saved the best for last. It was entitled, "Growing up....Painfully". And indeed it was was painful to read. Sadly enough, the author is a very educated woman, a pediatrician who decided to stay home to raise her brood. The premise of the article is that kids these days are just growing up way too fast and we adults have no control over it. By way of example she tells us about her 8 year old daughter who is embarrassed that her legs are hairy and sneaks off with mom's razor to remedy the problem. She laments the fact that her daughter, at only 8 yrs old, already has body-image issues. She blames it on the likes of Hannah Montana, High School Musical, movies and other such delicacies offer up by the ever present media source known as television. She then posits that she is smart enough to figure this situation out on her own and does not need any outside help.
Of course she is wrong. If she wasn't I would have nothing to write about.
It amazes me how the OBVIOUS eludes. And this elusion is an equal opportunity afflicter. It matters not a parent's race, gender, education, sexual orientation...s/he just dudn't get it. So here is the solution. Listen carefully lady, I am only going to say it once and I am going to say it using an indoor voice. Throw the fucking T.V. out the second story window! Don't bother opening it first. The shattering glass will have much more of an impact ( get it, impact...pun) on your family. It will make a great family story in years to come. Think of it, your children will be sitting around at the dinner table telling their kids (2nd generation non-t.v. watchers) about the time their kooky grandma threw the t.v. ("Mom, what is a t.v.?") out the window. Lady, you invited that floozy, Hannah Montana, and her minions into your house. Now, just ask them to leave. Problem solved.
"So what does this have to do with sustainability?" I am so glad you asked. I have a beef with media, in most forms, but mostly t.v. advertising. Yes, television programing, in and of itself, is a mindless waste of time, degrading to women, celebrates violence, blah, blah, blah. But I believe its greatest trespass is more insidious, not nearly so obvious. Its commercials perpetuate a voracious consumer culture that brainwashes at an early age. You must own this to fit in with your peers. This tastes delicious. You are not quite thin enough to look good in this outfit; get that finger back down that throat. Always low prices. Always. ....add nauseum.
A little anecdote on one of the benefits of a television free life: One of my proudest moments this summer was when my girlfriend called from McDonalds to tell me my child was a freak. He had no idea what a happy meal was. So he ate a happy meal that afternoon. Later that summer another friend's mother took him to McDs. He declined lunch and went without food for the afternoon. No one had repeatedly told him how delicious McNugget are, so he got to decide all for himself that they were not so tasty.
The not so savvy parents, their not so savvy kids and definitely not so savvy dog.
No comments:
Post a Comment