Warning;The following content is suitable for minors.
I've noticed a propensity of warnings on written material about age and suitabilty lately and I must say that I am in opposition to this and surprisingly feel quite strongly about the matter.
First though, I would be remiss if I didn't state that I think the people who are post these warnings are nobleminded and coming from a good place within themselves when doing so.
Usually, when I divide blame and responsibilty I look at intent as the chief criteria but in this instance I absolve all participants as being of clear conscience and acting in good will to their fellow beings be them parents, children or elderly folks who may find certain topics undignified.
OK, so where's the problem?
Well, allow me to return to this point in moment.
I was going to write a volatile rant about doctors and dentists but that's really my problem and my issues and would be a thin veneer to mask my own insecurities about the the differiing qualities of between experts and the ability to procure one.
Once I resolved that issue there was a an easy teransfer to discuss mny extreme disdain for condoms. I am not saying I never use them but jsut how much I loathe doing so. I think Sam Kinison was right when he said they are unromantic. Being a comedian he added"If you don't trust the pussy, why are you FUCKING the pussy?"
I'm not promoting that one avoid them I just expect science to come up with something better, like a universally accepted pill for men or such.
If I'd been exposed to more literature about sex when I was fifteen, I' would have had lot less to worry about over pregnancy scares and other acts idiocy.
Whaoh, profanity, bellicosity, and general words of shock and horror.
Cover your children's eyes!
Why?
To keep them ignorant about the truth about the way different people feel about different issues. Important ones that can have disastrous repercussions if kids stay ignorant about their own desires, their limitations and what they can be capable of at their weakest moments?
I have heard children of every single age group use the "F" word, And I was using it long before my parents ever knew. IT is so commonly used that You have to go out your not to find it in print. Steven King has written over 50 worldwide best sellers and from what I can tell most of his book contain the "F"word at least a few times.
Whatt was the sociological damage from this? Well, I remenber many a class mate of any grade with one of his books being toted around and most often those were the brighter kids who read alot and none of them seemed hampered in anyway form reading content of mixed language references.
Now I can identify with a parent not wanting their three year old watching pronography but hasn't the time come to admit that by reading, I mean just reading, very little warping and serial killing tendencies are apt to develop.
BEfore you go running to google the stats on that one, ask foirst how may warp minds were shaped more by emotional abuse or other forms and get back to me about how many people turned bad because of a book they read.
Ievn if a kid reads Mein Kempf, I would be okay with it as long as thye read other offfsetting opposed books as welllike the Diary of Annfrank for example. The kid gets to coompare and think for themselves instead of having their valkues assigned to them by the world which often leads to repressed values that builked up and need release in unhealthy ways. It also dispells the whole "cookie jar" satisfaction that comes doing somehting bad by reading.
If you think hiding evil and pretending it never existed is a sensible option to prevent a reoccurance, then it should be observed and that is precisely why history repeats itself. We didn't LEARN the difference the last time. We tried to cover it up with tags, abd banning literature, movies and posters and stop people from realizing what's right and wrong becasue thye didn't have to think about it anymore.
Take Freud's example of the Stork, And how lying to children leads to distrust of parents and suspicion and heigtened curiousity for the truth.
The discovery of the truth leads to worlds more exploring and the discarding of faith in former sources of information.
I've always enjoyed the joke about instead carding people at bars for their age it should be done by I.Q. There are mature fifteen year olds who can drink responsibly, drive a car, and likely vote without incident or problem. There are also 55 year olds who ought not to be allowed behind a wheel of a car or into a liquor store or any public bar for that mattter.
So is age the real criteria?
Isn't it more about mindset and values and responsibility. Doesn't the development of those very quality come form being able to discuss and learn as much as possible? Making choices and and applying the best choice possible and seeing the benfits of wisdom applied and the rewards that often follow
I remenr being 13 years old with a library book in toe and being stopped by my English teacher. She was from England. She asked me why I was reading the book in question. I toold I wasn't sure because I hadn't started it it yet and had no idea whatoever what it was about.
It was about a war in Brazil.
She paused and said, exactly this; Ehhmmm, If it were my child who brought home this book and asked me if I could read it, I would say yes.
I'm not certain that everyonne would feel the same way, It may the sort of book some parents might not want their children reading and they might even be offended or upset about it.
I rolled over her point, I pondered my right to choice versus how my own parents might react and how much they might overreact. I put the book the book back, and to this day I've never read it.
Mission accomplished. I liked her approach and she appealed to my selfish interests. No hassle. The easy way out. I did a lot more careful reading and reading in less public domain, amde a point of rarely letting my parents see what I was reading.
Lesson learned.
Still, The question fo Why we should get so concerned about what we allow young people to read. I think we should encourage them to everything they can get their hands on. I learned more from reading taboo books thant enyhting assigned to me in school.
Would her job have been called into question if she'd let this student walk around reading such content?
Dd she somehow know my aprents were rather overprotective and wanted to spare me some grief?
The other thing I remember is that Mrs. Jones was exceedingly professional in behaviour and it was the only personal converation I'd ever had with her before or since.
A BOOK was the ice breaker, a controversial book at that.
Maybe we should ALL be talking about books more often.
Kids will naturally gravitate to what is kept from them unless it is done in a compassionate sensible way anyhow.
If Mrs. Jones had said You can' t read that, I would have grabbed it in my fist and said "Watch me".
Do we really believ that by tagging things warnings and age restrictions that we can prevent them form being discovered, or does it becaome like an advertisement that it may be worth reading?
Just how valuable is that tag anyway, even the work safe one, After all Aren't we not suposed to read journals on worktime anyway?
I figure if it's risque material then at least you won't get into trouble for something as trivial as reading about someone's cat stuck in a tree.
Let your children rad and form thier own ideas, if they start carrying an uzi, you'll know they are on the wrong track, the funny part is, often the kids who read them most are more likely to choose another book over the Uzi anyway.
Have you ever to click that one extra tag when your connection is weak? Oi!