breakfast poll!

Aug 01, 2007 09:06

So last night I was talking to wendy about the new Life&Style issue coming out, about what a terrible mother Britney is and how she should have her children taken away. And this led me to remember MY childhood. And possibly, just maybe, I didn't have the same sort of upbringing that most people have. Both my parents were social workers. My mom was a ( Read more... )

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wendy August 1 2007, 14:59:11 UTC
You already know I think all those actions are horrible and irresponsible, even though the rest of your flist doesn't. I'm willing to bet though that if I did a "is it ok to smoke in front of your kids?/do pot in front of your kids?/etc" poll in MY LJ, I'd get the outraged "NO WAY" responses.

My point being that it really is a degree of perspective. But because someone else got away with bad behavior or made poor decisions doesn't give everyone else a blanket ok to behave that way. Parents DO have a responsibility to teach their kids morals and right vs. wrong and to be role models. That's non-negotiable to me. But every one's definitions of what those things ARE varies, for sure.

Also, I'm not convinced Britney is a fit mother and it isn't for any of the reasons listed in this poll. To me, those are just the straws breaking the camel's back.

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phaballa August 1 2007, 15:11:03 UTC
I think because I've dealt with child protective services cases before (for homeless parents), to me, it's a very relative scale/issue. Should parents smoke in front of their kids? No, it's terrible for the kids' health. But it's not illegal, and a LOT of parents do it, mine included. I think what pisses me off about the whole L&S (and now I've seen that US and some other glossy are doing Britney's kids covers as well) thing is that they report these incidents as told by "undiscolsed friends" as if they are fact, as if these are terrible horrible offenses, and as if Britney is the only person who would ever do something so heinous to her children ( ... )

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wendy August 1 2007, 15:19:16 UTC
I agree that smoking in front of your kid isn't the worst thing a parent can do, not by a long shot. That still doesn't make it a-ok. And no, a kid shouldn't be removed from a family because a parent smokes. But is it irresponsible? Yes.

I worked with DPS and foster care services for several years, trust me, I know the process sucks. But saying "my mom did it and I'm ok" doesn't make it ok!

Also, I don't read L&S to hear about news and real problems. I read it to make fun of Lindsay Lohan's dress. You read Perez and Pink is the New Blog and whoever else religiously, you know gossip is fun.

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phaballa August 1 2007, 15:27:35 UTC
Oh, I know gossip is fun. But shit like this will ALWAYS bother me. And a lot of Americans, as sad as this is, do read those magazines as their only news source. Which really goes back to the idea that Americans are ignorant and that sucks.

I *hated* my parents smoking. For so many reasons, but mostly because I was terrified they'd die and I'd have to go live with my uncle. *shudders* I spent a good chunk of my childhood flushing cigarettes down the toilet and trying to make them quit. On the plus side, I have never once been tempted to smoke a cigarette. When all my friends started smoking in high school, I told them they were INSANE and gross. Because, yeah.

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wendy August 1 2007, 15:30:53 UTC
I HEAR THAT. My grandmother smoked (though never in my parent's house) and....*shiver* The smell alone! Def a lesson learned that that was NOT for me. Ever! She also died a horrible death so. Yeah. No thanks.

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phaballa August 1 2007, 15:42:13 UTC
My grandmother too. I mean, I get that there was a time when pretty much everyone smoked. My grandmother was also an alcoholic and went through rehab and everything. But real rehab, not the Promises version. She quit smoking cold turkey one day and about 5 years later, was diagnosed with emphysema. Sad. She spent the last few years of her life on oxygen and was afraid to leave the house. She had all these panic attacks when she tried to go anywhere because she was afraid the oxygen would fail.

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phaballa August 1 2007, 15:13:31 UTC
Also, because these magazines are profitting off of these babies and how their mother may or may not be raising them, as told by unconfirmed and unreliable sources. I hate Extreme Makeover: Home Edition for the same reason. It's great that people are getting new houses, but it's disgusting that the show is using the tragedies in people's lives to profit.

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wendy August 1 2007, 15:15:03 UTC
Those people sign release, they know exactly what they're getting into. I've done donation deals actually with Extreme Home Makeover and there are legal documents signed, including a wish list of what those victim families want...down to the decorations on the walls.

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phaballa August 1 2007, 15:22:46 UTC
Oh, I know. I'm not saying that they don't KNOW they're being exploited. I just think it's sick. There are charities out there that will do what Home Makeover does without exploiting them. I mean, I worked for Habitat for a year, so I know a little about that. The Home Makeover people are most likely capable of generating enough revenue to fix people's houses without televising. I think, if you're going to do charity work, you should do CHARITY work, and not exploit the people you're supposed to be helping for ad revenue.

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