What is happening to our world?

[_truth dancer]

OK, first I don't think Satan is taking over the world. :-)

In many ways I feel a very deep awarness of life, peace, care, compassion, about to burst forth into our consciousness. I see this everywhere I look.

At the same time I am aware of a culture that has no concern for anything other than the latest youtube video, the latest sexual exploit in Hollywood, the latest sleezy news story. Ya know?

Since I started blogging I get all sorts of information on latest trends, most searched words, (updated by the hour), most watched online videos, etc. etc. etc.

Now, I like to think I am fairly hip and keep abreast of what is going on in the world...but I have to say I have a difficult time with some of what is going on in our country.

For example, the "bratz" dolls... has anyone seen these? What parent would buy these obnoxious dolls for a little girl? And who would buy anything for a young girl related to Brittney Spears? I mean seriously I do not get this! Of the top 1000 most visited sites about 80% had something to do with sex, porn, and sleeze. Yahoo and Google searches are surpassed by Porn searches. Yesterday 7 out of the top ten searches were for porn related sites. Some of the violent video games are out of control!

So, I'm venting for a sec... for some reason, I am just overwhelmed with it all today!

What can be done? What should be done? Is there a problem or is it my imagination? Any thoughts?

~dancer~
OK, I feel better! :-)

[_Bond...James Bond]

OK, first I don't think Satan is taking over the world. :-)

In many ways I feel a very deep awarness of life, peace, care, compassion, about to burst forth into our consciousness. I see this everywhere I look.

At the same time I am aware of a culture that has no concern for anything other than the latest youtube video, the latest sexual exploit in Hollywood, the latest sleezy news story. Ya know?

Since I started blogging I get all sorts of information on latest trends, most searched words, (updated by the hour), most watched online videos, etc. etc. etc.

Now, I like to think I am fairly hip and keep abreast of what is going on in the world...but I have to say I have a difficult time with some of what is going on in our country.

For example, the "bratz" dolls... has anyone seen these? What parent would buy these obnoxious dolls for a little girl? And who would buy anything for a young girl related to Brittney Spears? I mean seriously I do not get this! Of the top 1000 most visited sites about 80% had something to do with sex, porn, and sleeze. Yahoo and Google searches are surpassed by Porn searches. Yesterday 7 out of the top ten searches were for porn related sites. Some of the violent video games are out of control!

So, I'm venting for a sec... for some reason, I am just overwhelmed with it all today!

What can be done? What should be done? Is there a problem or is it my imagination? Any thoughts?

~dancer~
OK, I feel better! :-)

I do agree that our culture has become pretty shallow. I also find myself more and more frustrated that many Americans worry about Britney Spears and Federline rather than what's going on in the Middle East or around the world. What's most frustrating is that our population is growing dumber and dumber. There is no need to retain any knowledge when you can wikipedia it and thus no one studies things until they need to.

I'm usually all for freedom of whatever, but my version of freedom is much more productive I guess. Paying attention to celebrities isn't productive because being a celebrity takes nothing anymore. A thousand years ago the celebrities were great politicans and generals and writers. Today it's Paris Hilton, who has a vocabulary just slightly higher than the number of sex tapes she's produced. Those celebrities of yesteryear usually produced something creative (a book or a speech or a military victory) but today with so many outlets anyone can be a celebrity.

I don't know what can be done. Entertainment and TV are too popular and easy to succumb to for most people. The worst part about entertainment and the media is that it dulls the mind. People are just able to fill there time easier. A hundred years people went to social things or sat around and talked about elections or (HEAVEN FORBID!) actually read a book. Today you can pile up on the couch and blow the rest of the night without another thought.

And before you yell hypocrite I'll admit to watching a few shows on TV. Getting away from the world a few hours now and again is good. But too much creates zombies, and that's where the majority of Americans are right now.

Bond

[_Who Knows]

I don't know. I'd rather look at the bigger picture. Are we (the world) better off today or 100 years ago? People live longer, there's less poverty, look at the explosion of technology, science, etc. Are we getting lazier or just more productive? 100 years ago, the farmer had to work 10 hours a day 7 days a week. Today, i can go to work for 40 hours a week and have more $$ than i need.

Of course things aren't perfect. Every generation has had it's own versions of problems. But are the problems of today any worse than the problems of the last generation, and the generation before that, etc. etc.?

[_Who Knows]

Oh, and as far as the porn google searches go - could that be because we don't see it all around us in our everyday lives and the easiest way to get our fill of it is to google it? In other words, i get my fill of the news on tv, radio, newspapers, talking to people at work, etc. If I want to see some porn, the easiest way for me to do it is to google it. Does that make sense? I just don't think you can say people are pre-occupied with porn and value it more than other goings-on in the world just because it leads the google searches. Often, that's the only (and easiest) place people can get it. Whereas they get their other important information elsewhere.

It's just a guess though...

[_Bond...James Bond]

Oh, and as far as the porn google searches go - could that be because we don't see it all around us in our everyday lives and the easiest way to get our fill of it is to google it? In other words, i get my fill of the news on tv, radio, newspapers, talking to people at work, etc. If I want to see some porn, the easiest way for me to do it is to google it. Does that make sense? I just don't think you can say people are pre-occupied with porn and value it more than other goings-on in the world just because it leads the google searches. Often, that's the only (and easiest) place people can get it. Whereas they get their other important information elsewhere.

It's just a guess though...

That is a good point. The Internet may be the only place for someone to find uh...stimulation. If Porn went mainstream I guess porn searchs online would go way down.

Bond

[_Mister Scratch]

Oh, and as far as the porn google searches go - could that be because we don't see it all around us in our everyday lives and the easiest way to get our fill of it is to google it? In other words, i get my fill of the news on tv, radio, newspapers, talking to people at work, etc. If I want to see some porn, the easiest way for me to do it is to google it. Does that make sense? I just don't think you can say people are pre-occupied with porn and value it more than other goings-on in the world just because it leads the google searches. Often, that's the only (and easiest) place people can get it. Whereas they get their other important information elsewhere.

It's just a guess though...

Come on, now. It's common knowledge that the high porn-search statistics are a direct result of all the TBMs doing "research" in Utah. ; )

[_truth dancer]

Ahhh Scratch you are funny! LOL!

I agree with Who Knows that in many ways the world is getting much better. Certainly women have more rights than at any other time in history, there is more concern for life, for animals, for the needy, for life. I truly think the world in many ways is much better in some very significant ways than ever.

Yet amidst this there is this, as James put it, shallowness. That is exactly what I am talking about. The obsession with stars is so odd; the sleeziness of what we allow into our lives is just amazing!

What took humanity five thousand years to overcome (women being valued for something other than her body) is sort of reverting back as more and more girls define themselves by how attractive they are to men.

I'm holding onto the idea that humankind will continue to progress and bring forth a new care and concern for life and each other; that relationships will deepen and become more valuable not less important, but sometimes it is difficult!

~dancer~

[_moksha]

OK, first I don't think Satan is taking over the world. :-)

For example, the "bratz" dolls... has anyone seen these? What parent would buy these obnoxious dolls for a little girl?
~dancer~
OK, I feel better! :-)

This is really a hard one. My young daughter wants these escort versions of Barbie for Christmas. They look highly sexualized, but so was Barbie. Has Barbie caused the moral decay for several generations of young girls? For that matter did GI Joe cause a disturbance in George W. Bush's thought process?

If only there were Gordon B. Hinckley and Dame Edna dolls to impart moral uprightness to a young generation.

[_truth dancer]

Hey Mok... LOL!

Yeah those dolls would be best sellers! :-)

The thing is, take Barbie for example... forty years ago, Barbie was all about being a nurse, stewardess, teacher, secretary... being basically a sexual object working for men in the only jobs women could have at the time (NOT saying these jobs are for women, just these are the outfits Barbie had at the time because that was the limit of a woman's options). Then there was a time when Barbie started to be recognized as something more.. still of course highly sexualized but at least she was an astronaut, business person, etc. NOW, it seems she is reverting to being a man's plaything once again.

When I was a girl I loved my Barbies but in hindsight I do think they send a very bad message to girls. Society is much different than it was a few decades ago and I think the harm done to girls is much worse today.

~dancer~

[_OUT OF MY MISERY]

Hey Mok... LOL!

Yeah those dolls would be best sellers! :-)

The thing is, take Barbie for example... forty years ago, Barbie was all about being a nurse, stewardess, teacher, secretary... being basically a sexual object working for men in the only jobs women could have at the time (NOT saying these jobs are for women, just these are the outfits Barbie had at the time because that was the limit of a woman's options). Then there was a time when Barbie started to be recognized as something more.. still of course highly sexualized but at least she was an astronaut, business person, etc. NOW, it seems she is reverting to being a man's plaything once again.

When I was a girl I loved my Barbies but in hindsight I do think they send a very bad message to girls. Society is much different than it was a few decades ago and I think the harm done to girls is much worse today.

~dancer~

For years I spent time looking for any type of female that resembled Barbie in anyway....boy was I mad when I realized that there was no such woman on this earth have huge boobies/no nipples/ no waist/ and make up that was always on.
and she could have shoes that matched every outfit she owned/ and Barbie owned many

Now imagine my surprise when I got a Ken doll to go with my Barbie and dear Ken had no penis, had the chest of a God and was always smiling....Barbie could talk and talk and talk...and Ken would sit there and smile....

Now imagine my surprise when I went looking for My Ken....wow was I shocked and amazed that men actually wanted and could have a decent conversation if BArbie allowed them to.

Did I live in a fantasy world for a while when I was child which was fine...because once I realized that real life was so much better then pretend...

If had daughters...I would buy them Barbies and clothes and the whole works....Is BArbie anti-feminist of course...but fantasy is just fantasy and too soon does the real world slap you in the face.....

So yes I would allow my girls to girls and I would indulge them up to a point .....because sometimes it is nice to be a women.....and enjoy all that goes with it