I actually watched about fifteen minutes of the show last week, flipping back and forth between that and ABC News' "What Would You Do?" Two things struck me during this highly thought-provoking fifteen minute span.
The first was an almost visceral reaction to the toddler pageants. After constantly reading and writing about the forced sexualization of children to be sold and raped for profit, it was hard to see five-year-old girls' mothers putting them in backless evening gowns with veneers, mascara, and spray tans. Why would you ever want to overtly sexualize your little girl? This isn't dressing up like a princess to play in your basement or take a trip to Disneyland. Apparently some Canadian teens feel the same way and have been petitioning for TLC to stop running and promoting the show. What do you think--is this harmless fun, or is there something morally wrong with the way these girls are being presented to the rest of world? And if that's the case, is there anything we should (or can) do about it?
The second thing that struck me came when I was watching "What Would You Do?" It's a scenario show, similar to Candid Camera, where people are anonymously filmed reacting (or not reacting) to moral situations. The one I saw showed a crying baby locked in a hot car parked on the street; a man harrassing a woman at a restaurant; and a mother verbally abusing her nanny in the middle of a coffee shop. It was so interesting to me to watch the different ways people reacted. They seemed to immediately know that the situation was absolutely wrong, but some people simply chose to ignore it and walk away. Afterward, the host would stop them and ask, why didn't you say something or intervene? And they would mostly answer that they either didn't think it was their business, or they didn't know what to do. As I was watching the show I was confronted by an interesting reality: I wanted so badly for the people walking by to stop and DO something--but I wondered if I would honestly stop and do something if I were put in that situation.
Why is it so hard sometimes to intervene on behalf of justice--even if we know it's the right thing? I'm a very nonconfrontational person. But I don't want to be the kind of person who just keeps on walking, ever again.
1 comments:
We live in a society where what is perceived as freedom is valued above all else. Sometimes that manifests itself in people walking away from situations they know to be wrong under the excuse that it is not their place to butt in. To some extent, I can understand that sentiment. In the situations presented on the show, I can say with certainty if a man was harassing a woman in a parking lot or a crying baby was locked alone in a hot car I would do something. If a mother was abusing a nanny in public, I'm not sure I would do anything in that circumstance. I would probably be disgusted by the interaction but ultimately decide there is nothing I can do but make the situation worse.
As for the toddlers and tiaras I think it is absolutely wrong. As you said, these little girls are being overtly sexualized at an age where they cannot make decisions for themselves. The parents of these kids clearly have participated in this for some sort of personal gratification. Any way you shake it, that is wrong.
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