Morals

I touched a little on morals yesterday, and I thought I would say a bit more on them today. I am not really sure where I am going to go with this yet, so I might be all over the place with this, but if you are reading this on a semi-regular basis, you will be getting used to that by now (well, at least in my mind you will, I think I have this habit of digressing a fair amount, maybe I am not as bad as I think).

I think that many people question the morals of youth in this day and age, but I believe that it is a trend that has been happening for at least the past century and likely for much longer then that. The world has changed very rapidly and population has grown with the same velocity. I don't believe that any race was meant to live the way that most humans do on this planet. The metropolis of the big cities; the constant drone of mechanical life around us.

The people cannot help but change with the world around it. Look back in history, less the 150 years ago there were people in America still keeping slaves; 100 years ago we did not think women should have the right to vote. These are moral changes that people have had over the years that I think have had that have been improvements in society. As people begin to believe more that all people should be treated equally regardless are race or gender. We are still working on equality, as the balance is trying to be reached.

People do complain that the balance shifts too much in one way of another and that we give preferential treatment to a minority group because they are a minority, and thus the group that is a majority becomes the object of a type of prejudice as well. If you make a mandate that says you have to hire a certain number of minorities, then you may end up not hiring people better qualified because you have to make that quota. Where is that line drawn?

On a smaller scale with the changes that happen in history, I seem to hear the same themes repeated over and over about children and what they watch or read or listen to for music. From Elvis to the Beatles to the Rolling Stones to Metallica to ACDC to Alice Cooper to Beastie Boys to Snoop Dogg, it is always "the music these kids listen to nowadays!" There is also the escalating violence in movies, television and video games. I am not sure really about how much it has actually escalated in all honesty. I can say that it is more graphic in its intensity, partially cause they have the technology to create better effects now. Psychologically, the violence level has always been there, at least in one degree or another. There is just less imagination that the veiwer has to use themselves now.

As far as sexuality is concerned in society, I think that America is in a very sad state, but maybe not for the reasons other people might think. I do not think that America is sexually depraved and lack sexual morales. What I do think is that we have this false portrayal of what sexuality should be and what sexuality is all about. We also have huge sexual taboos which instead of helping us escape from our falsehoods, they keep us locked in them instead. Since it is all something that you do not speak about in polite company, the issue does not get dealt with in any manner other then to push it back and say that all sexuality is bad.

Now, sexuality is part of a normal reproductive process, and there is nothing bad or dirty about it. It is not something that is really easily denied, cause it is normal, there is no reason we should block it out. But we are taught from an early age that we don't talk about it, while all the while society is showing us these sexual images around us. Women especially are given nearly impossible images that they are supposed to be "beautiful" and aspire to. There is so much pressure and confusion about sexuality, parents and churches telling the youth it is evil or maybe not saying anything at all, their bodies maybe saying something else, and then the images in society definitely saying something about sexuality and what sex "should" be. The Perfect Lie

I really wish we could get not just gays, lesbians and transgender folks out of the closet, but all sex in general. if we stopped hidingit away like a dirty secret, and were just honest about it and didn't have to hide it like it is all something evil and nasty, maybe we can stop having to worry so much about what images we show, because a body is something we all have. If it black or white or off-white, it is still a body. If you have an inny of an outie, hey, it is still a body. Maybe we can actually get past just worrying about sex, and realize it is not about the sex, it is about relationships. That while sex is fun; a sensual, full relationship is much better then a strictly sexual relationship anyday.