4/29/03
Can we protect our kids from predators? I found this brilliant article this morning from Alternet. It's so brilliant it's terrifying. When I was pregnant i had resolved to severly limit the amount of television Micci watched. Well, I broke that goal...it's a blessing to have Micci watch Sesame Street while I get dressed and make breakfast. He's entranced and out of trouble. I typically have PBS on for Micci from 8 am to 11 am...I watch news then shut the TV off and turn it back on to PBS from 2.30 pm to 4 pm. Sure he isn't watching as many commercials as he would on Nick or Disney....but there are some....and then there's the product placement. I hate that he'll watch the TV, entranced--just staring at the screen.
Confession over...can we really limit the amount of time advertisiers have with our children on our own? Many states don't have the great home school laws that Texas has...and most parents don't have the time and resources to home school. Private schools may provide some ad free space, but do they really? And how many parents can afford them? Cutting TV time is hard! We have to cut our TV time as well to really protect out kids from ads. And parents can't control the TV watching when the kids are at friend's houses or with the grandparents'. Then there's the billboards and magazines. Internet usage has to be monitored every moment. Essentially we have to wrap our kids in blinders and never let them leave the house.
I guess the real answer is to fight for our place back in the world. We are the parents we need to be in charge of what our kids see, hear, and learn. We can no longer be passive. We must be the aggressor. We can't just turn off the television and the computer and lock our kids in the house. We need to change the way our children are perceived in the world. They are not commodities; they are not burdens; they are not money conduits; they are not consumables; they are not property; they ARE (not to sound corny) our future. What they see, hear, and learn now will be what are as adults. If advertisers have theirway our children will become mindless drones. If we want our children to be productive, intelligent, and thinking adults then we must do something now to ensure that future.
If we have to pay higher taxes to get rid of adverts in our school then so be it. If we need to tear down the public school system so we can be sure that our children are benefiting from the money poured into it then we have to do it. If we revolt and stop buying into the hype and buying everything we see on TV then that's the way it's gotta be. If we have to tell our children no...then grow some balls and say no. Take control of your self and your family.
And of course, this is easier said than done. It's a drastic change that many won't want. Either out of special interests or the mere fact that change is difficult to accept. And turning off the television is something even I don't know if I am ready for.
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