It has come to my attention that society seems to have a general misconception as to what constitutes growing-up or adulthood. Lets establish a few basic definitions:
Adult, n [L. adultus, gown to maturity] Having arrived at mature years.
Mature, adj [L. maturus, developed] Relatively advanced physically, mentally, emotionally etc.; grown-up. Hallmarked by maturity: Sense of responsibility, experience, sense, wisdom, sophistication, level-headedness, matureness.
Child, n [Old English. cild] A person between birth and puberty. One who is childish or immature. A person who behaves in a childish manner.
Childish, adj. Indicating a lack of maturity; "childish tantrums"; "infantile behavior".
By these definitions, our society has become overwhelmed by children masquerading as adults. Although their years would signify adulthood, their attitudes and behavior betray them - they are nothing more than big, out-of-control children. Miley Cyrus, of course, is a perfect example, however, there were many before this latest unfortunate victim of arrested development. Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Justin Bieber are also card-carrying members of this not-so-elite club.
Interestingly, a large number of the "Hollywood Elite" (whatever the heck that means) have defended Miss Cyrus and her lewd, repulsive displays of out-of-control childishness as nothing more than "coming into her own" and "showing the world that she has outgrown Hannah Montana and is growing up"! If Miley Cyrus were truly growing up, she would be showing signs of maturity - wisdom, level-headedness and sense. She would be responsible to the fan base on which her empire was built. She would tirelessly seek to maintain a flawless reputation and strive to inspire young women the world over to become true gentle-women. Instead, she has succumbed to base human nature. She has elevated the unlovely and mocked the genteel. She is a child playing dress-up. And we are paying her to watch.
Unfortunately the playacting doesn't end in Hollywood. Children, pretending to be grown-ups have infiltrated every aspect of American life. Don't believe me? Take a drive on any interstate in the nation and watch road-rage in action. Listen for a minute when the boss in the corner office throws a hissy-fit because something didn't work in his favor. Walk into your local grocery store and take stock of people too numerous to count that consider slipper and pajamas appropriate "going-to-the-store" attire. We are a nation of children!
Childhood doesn't magically end when you reach puberty. Adulthood doesn't just happen on your 18th birthday. Maturity requires cultivation. It requires care and effort. We can't just plug our children into modern culture and expect ladies and gentlemen to emerge. Turning children into mature adults takes work. It takes sacrifice and discipline. We must cultivate a crop worthy of harvest. If we have any hope for the future, we cannot continue to cultivate a nation of children. Parents - this is your calling. The nations rest on your shoulders. Take heed.
"Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all they getting get understanding".
Proverbs 4:1-7
It is also true that every one of those charming children you mentioned - Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Justin Bieber - also suffered from parents who failed in their role to parent. The parents of this blighted group claimed the role of "friend" and failed at the role of "parent" interested instead at prostituting their children, and living off the avails. Stage mother and fathers whose interest in the money and limelight is at the expense of their children... Thankfully there is no TV in our house.
ReplyDeleteLake Lili
Excellent points. My husband (68) and I (67) - (he robbed the cradle - heh) often discuss how when we were young we wanted nothing more than to be "grown ups." We wanted to emulate our parents, dress like them, talk like them, and act like them.
ReplyDeleteNow the adults are sometimes worse than the children. I work at the Trading Company grocery store in Post Falls, and I routinely see women in their 50's covered in tattoos and old f*rts wearing undershirts exposing most of their chests with ugly greasy ponytails.
Where the heck have the adults gone?? There are no roll models anymore for the children to aspire to - except for people like you and your family.
My father would have never, ever gone to the store in shorts. In fact, most the time he wore a jacket when in public. My mother dressed like a queen to go to church and wore modest lovely clothes to run her errands.
I came here from Patrice's blog and her posts about your son wanting to be a butcher. Good on him!
Looking forward to researching your posts on solar power and such.
Sorry to be so long winded...
P.S. I'm glad we're "neighbors."
Like many, I have watched this spectacle with a mixture of sadness and disgust. The star making machine is destroying another human being In the pursuit of fame and the dollar. Miley Cyrus is only the latest volunteer victim in this process. Clearly her family has failed her. Her advisers had failed her. But we, the public don't escape our fair share of the blame. We may cluck and shake our heads but we do still watch, And by so doing we are part of the pop-culture problem. Unplug your television. Refuse to purchase music foisted upon us by that cynical system. Opt out. --- Newsie
ReplyDeleteLike many, I have watched this spectacle with a mixture of sadness and disgust. The star making machine is destroying another human being In the pursuit of fame and the dollar. Miley Cyrus is only the latest volunteer victim in this process. Clearly her family has failed her. Her advisers had failed her. But we, the public don't escape our fair share of the blame. We may cluck and shake our heads but we do still watch, And by so doing we are part of the pop-culture problem. Unplug your television. Refuse to purchase music foisted upon us by that cynical system. Opt out. --- Newsie
ReplyDeleteEnola, As always, you have posted a most thought provoking article. But it is not just the Hollywood 'star' machine that is at fault. Have you seen the girl's clothing in Walmart, Target or KMart? Some of it is so risque that I wouldn't wear it, let alone let my child put it on. How about the book store? I was horrified to find our local Kroger grocery store had labeled Fifty Shades of Gray as young adult fiction and displayed it in its young adult fiction area. We had to literally take it to the manager and show them the disclaimer that it contained explicit sexual content before they would at least move it to the adult section. But then again, some of the 'legitimate' young adult fiction contains a good bit of sexual content in its attempt to 'show how the world really is'. And then we have the reality shows. I'm sorry, but there is no one who believes these people live a real existence. Even the children's networks like Sprout have started promoting magic through their cartoon program Tree Fu Tom. I find myself longing to live on 500 hundred acres with my house set directly in the middle of it. Any land for sale up by you?
ReplyDeleteEnola,
ReplyDelete(captaincrunch)
I try not to attention to what the Hollywood people are doing. I wish an asteroid the size of a school bus would impact directly onto Hollywood and wipe the ground clean.
On the part of adult children in America, with respect Enola' its a little too late.
Our society mirrors that of the latter days of the Roman Empire. We live in a culture of perversion and decendance that may rival Sodom and Ghommorea.
I really don't think there is any hope left. The only option left is some form of massive social change brought on by some kind of massive societal chaos similar to the "Great Depression" to shock most people back into reality.
On a side note: I go surfing a lot, getting back into shape etc. Male surfers wear boardshorts and rash guards (a rash guard is a type of long sleeve or short sleeve shirt lycra shirt that keeps the surf wax from giving a rash on your chest and too keep from getting your hide burned off by the sun)
I see women surfers all the time that wear the same outfits (board shorts and rash guards) they are the serious real surfers. I also see women that wear bikini's that should be illegal. Its vindictive of our society to let it all "hang out" and draw attention to yourself similar to what an adult child like Miley Cyrus did.
Concepts like "modesty and class" have become anachromisms of the past.
There isn't much you can do with the Lindsey Lohan's of the world, they will always be with us. But for most of us we have it too easy. The greatest generation came out of a great depression and then into WW II. The same trials and tribulations that make some people fail will make most people step up and meet the challenge. But where is the challenge today? Where is the constant struggle for food and shelter that was what life was for humans since the beginning? The struggle today for many young people is can they get a fix or sell their food stamps for enough money to buy some beer or knock some 88 year old man over the head for $20. I don't have a good answer for how to motivate everyone when times are so good that everyone lives well and doesn't have to work for it. But I do believe that the same kinds of social and political problems that allowed the greatest generation to become what they were will come again and I think it will be soon. It will be a test of humanity and not everyone will pass the test.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, "The Greatest Generation" didn't know how to raise their kids and hence the 60's were the beginnings of the mess we have now...
DeleteAlmost half of America's children are raised without their father. The number of those raised without God is even greater. Gee, what could possibly go wrong...
ReplyDeleteMontana Guy
A different view-I work for a college, and a lot of student temp labor is hired on, especially in summer. With maybe one or two exceptions over the last 20 years, and dozens of temps, all have been polite, punctual, and hardworking. A lot of students work at shops surrounding the college, and I have yet to meet a single rude person in any of these shops( the few I stop by that is-a small hardware store, bookshop and a grocery store). Want to see some big babies? Go to any Wally World. There must be a 10 megagauss freak magnet buried under every WalMart. Most of the adult children seem to be in the 40-ish range..
ReplyDeleteI have had these same feelings. I have often asked my daughter when we were out, when did it become acceptable to wear pajamas and slippers out of your house? My grandson often got upset when he was younger. He has autism and is very tactile about how clothing feels. He loves sweat pants. He didn't understand why I wouldn't allow him to wear them to school. Sorry, there are limits. When my daughter was younger, I refused to buy her clothing from all these kid stars. Most of it was so totally inappropriate. Even clothing for adults now, I can't buy a shirt that isn't see through. My daughter asks why I don't buy new clothes, I tell her because I don't care to show off what God gave me. She always wears a cami or some type of undershirt under her blouses. If I kept going I would hijack the entire comments section. But, something does have to change.
ReplyDeleteOver and over, my husband and I have commented on how the media is marketing children's products to adults--wet wipes, chewable vitamins, snack packs....... really? Have we become a nation of mewling and puking infants????????
ReplyDeleteThis Hollywood garbage just frosts the cake. Sadly, it takes our eyes off what is important......
Sassy C
ReplyDeleteI read on a Christian site, that Susan Sontag's lover, Annie Liebowitz, convinced Billy Ray Cyrus, Miley's Dad, to do a series of photos with his daughter that basically were soft-core porn.
Need we wonder why she turned out the way she did? Homosexuals have sworn to destroy us, and they're doing just that.
In the face of adversity do the right thing. Thats what I told my girls as the reached adulthood and went on thrir own way. You raise your children as you see fit knowing that one day it isnt the government or your neighbor that you have to answer to but your God. Thank you for making a stand for what its worth. mwp
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