18 May 2011

Offer Your Sacrifices for the Cult of Child

So I've come to the conclusion that this isn't going to come out quite the way I want it to and I frankly don't give a fuck anymore.  I'm just gonna say it and let it come out how it will.

Is it just me or is everything becoming "child friendly" these days?  Let me set it out for ya:  there are activities, shows, channels, and places that a child doesn't belong and so it shouldn't be sanitized so parents don't have to do their damn jobs.

I'm not saying that children have no place or that parents are universally lazy or incapable.  I'm not even saying that I don't like children; in general, I do.  I'm just saying that children don't need to be considered and included for everything.

It's bullshit that I, as an adult who has made the conscious decision not to have children at this point in my life, have to suffer with poorly behaved children in places where they maybe shouldn't be.  Movie theaters for example, but more specifically, theaters that aren't showing some fluffy children's movie but are showing something that is an adult movie. Blood, guts, ass, swearing, sex, etc.  Those are all adult content, children shouldn't be sitting in there watching them with their parents because the parent couldn't find a baby-sitter. Restaurants are another place where you should really think about if it's an appropriate place for your children, particularly sit-down restaurants.  There's nothing like trying to have an civil conversation with someone sitting across from me and it's punctuated by the screams of a baby, or the whining of a child who doesn't want to wait for his food and he's bored and some parent making half-assed threats about punishment and leaving if they don't stop acting up. 

My parents never would have tolerated that.  Going out was a privilege for us and we made damn sure we didn't fuck it up. 

Networks that aren't meant for children (such as Comedy Central, Bravo, hell just about anything that isn't Disney or its affiliate) are edited for content and language, partly because of the possibility of children watching.  Almost every TV, satellite, and cable company has an option to block channels or only make them viewable with a password, so parents should be taking advantage of those features instead of censoring the content broad spectrum even when there are those of us who are annoyed with it.

If you make a joke about children, it had damn well better be cute and cuddly or else you're heinous.  Don't you dare use hyperbole to describe your vexation and frustration with a child, and definitely don't even hint of violence upon a child, even when it's hyperbolic and obviously not serious.  

Apparently if you're not gushy and mushy about children it makes you some sort of evil freak who should be shunned and ridiculed.  Particularly if you're a woman, you should be champing at the bit to have babies and should be all dewey-eyed and protective of all crotch fruit.  Like I said before, I've consciously decided that I don't want children at this point in my life, possibly never.  This doesn't make me some weirdo or evil person.  It doesn't mean that I've less of a woman or anything, or that I don't care about my country or society, just means that children aren't my way of doing it. I think there are too many children out there with bad parents already and I don't need to add to that.  I don't think I have the patience to be a parent.

I just want to know what other sacrifices we're going to offer upon the altar of the cult of child?  How much further are we going to indulge this child fetish that means that everything needs to be safe and happy.  I know others have said it, but how much are we really weakening our society by not letting nature take its course?  George Carlin has offered varied and numerous views on children and how Darwinism works.  I agree with him. 

So once again, do children really need to be the key audience, the main criterion that things are centered around?  I don't think so.  Trust me, a swear word will not scar a kid for life.  They're just words.  There are no "bad words" or bad language.  Words won't kill you, or make you bleed.  They might hurt your feelings and sensibilities, but it's not going to kill you.  The words themselves aren't bad, the intentions behind them are the only things that make them good or bad.

1 comment:

  1. oh the cult of child...we hates it precious. I'm tired of everything having to be about kids and I'm also sick of people acting like because I'm over 20 I ought to be popping out babies like it's going out of style.

    George Carlin talking about children is some of my favorite bits from him lol

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