Life
Tolerance.
I consider myself fairly open-minded, especially when it comes to religion/spiritual path choices. Frankly, what’s between you and God is just that - between you and God. (Or Goddess. Or multiple Deities. Or maybe no God at all. Whatever gets you through another day.)
So it really, really chaps my ass when people believe that their religion/spiritual path gives them the right to make choices for the rest of us. Particularly when it comes to entertainment. If you don’t like a particular TV show, you have every right to refuse to watch it. But you don’t have the right to decide that I shouldn’t watch it.
Same thing with movies. You think a movie is too violent/sexual/whatever? Don’t go see it. However, you don’t have the right to tell me that I can’t go see it.
Music? Same thing.
Do you see where I’m going here? When you don’t like something because it goes against your values/religion/spiritual path, that’s fine - for YOU. But please, for the love of God (because that’s what you’re very likely using to bolster your claim - love of God), stop trying to decide for me what I can and can’t see based on YOUR preferences/morality/whatever.
For the record, I don’t let my children watch TV shows or movies above PG. I subscribe fully to the idea of Garbage In, Garbage Out. However, that is my choice to make. Not yours. Trust that I will do what is right for me and my family. Trust that my conversations with God are ongoing and valid. I’ll show you the same respect, I promise.
If you found yourself offended by this post, yup, I probably am talking directly to you. If you found yourself wondering why something like this even needs to be said amongst people who are presumably sane and capable adults, thank you. Also? Speak up. I fear that intolerant loudmouths are going to make our decisions for us simply because the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Maybe it’s time for the rest of us to start squeaking, too.
Tags: Steph is participating in x365 and thinks you should, too.
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AddsYou
A-freaking men to that. Out of curiosity did I miss something today where people are trying to shit on my rights?
Dude also yay for the Super Best Friends League!!!
Missy - No, not today. It was actually a while ago, and I just forgot about it until today. LOL. Jesus and the Super Best Friends, FTW!
Sing it sistah friend! This wouldn’t be in response to the Miley Vanity Fair circus would it? (Not trying to start a debate, just curious)
Melanie - That was pretty much the latest piece of fuel for this particular fire, yes. It’s seems like lately I’ve been noticing more and more that the Morality Police in this country are getting louder and louder. I just keep thinking, “Damn. Is it that hard to just *not watch/buy/listen/whatever?” along with “Parent your own freaking kids instead of asking the networks/studios/record labels to do it for you.”
Woo. I feel flames coming any moment now. :grin:
::squeak squeak squeak::
Squeak away, you know ITA.
Noel - I’ve just really noticed it lately, I guess. The Thought Police are in full effect. Ah, the joys of spring? :grin:
I totally agree. Fortunately no one really stops me from doing anything that I want to do. Most of want I want to do stays in realm of *normalcy* and I put that is asterisk because I’m not fucking normal. But basically, what I believe and do doesn’t hurt anyone, so no body really bothers me about shit.
And oh sweet Mary… I just read the story on Miley/Vanity Fair. The lameness. I don’t even have a response for that really. There are so many thing about that story that bugs me, I don’t even know where to begin.
d - That’s not what I’m talking about, though. I’m talking about people who don’t like :insert movie, TV, music, etc. title here: because it’s too violent/sexual/whatever, and they think since THEY don’t like it, NO ONE should get to see it.
For example, didn’t you watch and enjoy “300″? Wouldn’t it have pissed you off if you could have only seen that movie once because a bunch of loudmouths decided that it was entirely too violent and had to be pulled from theaters and then not released on DVD? How about “Borat”? Or “South Park”? Or whatever shows you like that aren’t terribly compatible with fundamentalist morality?
THAT’S the kind of thing about which I’m talking. As far as my religion is concerned, I fall into an “acceptable” religion to practice…I’m not Christian or Jewish or Islamic, but most people recognize my religion as a valid religion. The stuff I do is pretty mainstream, too, so I don’t have much worry that my favorite TV shows or movies or whatever are going anywhere.
BUT.
I object to the idea of ANYONE deciding what’s okay and what’s not okay for the rest of us to watch based on THEIR morality. Give movies, TV, music, etc. ratings and trust that I’ll make the right decisions for me and my family.
More about the movies, particularly the rating system. I think they are a good thing - as guidelines only. I don’t think movie theatres should be forced to comply if they don’t want to, and I don’t think parents should be told they cannot let their children see certain movies or even that they have to accompany them. When Rachel was a teen, many a time I saw an “R” rated movie that I thought was perfectly fine for her to see, but it meant having to go see it a second time to accompany her, totally unnecessary, IMO. Let parents decide what their kids should see and whether or not they need to accompany their children.
Hells yes it would piss me the fuck off. I’ve been annoyed by stuff like that for a long time.
For example–I’m annoyed that most American made movies don’t show full male frontal nudity, but will for a woman. The European films do.
I just think America is so uptight about shit.
I mean, you don’t like Britney Spears wiggling her ass and humping people on her videos…then fine dude. TURN IT OFF. I mean, I don’t watch that shit, but far be it from me to tell others they can’t. I’m all about the garbage in, garbage out thing.
But I let Lorna watch The Simpsons because I feel it’s educational. LOL
Jean - In theory, I agree. However, I know a good many kids who’d go see an R movie without even asking their parents, if this wasn’t enforced. Now should a parent be able to go along and give permission at the ticket counter without having to also see the movie? Yes, probably.
d - That’s exactly the thing - you think we’re too uptight. I happen to agree, but there are a bunch of folks who think that America has gotten much too lax about moral standards. Speaking of full frontal male nudity, there’s a movie out now that has full frontal male nudity (”Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), and several posts about how immoral/sinful/wrong it is are part of what sparked me to write this.