For those of you who don't remember (a touch of irony), Madonna was a singer/entertainer who appeared to have some genuine talent in her day, but chose to emphasize her body and sexuality over her music. She was influential in normalizing the use of lingerie for outerwear for a generation of young American women. Now she has two children of her own, and things are different. In Brent Bozell's words:
It's almost amusing – it should be oddly comforting – that Madonna is stricter with her children than she has ever been on herself. They are not allowed to watch TV, Madonna's natural home, where she has offered her corrupting influences to millions of other people's children for decades. They are not allowed to swear, which is also something Madonna loves doing, including on stage and in videos if allowed – again, in front of millions of youngsters who aren't her own. She complained last year about her atrocious video for her flop single "American Life" that "we had to edit it for time. Then we had to get rid of all the F-words."
I won't comment on her plans for another tour, which apparently is to include an only slightly reduced quota of nudity and profanity, but I suppose we should be grateful she can appreciate how damaging such casual sexuality and profanity as is found in her act and on TV can be to her own children, though her solicitude for other children ends when there is money to be made. Madonna's maturation is not unusual. Adolescents tend to rebel against their parents generation. They have been doing so for thousands of years:
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their teachers.
For those of you who do not recognize the quote, it was from Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC).
What is different today is that the rebellion starts in the pre-teen years and adolescence extends into the mid-twenties (and later, in academia). The usual course of development, which required maturity at much earlier ages, has been short circuited. Through most of our pre-history and history, children had to become adults in their teens. They had to support themselves and once they were sexually mature, they would soon thereafter have to support children. Our wealth has allowed us to hold our children out of the work force for longer and longer periods of time; the complexity of our society requires longer and longer time frames for the necessary training and education to be accomplished. Until a person has to actually support himself, and especially when they have to support other, dependent parties, there is no incentive for anyone to behave as a mature adult.
The hallmark of adolescence is the disconnect between cause and effect. They have minimal ability to assess the risks they take, believe themselves to be invulnerable, and have little concern for consequences. As long as there is a parent who will cover for them (support them, offer them room and board, etc) they never have to mature. When the society makes the decision to provide the cover, we are left with a large underclass which does not have to ever face the consequences of their behavior.
When college students play "beer pong" it is noxious to an observer, but is usually harmless (in the long run) to the participants (except for those who drink too much, or too often, or drink and drive, or, well, you get the picture). When the student drops out of school because of his drinking, or a pregnancy or STD ensues, the seriousness of alcohol abuse becomes a little clearer. When a 25 year old is still playing "beer pong", it is a clear sign that adolescence has lasted a bit too long.
Part of the "values" divide in our country is between those who by virtue of wealth and position, have never had to leave adolescence behind (sadly, a good portion of the Baby boom cohort, who grew up privileged) and those who have had to become adults. It is more fun to be an adolescent, but it requires adults to make a society function.
Recent Comments