What Kind of Thinkers Are We Raising?
Gina McMurchy-Barber

In third-world countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines children are forced into growing up too soon by working in sweathouses making everything from garments, carpets and cheap toys to working as prostitutes for sex hungry tourists.

It seems here in our technologically advanced, highly commercial and privileged society we have our own way of blasting our children into adulthood before their time. We assault their innocence and steal their purity of thought by giving them access to what is least to their benefit. Through movies, music and television our children are bombarded with debasing language, explicit sexual scenes, and the kind of violence that could give the hardest of us nightmares.

Scenes of fondling, passionate sex or bodies being riddled with bullets has securely established its place in today's entertainment, but every time a child watches these images another morsel of their protective innocence (the shield for their undeveloped psyche) is eaten away. What's worse is these influences are accessible to our children at any time of the day or night on CDs, videos and the internet. Even during family programming, commercials selling sex and blue jeans are regularly seen. In respect to movies, when adults knowingly expose children to what has been deemed by professionals as inappropriate for someone under the age of 14 or 18, they are not only disregarding the advice of those who seek to protect our children, but also the laws of nature which provide the developing mind with the appropriate evaluative and critical thinking skills that come slowly with experience. In other words, most children's mental maturity is not yet ready to truly understand the issues of sex or violence. People would agree that a child who has survived the horrors of war and disaster, as many children have in countries such as Bosnia and Ethiopia, may likely suffer severe psychological trauma.

So then, if our children's entertainment consists of violence, cheap sex and crude language at 8 years old, what affect will this have on the kind of thinkers they become? Will they be unmoved by cruelty and violence? irresponsible about intimacy? unable to express themselves verbally without profanity? or worse -- attempt to imitate what they see on the screen or hear on their stereos?

One writer in the Leader Newspaper lamented over the desecration of a recently deceased child's grave and another over the murder of Mr. Chuck Cadman's dear son. How sad so many children are committing acts of violence towards each other and their community. If we think about it though, where is the birth of violence in these young people's minds if not the music, programs and movies they watch?

Parents and educators need to be on guard against the mind-polluting elements working to destroy what nature has given us --innocence. I know it seems a no-win battle at times. This is how I felt recently when I took a few kids to Madeline, a very appropriate movie for children. I had carefully selected this movie, knowing that it would be age appropriate, but what I did not know was that the previews they would be playing were not. At the end of the movie when we were leaving the theatre, I asked the children if they enjoyed the show. One boy's response was, "Yeah, it was great. That was funny when the guy cut off the girl's dress." This scene was from the preview and not the movie! However, despite what some may think, people have the power to make changes. Look how parents against violence in children's programming got Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles banned from mainstream television.

There has been much written and said about the affect of violence and sex on children. We need to find out what experts are saying if it is not already obvious. Finally, if we really want to treat children as adults, let it be to teach them the need to value and protect their innocence. Encourage them to say no when they are invited to watch or listen to things that are not age appropriate. Let their minds emerge gently into adulthood after a generous period of development. Let children remain childlike in thought --- it's their nature and their right.