The Deceptive Art of Moral Decline

Desert News – Losing Innocence: the Cost of Sexualizing Teens

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700180194/The-end-of-innocence-The-cost-of-sexualizing-kids.html

Desert News – Losing Innocence: the Cost of Sexualizing Teens

This cover story was fascinating to me. I loved the way it opened by highlighting the things that have become acceptable to us, even just walking through a mall. It was so great have all these subliminal messages called again to my attention. The wonderful statistics that quantify so many trends that are oft discussed but rarely qualified – such as the shocking fact that 47% of underage media characters are shown participating in sexual situations and 98% of these occurred outside of any form of committed relationship; not to mention that thongs and pushup bras are now being made for children as young as 6. This feature story raised three main areas of thought for me.

1)      Power balance between consumers and corporations. This supposed battle is often cast with the ‘big, bad corporation’ (Occupy Wall Street?) as the overwhelming antagonist. As this article explicitly addresses, there is truth in the concept that these large businesses, or any business for that matter, operate and make decisions based on profit.  However, what we often do not acknowledge is the power we as consumers have over these large corporations. As a consumer, our buying choices are the source of these businesses profit, meaning that they will only produce what we will buy. Just as China needs the United States to buy their goods, these companies need consumers to buy their goods, whether their goods are items in a store (such as the sexualized toys addressed in this story) or a TV show, or a magazine. This article quotes an anonymous employee for a popular toy manufacturer who when asked if a particular toy is too sexy for young girls stated says “the sales speak for themselves…. [the large profits are] proof that good parents are buying them”. This makes me think that at least part of the problem of sexualized children and teens is that we as consumers are consuming, whether passively or actively, the sources of the problem.

2)      Subliminal Messages and the Deceptive Art of Moral Decay. How are subjects and items that were distasteful 10 years ago, shocking 20 years ago, and completely unheard of in common society 40 years ago now acceptable today? This social and cultural phenonemum has more power than we perhaps realize, as it is now affecting physical aspects of human development. This article talks about how both girls and boys are experiencing puberty much younger than 10 years ago. Did you know that 15% of girls start puberty at age 7 and 27% begin at age 8? According to this estimate, 42% of girls have begun puberty before their ninth birthday. Whilst these trends are rapid, what must be noted is that these changes in what is morally acceptable to society do not happen instantly. We are slowly and surely led down the hill of moral decline, by eroding at standards little by little. A scene in a television show will slowly, but surely, push more and more boundaries, until it reaches an irrevocably scandalous level, at which point we ask, how did we get here? We are prey to so many subliminal messages constantly, from the products sold in stores, to the graphics on peoples’ t-shirts, to the often unflagged (75% of shows with sexual content did not mention it in its rating) sexual content in TV shows. Like a brownie with a little bit of dog poo, we are accustoming ourselves to the taste of trash little by little. The only way to halt the art of moral decay is to start being shocked! Instead of accepting another little decline in what is acceptable, we must stand up and say it is not acceptable. We must exercise our power as consumers, and stop consuming trash. Just as potty humour is the lowest form, sexualized products, be they toys or media, are the lowest forms of their respective genres. This is not always easy. Part of what makes moral decline an art, is its subtly. Whilst we may choose to not watch a movie that is all about sex, we may excuse one questionable scene. A magazine may have a few dodgy pictures, and some more acceptable ones too. This is where we really must take a stand. It makes no difference to a corporation if you only consume a partial product. To change these trends we must say no to it all.

We wouldn’t accept an item of clothing that came with a tear, or a new car with a faulty transmission. So why do we accept ‘faulty’ media, with rips and tears and large stains in its moral fiber?

 We can and should use channels for feedback to explain to corporations why we don’t want to consume ‘faulty’ products. Obviously, this is a big fight, and we may be the minority in the crowd that feels this way. But I believe it is my responsibility to only endorse and spend my money and time on products that reflect my values.  

Just as what you eat will reflect in what your body looks like, I believe that what media and products we consume will reflect in our morals, our self esteem, and our ability to live our lives as examples of the Saviour (or whichever moral code or religion you hold).

By standing up against sexualized content, I believe we will challenge corporations out of lazy habits and potentially even force them to be truly creative once more.

3)      Ethical PR. As a student of PR, and a child of entrepreneurs, I have often pondered the ethics of sales. When you work to sell something, you become an advocate for it; something that comes much more easily when you truly believe in it. I never want to sell something that contradicts with my own values. I admire my dad for turning down large contracts for liquor companies that contradicted his own beliefs. In terms of the pollution of society’s morals (not just our western society, but what I see as the tragic pollution of other cultures and societies, often led by popular Western media) I want to always be an advocate for The Honest Art of Moral Incline.