Re: Here we go again...

["L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com>]

>From: Sigel James Civ 10 ABW/LGCW <James.Sigel@usafa.af.mil>
>"Thanks Marilyn Manson, useless parents, and crazed liberalism that fights 
>to keep kids from facing consequences of their actions."

>Wow.  This is an outrageous statement.  Talk about *gross*  
>generalizations.  So I guess liberalism, poor parenting and offensive  
>music is responsible for the fact that kids don't like The Who.

I agree with Jim here (and I'm generally a serious leftie).  I've been 
worried very much about the tendency to over-protect kids from discipline in 
the schools (enforced by laws, lawsuits and angry parental visits), and the 
result that law enforcement personnel are then called in to handle 
situations that result when kids have no real guidance on what is acceptable 
behavior (either at school or at home).  There is no excuse for allowing a 
child to have complete freedom to assault adults verbally, and then for a 
security officer to throw him/her to the floor and handcuff him/her when 
they cross some invisible line.  (I just can't do anything with him!)

This is a serious disservice to children, as they suddenly cross the line at 
18 where they have to take responsibility for their own actions, and end up 
committing serious offenses and end up in jail.  Even worse, some 
well-publicized cases in recent years where young adults have gotten in 
trouble in other countries and their parents still try to bail them out.  
Current case: John Walker Lindh.

This has nothing really to do with libralism, music or what bands the kids 
listen to.  But one thing about it, such institutions as MTV do seem to 
encourage kids to engage in outrageous behavior, and unfortunately many of 
the musicians/bands you see on TV seem to play down to the kids, i.e. to act 
like they're thirteen instead of thirty.  Did anybody see the MTV music 
awards last year?  Mick Jagger stuck out as unusually reserved and refined.

It's hard to consider that The Who might be a paragon of refined behavior 
these days, but it sort of looks that way.  They have good control of the 
audience (no riots or burning vendor carts at Who shows), and provide a 
reasonable model of behavior both on stage and off.  It's true that The Who 
built much of their reputation on auto-destruction and wild behavior and so 
bear some of the responsibility for establishing the noteriety model of PR, 
but they were larger than life, you know.  It's a problem when everybody 
takes that as an appropriate way to behave.


keets



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