Re: Lolo's Monthly Rant

I was just going to post a comment, but realized that it would be far too long.

I think that the problem with society and the parents from the mid-eighties onwards is that they/we are consumed with materialism and greed. The parents from the 60's, 70's and up to the mid eighties were far more concerned with family affairs and not money. Parents with teenage kids today are relying more on money to bring them happiness and to "make things better". It's one thing to buy your child a gift when it's well deserved, but it's a whole other thing when you go out and buy yourself a Hummer, then pass your credit card or a fistfull of cash to your kid so they can buy some clothes/etc.

The media is blaring the message "individuality", but is forgetting what it actually means. It's not to say that we, ourselves never followed trends, but it's far more deep-rooted in society right now. Parents are being far too busy/selfish to even care or to properly parent their children; they are enveloped in the whole idea of "treat yourself" (which is not a bad thing), but when you get you and your family into debt because of your extravagences (sp?), then it creates a problem. A report published in the Vancouver Sun recently about Canadian spending/saving habits show that we are spending more even though we state that we aren't. Canadians aren't saving more either; but we are relying more and more on credit. Kids see this being made as an example by their parents, and this is a wrong teaching.

The following below is a rant/poem I wrote in 2000. It's about how the media portrays how women should look and how standing up for your individual self is difficult but important. You may think that the narrative is speaking to a man, but she is actually speaking to the media.
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Hey you…yeah you.
You in the mirror.
I’m not scared of you.

It’s sad to think that our minds are still warped
by television, magazines…
and human beings.
You see them everywhere;
skinny girls who don’t think…
skinny girls who live
to put their fingers down their throats

because someone said that they should.

Skinny girls…
By what terms do you mean
skinny?
Is skinny a size eight…
or is it a six or even a one?
I forgot because you keep screwing with our minds
by changing yours.

Hey you…
Don’t think that I’m a fat girl with some twig woman tryin’..
dyin’ to get out.
I’m me. This is my body. I’m not a size one, yeah right, get a life.
I’m me.
I’m real flesh and bones.
I’m not some wannabe starving herself for you and
your sick little standards.
My body isn’t for you asshole.
It’s for me.
I’m good enough for me. Why should I prove anything to you…
what have you done for me except stare?

Staring, gawking..it’s all the same.
You know..those same eyes of yours locked in that
same gaze of yours mentally striping this body of mine.
(It’s mine, not yours.
I told you once before, so get a life and let mine be.)

This is my body;
my breasts, my ass, my stomach…mine. All mine.
It’s not some trophy to be won and shown off.
I’m not some Olympic medal that dangles around your neck.

When will you learn,
we learn,
and those walking sticks learn that it shouldn’t matter what size you are.
When will we stop listening to you?

When are we going to stop looking in the mirror?
It’s just a piece of glass that we should be able to see through.