Text 33352, 151 rader
Skriven 2009-06-13 01:11:22 av Jeff Smith (1:14/5)
  Kommentar till text 33340 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Saberi vs Blom
======================
Hello Ward.

12 Jun 09 11:05, you wrote to me:

 WD> Jeff,

 JS>> I think it even goes deeper than honesty and ethics. If we were
 JS>> talking about stealing or something simular then I would agree.
 JS>> But we are talking about children and the sexual exploitation of
 JS>> them. I realize that I look at children from an American POV.

 WD> What makes you think it would be different from the POV of, let's say,
 WD> a Belgian parent?

    Nothing really. My point was that differant countries can look at
child developement in differant ways. What I as an American parent think
is proper for my child or for children in general here does not mean
that a Belgian parent will or should feel the same way. And no, I am not
saying that parents in other countries care for or are wanting to protect
their children any less than parents here.

 JS>> Children in this day are
 JS>> being pushed to grow up faster than ever. They are no longer being
 JS>> allowed
 JS>> to be what they are, children. Instead they are being forced to
 JS>> deal with things that they shouldn't have to.

 WD> You just think of that particular element here, but there's their new
 WD> role in economics ... children have become spenders and the economy
 WD> has noticed that.

   I agree that companies cater to a the child demographic. They see
children as a potential customer base and go after them. But then so
do drug dealers, pedophiles, etc. Unless we as parents work to protect
our children to the best of our abilities from being exploited. By
people or by companies. Todays child has their Iphone, Ipod, Gameboy,
laptop, Etc. And chats, or text's friends daily. They are so more
connected AND available to the desires of people and companies than
they were in my day. Hell in my day we didn't have any of those things. I
remember when we got our first black and white television. That was the
extent of the technology in my family growing up.

   I know that new technology can be a good thing. But it can also be a
bad thing when used for the wrong purposes. I have talked to my daughter
about the differant ways that she can protect herself and the sharing of
personal info with stragers while online. My goal is to protect her by
helping her protect herself. I would prefer to help her do things for
herself than to do things for her.


 WD> When I was young I did not need to be entertained, I spent all my
 WD> vacations at my grandmother's where there was no TV. I even remember
 WD> the introduction of electricity there ... and tap water. When the day
 WD> was over we sat around the stove, people told stories. It was a very
 WD> rich time, you knew your family, you knew your neighbours, ...

   Although I do have a sister I grew up as an only child and never really
knew my father. My parents lived apart most of my life and both died at 83
having been married for some 45+ years. I also pretty much entertained myself
too and taught myself to fix televisions and radios by the age of 12. Nowadays
sadly TV's are just another throwaway item.


 WD> Now, if it isn't a game on on a computer or a programme on TV kids get
 WD> bored.

   Agreed. Todays children are not happy if they are not connected. My
daughter is no different. She has her PC, her Gameboy, her Playstation DSi,
her Wii, Etc. Then there is MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Etc. All of which
can be used by kids to make friends. And which can also be used by people
(Adults) to try to take advantage of those kids.

 WD> Part of playing as a youngster is to venture out and discover life
 WD> with all its aspects. That doesn't happen anymore as a result of the
 WD> entertainment industry.

   Also agreed. The average parent today can easily be overwhelmed by the
wide variety of ways that their children can be accessed by others. The
days where one's family was the important thing has given way to the
wonders of technology.

 JS>> At least not for some years yet. Why
 JS>> should a 12-14 year old have to deal with having sex with an
 JS>> adult. Not to mention the possibility of a child having a child.

 WD> So what else is new? This has 'always' been the case.

   Maybe, but what is new is the new ways that children are being forced
to deal with matters of adulthood while they are still only children.

 WD> When I was reading the books I had about the plight of the Donner
 WD> Party which had to winter in the California Sierra because they were
 WD> caught by early winter storms, I was struck by the fate of some of the
 WD> younger girls who were saved but their parents passed away.

 WD> Eliza and Eliatha Donner I seem to remember ... one was 12, one was
 WD> 14. That same year some young men proposed marrying them to provide a
 WD> living. It was considered a noble and charitable act (of course, there
 WD> was also a shortage of females in California then) to marry them as
 WD> they were orphaned.

    While their (Men) intentions MAY have been good. There were other
ways that the men could have helped the children. If I were to see a child
in that kind of distress my first thought would not be to make that child
my wife or to bear my children.

 WD> It was not because they were married that suddenly they were 'women'.
 WD> They still were 12 and 14. One of 'm died within the year of
 WD> complications during childbirth, just to say that they were also faced
 WD> with sex ... the fact that they were married doesn't change that.

   That Ward pretty well illustrates the point I was trying to make.
Children don't become adults or achieve some greater degree of maturity
by being married, having sex, or having children themselves. They are
still children but are being thust into acting like an adult. I know I
don't have a "Todays" mindset. I still think that kids should be allowed
be kids while they are kids.


 WD> This was common practice and accepted behaviour ... young girls faced
 WD> with the prospect of involuntary sex is no something that started in
 WD> the year Blom was arrested.

   Here Ward that was not the case. At least not in my part of the country
(Midwest). I realize that such behaviour has existed of some time. But it
was not common or accepted here.


 WD> There's also another element ... with way better healthcare and
 WD> nutrition kids also mature faster lately. Girls starting their period
 WD> at 9-10 is not an exception anymore. A fully configured body by the
 WD> age of 13 ...  Same with boys although there it is not as visible.

    Yup, them hormones do play a significant factor. <g> My daughter
(17) tells me she doesn't plan to get married or have kids until after
she does her stint in the military and gets her career on track. To
myself I said "Yup... We'll see". <g>

 WD> Anyway, I am not dissagreeing with you, merely explaining.

    Umm.. Me either.. and me too.

 WD>  \%/@rd

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Jeff

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