Freedom.
I believe this to be one of the most abused and misconstrued words. Freedom. Freedom of speech. Freedom of expression. Freedom. What is freedom? I am honestly at a loss of how it is interpreted today.
Does freedom mean that we can do anything that we see fit and not be held accountable to a greater authority than ourselves? Composers and writers include a myriad of cuss words in their work as a form of freedom of speech. So do the many directors, actors and whatnots who capitalize on skin, sex and the typical joe's desire to escape into the realm of fantasy claim the sanctuary of the freedom of expression.
The sad thing is that these same people who claim the power of freedom, are the same people who are great influencers of the society. Be it speech, character, fashion (or the lack of it)and even outlook on life, these people who carelessly do things in the name of freedom wash their hands of the responsibility of their actions.
So many infulential people, specially actors and musicians, exhibit behavior and antics that are imbedded in to the minds of the young people who grow up accepting that speech, dress or even life paradigm as a norm. Maybe they don't even mean what they do or say in front of the cameras or the microphones, but the children who view them as role models take it as an accepted practise of life.
Alot of TV shows have come out that include allusions to sex, premarital sex, and make out scenes as part of the plot, wherein those events play a central factor to the story (others just use it to make ratings and gather ad placements). Scenes that would have been edited out before are now part of the formula that makes the series sell. Heck, even comedy shows capitalize on sex! As the rating board became lax in relation to sex related scenes and dialogues, so did the number of teen pregnancies, abortions and cheating on relations increase. The number of teens getting divirginized under 18 has increased, and more and more teenagers are viewing relationships as a state of convenience.
I've been counselling teens for the past five years. And every year I can't believe how younger the pregnant teens get and the number of relationships they go through. True, relationships and teens are different topics altogether, but we cannot deny the fact that they are all interconnected. I'll be writing on those two topcis in the following days, but allow me to approach my conclusion...
When influential people abuse the meaning of the word freedom (or interpret it subjectively...) and wash their hands of the effects of their actions (most particularly the effect on their adoring and almost worshipping audience) it is the unwitting public that suffers the most.
Now don't get me wrong. I am not shooting at any person here. It's just a statment of reality. At least for my country. A great number of people who can do something about this either is not aware of this or chooses not to be aware of it, perhaps benefiting from the abuse of freedom as well.
Anyway, I know that this little blog post isn't as neatly done as my others. My apologies. Hunger, traffic and constant YM windows tend to take me out of my concentrated writing zone. Hehehhehe...
Until the next time.
