Notions about Children and the Power of the Language - Essay Example

Introduction Children are strange creatures. Understanding them as they grow up to become adults is one of the most difficult jobs. What goes inside a child's mind when the child cannot speak is anybody's guess. What is child thinks and what a child wants is something that a person understands through a child's action. When the child grows up and starts to speak, the ideas and concepts start to enfold and constructive efforts are made to implement those ideas. These ideas however are not always acceptable to the society which creates differences with the expectations of the society and may result in clashes. The question now arises that 'what leads the children to divert from the society's well treaded path' Is it because of the dramatically changing world Or is because of the free media showing what ever it wants Children have impressionable minds. From an early age they observe and remember what goes on around them. Sounds and pictures are the two main senses that mould the character of the child from an early stage. Of course the parents and the environment also mould the child's character, but pictures in television and music are the main contributors to the development of a child in these modern times. [3] The Language The language used for most children targeted channels is getting more and more open. The cartoons like Johnny Bravo among others create that urge among children to attempt or copy the same styles irrespective to which society they belong to. Kid's drama series show either love or violence which the children are apt to imitate in one form or the other. [2] The article 'childish thongs' that appeared in the guardian on Monday March 31st 2003 is also highlighting the points mentioned above. The language in the article is very strict and has a tone of anger complaining about the plight of children as a result of unchecked companies that propagate sex appeal in their products. The article does not blame the children for wearing garments that increase their sex appeal since children are immature and do not understand what they are getting involved in. [1] The Media The ideas about a certain thing are bred in to children from a variety of sources such as TV and movies. Children at their young ages watch and hear the pictures and sounds of the glamorous world which attracts them to follow the lead. This is the magic of the media. Showing explicit or obscene images on TV loosens the devil out of a child's heart and makes the child act in certain manners unacceptable to the society. [4] Music and TV artists like Britney Spears appearing in music videos wearing minimum clothing allowed on TV only appeals to the audience. The viewers world over go wild as the men drool over the sex-appeal involved while the women enact Britney Spears in order to get the same attention from the men. The children watching the video think dressing that way would get them rich and famous and get the desired attention. However these dreams are not always pretty in the real life. The increasing rape cases, sexual harassment and child pornography are some of the results of this trend towards wearing minimum clothes. [1] The role of the media in reaching to this trend is almost 100%. The cultures of one side of the world are shown on the other side, meaning that cultural clashes are bound to occur. Media is free to show whatever they want or tell whatever they want to and when ever there is a ban them, the media come up in arms cursing the government for not giving them media-freedom. Being the leaders of tomorrow, children getting involved in devilish acts can mark our world heading for chaos. Sanity must prevail within media channels to encourage dignity and self respect in children rather than propagating dangerous deeds against the boundaries of the society. [4] The media must aim to show images, documentaries or videos that give a meaning or a moral that the children can learn. Through articles like these, the parents of the children can be given a heads-up warning that their children involved in sex-appeal fashion are on their way to self destruction or destruction at the hands of others. Notions about Children As thought by many people that children are pure at heart and it's the environment that corrupts them is challenged by this article. "Sexuality is not plugged on some time around the age of 13. Childhood is not a place of purity. Nor is every manifestation of sexuality necessarily corrupting." This article tries to explain why the children want to dress down and wear clothing that increases their sex appeal. As thought by some people, the concepts of sex start to develop in children around the age of 13 which is not true. These concepts develop slowly and gradually and over the years the child understands these concepts based on the limited ability to grasp the basics of this knowledge. Sadly without proper comprehension, the children are seduced into this only to bring shame to their dignity. [1] The childhood is the development part of a person where the person learns a lot. If the child at a young age learns of this kind of knowledge but does not understand it thoroughly, the parents must act in some way to shied the children from the hideous truth of the world's mean follies. The media at it roots can not help as it cannot deal with the children at a personal level. Parents being close to the child are the best source to deal with problems such as these and explain to the children the stark realities of the world. Equipped with proper knowledge the child can deal with situations better when the child grows up. The Power of the Language When the child gets to read or hears words such as sex or sexy as part of every day's routine thanks to our media, the only thing that remains in the mind of the young ones is obscene images. T-shirts bearing the logos 'man-teaser', 'porn star in training', 'dirty girl' or 'boy toy' shows the extent to which the children go to proclaim their thoughts. And ironically the multi-million money companies are earning more by exploiting the desperate nature of today's children. What can the World Do So the question now is 'what can the world do to diminish the faltering personalities of the children by the hands of sex-appeal exploitation' Is there a chance of saving the young generation from the increasing trend of wearing cropped tops and mini-skirts Can the children wearing tight clothing which shows their figure protruding out of the clothes be saved from the dirty eyes of the transgressors Media as Social Reproducers of Knowledge The answer fortunately is yes. However sincere and aggressive efforts are required to enforce this un-respective culture to end. The media must play an integral role in all that is being done. First the TV channels should be banned that show obscenity beyond a certain level. Then the channels must have talk shows or documentaries that highlight the uselessness of increasing sex-appeal. Print media like the SUN should act in creating awareness amongst people as to what is socially acceptable and what is not. The education factor is very important here as during the school life, the entire personality of the child is molded. Proper training and explanation must be given to students telling them about what resulted with Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman could well result with some other child. It is important to learn to protect oneself from the evil. [1] Knowledge is easily available every where but specific information is hard to find. Here is where the media comes in to seek out knowledge from all over the world and present them to the children in such a manner which will create interest into their minds and create a desire to enact upon the knowledge imparted. Articles like this is an example of how media can play its role in changing this world for a better tomorrow for out children. Conclusion The walls of the contemporary society have been breached and it is gradually losing all its dignity. Children are the victims of the city whose walls have been breached and now they are almost slaves to their kings which in our world are the media channels. The copy cat and fashion mimics are the trend catchers and just a little emphasis on catchy phrases are good enough for the companies to earn millions designing clothes that show as much flesh as possible while just covering the critical areas of the body. Sure enough solutions are present to save this crumbling society, but sincere efforts from all sources are needed. The demeaned life can be restored and sanity can prevail again. There is still time. Work Cited 1) Libby Brooks, "Childish Throngs", The Guardian [Internet] Monday March 31, 2003, Available From [Accessed on May 29, 2007] 2) "Parents are the developing brain's first and most important influence." Willow Computing Technologies 2000, , [Accessed on May 29, 2007] 3) Tedd Mitchell, "Give your kids a good start" January 14, 2001, USA Weekend, [Accessed on May 29, 2007] 4) Tom Zeller Jr., "Online Smut: More Young People Getting an Eyeful", February 5, 2007, The LEDE, [Accessed on May 29, 2007] Read More