The Link btwn. SEX and MUSIC

By now you've likely run across the findings of this study in the news in one form or another (here are two articles in case you are interested in pursuing this: here and here). The second article in Canadian press seems to follow the good discussion held on CBC's Q this morning (download today's podcast here). Many news agencies and eventually youth ministries will salivate at the juicy ammunition the findings of this study seem to supply to advance the typically fearful approach to popular culture that so much of Christian discourse seems to be preoccupied with. This is unfortunate…

First as is pointed out in the articles and painstakingly underlined in the CBC interview, the study does not identify a causal link between music and sexual activity (and coincidently STD's). Instead the study shows a correlation between the two factors. This will no doubt be an all too convenient fact for people to forget. The study cannot prove that if teens listen to sexually degrading lyrics they will be more sexually active. It can prove that teens that are sexually active are listening to more music that is sexually degrading. Put that way the conclusions of this study seem redundantly obvious.

Second this study underscores for me the importance of active engagement with popular culture in parenting strategies. For children and adolescents to navigate the murky waters of sexuality successfully means that parents need to see popular music as a way to engage discussion about sexuality. Avoidance tactics, feigning ignorance, or retreatist strategies ultimately leave children/adolescents alone to negotiate their behaviour. This is a clear call to engage in the music that your kids are choosing to listen to and are exposed to involuntarily. Here's a suggestion: Try to de-stigmatize sexually inappropriate music by playing it in your children's presence. Talk to your kids as un-euphemistically as possible about sexuality. Don't allow inappropriate music to become a subversive activity that your kids can engage in as a way to escape or deny your authority. Keep it out in the open. Evaluate the music openly with your kids. Think about it this way: it is likely far better for your children to hear you talk about and mention sexually degrading and inappropriate material (even swears) than it is for them to have their formative exposure occur outside of your guiding hand…

…just a few old youth pastory thoughts coming out…

Benefit for Epilectic Dogs

hilarious

The Room Illusion - BBC Brain Story

this one is fun

Depth perception and video/computer culture

In class today we talked about the apparatus that Gregory used to test the Thiery/Woodworth theory about depth perception of the Muller-Lyer Illusion. We also talked about the paradox that pictures are to our perception of depth. Pictures convey depth but they are actually flat images with no actual depth. Because they are flat our brains cannot use the stereoscopic properties of vision to determine if things are actually further away or not just actually bigger or smaller. It's sort of confusing. In a picture some things are in focus and others are not. If that picture were an actual scene we would be able to focus on different objects in that field and they would alternately come into focus. The focus in a picture is fixed. Our brain relies on stereoscopic vision to determine the distance that an object has. One of the things that I began to wonder about as a result is the effect of images on the development of depth perception in children. Is it possible for instance to disable the stereoscopic features of vision by forcing a child to only look at the world as a screen (This would be an almost impossible experiment to do but…)? Could it be that increased exposure to images that are flat like the myriad of images kids are exposed to TV and computer may actually affect their ability to develop depth cues adequately? Essentially, is our hyper exposure to flat images disabling the natural development of depth perception?

Anecdote: My kids play baseball on their new Wii. I generally can't beat the boys at that game. I would say that I play a smarter game than they do – changing up the speed and location pitches in far more cunning ways than they do. They typically use the sinker pitch to try to get me out. I know that one of the reasons that I don't fare as well as they do is because they 'pick up' the ball much sooner than I do and can judge what type of pitch it is going to be. Since the game is mostly about timing – depth perception is a critical element. What is interesting is that given the same pitcher in a real life scenario I know although this is certainly not well tested that I fare much better than they do in being able to connect with the pitches. I have poor eyesight and they don't but those factors remain the same in both contexts. Why then can I bat better in real life than they can? Partly, I am sure it is because I have had more experience than they have but part of it I suggest is due to the tendencies their brains have developed to perceive depth…

Bananas, Sun Tans and the IMF

We watched this movie in class and it really made me think. How do first world aspirations fix people into poverty and racial subjugation?
LIFE and DEBT

WoWoW

Wow ain't dis where we at!

Words on a bus…

Interesting discussion here, here, here and here has pricked a few thoughts that I'd rather not clutter up someone else's blog with. So I will puke it out here.

The flap is over a slogan on a bus in England (which we have learned will make its appearance here in Canada shortly as well). One aspect of this situation that seems under represented is what actual effect a slogan such as this has in social currency.

I begin with the effect of advertising is social structures. It is often argued (and often most vehemently in Christian right-wing discourse) that advertising is the culprit for the moral degradation of our social framework. At advertising's feet is often also laid the core ethos of our consumerist culture. These arguments are highly flawed. It is not that advertising plays no role in fashioning the mores of our social identity. Rather it needs to be understood in the complementary role that it actually plays along side the prevailing values of our culture. If fact a closer look at the data (stuff like the recent 2008 Canada Youth Survey (Bibby)) suggests that advertising is highly distrusted by most adolescents. The argument stands on the fact that teenagers and adults report a lifestyle that is busier than ever. Bibby reports that generally speaking people have asked ultimate questions (of life's purpose, life after death, etc) at a fairly consistent rate over the years – between 80 and 90 %. In the most recent survey he has seen a significant drop in the percentage of youth asking ultimate questions. His conclusion is that this maybe mostly due to the warp speed of our society. When adolescents were asked about the institutions that they trusted the most and the least advertising occupied the lowest rating. Again Bibby points to the speed of life and the available option that teens have to access the media that they want. Embedded advertising in movies and TV shows is the sad consequence of this. All this to say that in the end a slogan on the side of the bus is going to have a negligible effect on society as a whole –especially the impressionable minds of our young people. This will hardly register on the collective consciousness (save the few youth groups that end up buying the Josh McDowell "How to Combat Bus Signs in Your City" Campaign DVD study guide).

Frankly, I wonder whether drawing out the controversial nature of this slogan is giving this campaign far too much credit. The content of the sign is suspect–sure–but isn't dignifying such a feeble project with our hot indignation just as suspect. We live in an out-dated perspective of the world if we think that conventional advertising schemes like these will actually affect any noticeable aspect of our social fabric. Budweiser admit that there has been no verifiable increase in the sale of their products due to the advertising campaign they mount each year at the Super Bowl. If those millions of dollars can't sell beer better – how do we actually think that pink slogans on a bus will sell atheism any better…

An Intolerance Boom?

A provocative article here from columnist, Doug Saunders, in the Globe and Mail. He suggests and I am inclined to agree that the climate of the global economic woes foster intolerance – even racism. He suggests that expressions of anger over failed policies and inadequate safety net programs are to be expected as thousands of people face job loss and protracted unemployment.

The ugliness, however, manifested itself when the anger suddenly turned against outsiders. Phrases like "Buy American" and "British jobs for British workers," which gained popularity because they seem to reflect a deeper sentiment, are chillingly redolent of earlier moments, in 1873 and 1930, when economic depressions morphed into fierce moments of nationalist self-defence and attacks on outsiders, leading to isolationism, racism and war.

Protectionist strategies seem to be gathering incredible momentum these days and it is not hard to see how these ideological perspectives inform essentially racist sentiment. And protectionism itself, I would argue, is a not so distant cousin to the mercantilism of the late colonial period.

In times of relative prosperity the race to the top of the socio-economic status heap seems an endless tunnel of hope. Consumerism flourishes. Everybody is richer than they were and they all feel pretty good about it. In these conditions, those people who have conventionally held the power in racial distinctions (most typically whites), can easily be distracted into acknowledging that minorities and otherwise oppressed groups can achieve even similar economic success as they are achieving. After all the white man says to himself look that the awesome conditions I have created that allow other 'underprivileged' people to flourish. This benevolence is strangely lacking when the risk of economic collapse is looming on the horizon. When the effort being expended is directed at NOT becoming poor the attitudes change.

I recently spoke to a friend of mine working in HR in a local assembly plant. His company has recruited many workers from Central America and the Philippines. One of the stipulations of the agreements that employers enter with the government organizations is the requirement to terminate employment of these workers before any other layoffs occur. Without work these individuals are then required to return to their country of origin. On the surface it seems to make sense that this type of policy should be in place. After all people who are citizens of this country ought to be able to benefit from that status in some way.

What is morally questionable is how these companies can bring over these workers who perform jobs that the general population does not want to do. Let's remember that the pay scale for these employees is typically significantly lower than other comparable jobs. Then these companies can turn around and dismiss these people to fend for themselves.

It will be interesting to see how these sentiments play out in Canada compared to places like the U.S. where racial tensions over employment opportunities has been contentious for some time.

MVP

Jared and Jesse went up to Camrose to play an indoor soccer tournament that literally went around the clock. They played games every 6 hours and wound up winning silver in their division.
Jesse is coming along as a midfielder and really plays solid positional soccer. He'll be more of a threat when he grows a bit and is able to match the speed of some of the players in his age bracket.



Jared on the other hand has played a fair bit of net this season and was selected as the tournament MVP for his outstanding play. One of Jared's biggest assets in net is his almost wreckless pursuit of the ball. On occasions it leaves him struggling to regain proper position but he still plays a very solid positional game.
Winning this award is a pretty big deal for Jared. He was obviously proud of his achievement. But Jared is not driven like some athletes are to pursue medals and achievements. He has alot of fun play the game. I think that winning the trophy has made him realize that working hard at something is a valueable characteristic.

I thought turning 40 was rough…

Well actually I didn't think it was all that rough at all but for a certain Ms. Barbie it seems turning 50 is kind of a drag.
Now, at 50, life is quite different. Not everything has turned out as planned."

Reg Bibby takes a crack at what Barbie at 50 might be like.

Happy birthday doll! Just keep tellin' em you're 49…