She was a single mom, who told me that her thirteen-year-old son had discovered girls. Well, not in the usual way, at least not in school. He had discovered them on the Internet and, as you can imagine, not in the most savory way. They were sans clothes and scruples. He had locked onto a few website his mother wished he had never seen. It's difficult enough raising a young man on your own as a single parent as well as one that had reached maturity so surprisingly. I stifled a smile, not wanting to offend or alienate her. Her young man had discovered his own form of sex education and it seemed to be working very effectively—at least in his viewpoint.
I did have to sympathize with her, visiting porn sites cannot be the most productive method of introducing young men to the distaff side; in fact can be very counterproductive. It gives boys a false, disrespectful attitude to women. It is completely degrading, offensive and manipulative to its audience as well as its participants. I have four grand-daughters and I know how I'd feel if they were exploited in such a manner. However, and this is a very big however, there is a certain fascination of the unclothed female form that has become an important part of western art, whether in paintings, sculpture or fine arts photography. It is an area important enough to make a distinction worth noting.
I don't know if giving young men textbooks showing nude paintings and sculptures of classical artists is the answer to avoiding the unpleasant surge of hormones. However, The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, The Nude Maja (La Maja Desnuda) by Goya, Nude Viewed from Behind by Pierre-Paul Prud'hon or the very provocative Nude Girl on a Panther Skin (1844) by Felix Trutat are expectable examples of classical art that should not be banned by the overly zealous. Give him a chance to find the exceptable alternatives to his sex education.
K.
Ars Gratia Artis. Well K, I sure hope that this woman was not coming to you for advice. Although I do know that you are very well educated when it comes to the "ARTISTIC" websites.
Alea Jacta Est. There is not much you can do now. Showing him more naked chicks is not the answer either. At that age there is no art, only boobies. He is now a product of our wonderful unethical society and will eventially come to the realization that he spent the first part of his life trying to get out and the rest trying to get back in.
Posted by Sean on September 22, 2007 - Saturday at 3:17 PM
Ah Latin, the first quote is thought to be "Art for Arts sake" but should actually read "ars artis gratia" if you want to write it correctly. The word showing possession should come before "gratia" or "sake." Samuel Goldwyn Mayer felt it would make the logo for his MGM Film Studio look unbalanced, so he rearranged the words. Isn’t the Internet wonderful!
The young man is seeking information and will find it anyway he can. It would be best if he learned it in a sex ed class; but since none exists he looked for it on his own and stumbles across this porn site that derogates women. Would it not be far better if he found a site that honors and extols the virtue of womanhood? He would then be thought a nerd rather than a pervert. In this case a nude is NOT a nude is a nude. Moot point I must argue, and that is for the mother to decide.
What if the child decides to be a gynecologist, or a designer of women’s undergarments, or a fashion photographer or an artist?. Would this early education all have been in vain? Mrs. K. thought the best solution would be to take the computer out of his bedroom and put it in a place with a higher traffic pattern, where Mom could monitor it more closely.
K.
Posted by K on September 23, 2007 - Sunday at 6:01 PM
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment