There's a saying here in the South.
"You can call me Mother Fucker, but don't call me Dude."
"You can call me Mother Fucker, but don't call me Dude."
Those slutty kids where totally asking for it...
- Thread starter @Li3n
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makare
Hopefully not allowing their kids to wear those clothes isn't the only way the parents are trying to combat society's putting children in adult situations. That's my concern, children missing out on the exploration and innocent curiosity stages of sexual development because our culture blasts them directly into the realms of adult sexuality. I am not worried (in this situation) about pedophiles or rapists. I am worried children are missing out on being children.
I would also like to amend this to say I don't even mean promiscuous adult sexuality just adult sexuality at all.
fade
Staff member
Hmm. I don't think belly dancing is inappropriate, but I hardly think it's fair to suggest it's not evocative of sex. Belly dancers can put their fingers in their ears all day and go "LALALALALA it's not sexual--we're just expressing our bodies" or blame men or 19th century prudes or whatever. But it's still a very provocative dance. Saying it's not, or blaming someone else who finds it so seems just as ignorant as labeling the dance as evil. I mean, it involves putting your arms in the air and thrusting your vaginal area around, which looks an awful lot like sex to a lot of people. I could cup my hand and move it around my general pelvic region and say it's not simulated masturbation, it's a dance expression of the beauty of the human arm. And maybe it is. Maybe that's actually what I intended it to be. But it still looks like masturbation to plenty of people, no matter how much I deny it.
To be clear, I have nothing against belly dancing, but I don't think it's weird to find it kind of sexual, either.
To be clear, I have nothing against belly dancing, but I don't think it's weird to find it kind of sexual, either.
While there are many conflicting ideas about the origin of belly dancing, it's generally agreed to have originate in the middle east, both sexes learned the various dances, and most notably:
However, there's also a strong argument to be made that it was recognized that performing it in mixed company could result in unintended consequences.
*although various accounts suggest that couples would dance for each other, counter-suggesting that it was a sexual dance that was learned and practiced publicly separately, and only in front of one's partner privately.
So there is a strong argument that it is not meant to be sexual, despite the movement associated with it*.
However, there's also a strong argument to be made that it was recognized that performing it in mixed company could result in unintended consequences.
*although various accounts suggest that couples would dance for each other, counter-suggesting that it was a sexual dance that was learned and practiced publicly separately, and only in front of one's partner privately.
fade
Staff member
I love history and I like knowing author intent, but intent doesn't matter because the effect on the viewer is the object of discussion. It can't be wished away by author (or historical) intentions. Indeed, in artistic interpretation, author intent is often considered secondary to viewer interpretation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_fallacy
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makare
Don't go all Barthes on us now.
I don't think anyone - even the original letter from the school - is blaming the victim or society.
They are pointing out that they believe there's a higher risk of becoming a victim if one chooses to wear "provocative" clothing, for some values of "provocative". It's not right that these people are getting attacked, but in the same way that they can encourage, but not always mandate, bicycle helmets as a way to reduce the risk of head injury, they can encourage people to lower their risk of becoming a target for potential attackers.
No one complains when a self defense teacher says, "It's not your fault if you get attacked, but if you choose to keep your head down and not pay attention to what's going on around you, then you are an easier and more attractive target for a mugger."
Yet people get all up in arms when people say the same thing about choice of clothing.
Wear what you like.
Dress your child how you like.
But recognize that way you dress may make you a more or less attractive target, and you cannot decrease the risk by simply saying, "I should be able to wear what I like without risk." You are right.
However, that won't decrease your risk.
On the flip side, child abduction is not as common as parental paranoia would suggest.
They are pointing out that they believe there's a higher risk of becoming a victim if one chooses to wear "provocative" clothing, for some values of "provocative". It's not right that these people are getting attacked, but in the same way that they can encourage, but not always mandate, bicycle helmets as a way to reduce the risk of head injury, they can encourage people to lower their risk of becoming a target for potential attackers.
No one complains when a self defense teacher says, "It's not your fault if you get attacked, but if you choose to keep your head down and not pay attention to what's going on around you, then you are an easier and more attractive target for a mugger."
Yet people get all up in arms when people say the same thing about choice of clothing.
Wear what you like.
Dress your child how you like.
But recognize that way you dress may make you a more or less attractive target, and you cannot decrease the risk by simply saying, "I should be able to wear what I like without risk." You are right.
However, that won't decrease your risk.
On the flip side, child abduction is not as common as parental paranoia would suggest.
D
Disconnected
i'm gonna go ahead and agree on that here.
Wear what you want but understand other people may percieve it differently than you and you cannot change that. If some guy(or girl) wants to perv all over you for wearing short shorts they will do it regardless.
Now, i'm gonna go ahead and ask you to come in too-morr-row. yeaah.
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