The following three articles ran on consecutive days last week. It struck me that there was one huge thing that these articles have in common. Here are the articles:
Article One
Report Says Sugary Drinks Pile on Pounds
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Medical WriterAmericans have sipped and slurped their way to fatness by drinking far more soda and other sugary drinks over the last four decades, a new scientific review concludes.
An extra can of soda a day can pile on 15 pounds in a single year, and the “weight of evidence” strongly suggests that this sort of increased consumption is a key reason that more people have gained weight, the researchers say.
Article Two
Sexual lyrics prompt teens to have sex
By LINDSEY TANNER
AP Medical WriterCHICAGO (AP) — Teens whose iPods are full of music with raunchy, sexual lyrics start having sex sooner than those who prefer other songs, a study found.
Whether it’s hip-hop, rap, pop or rock, much of popular music aimed at teens contains sexual overtones. Its influence on their behavior appears to depend on how the sex is portrayed, researchers found.
Songs depicting men as “sex-driven studs,” women as sex objects and with explicit references to sex acts are more likely to trigger early sexual behavior than those where sexual references are more veiled and relationships appear more committed, the study found.
Article Three
Indianapolis on Edge Over Killings
By RICK CALLAHAN
Associated Press WriterINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Marilyn Brooks and her two children didn’t hear the gunshot that killed a teenage boy in an alley behind her home, but the slaying so traumatized her 9-year-old son that he spent the night at his grandmother’s house and refused to return home the next morning.
Thirteen people have been killed in Indianapolis in less than a week – a wave of bloodshed that has alarmed residents and civic leaders and led to stepped-up police patrols in the city’s trouble spots.
Olgen Williams, an Indianapolis activist, said young people in the city have fallen under the spell of gangsta rap and the violent lifestyle it portrays.
“They all want to be gangsters because they think that’s the thing to be. The girls want to have a boyfriend who’s a bling bling gangbanger,” he said. “In the media, if you market something enough, someone is going to buy it. And that’s what these kids are buying.”
Do you see the commonality? What commonality do you see among the articles? I’ll give you my 2¢ worth in a couple of days. Please let me hear from you.
At first whack, looking ONLY at the headlines, it would seem that they’re all blaming external sources for lack of personal character.
Well Mike the first had less to do with teens alone, but the articles themselves lead me to Grandma’s old saying “we’re going to hell in a handbasket”.
Seems to me they could all be filed under “Obvious, subfolder “Duh!” Excess sugar puts on weight – musical (or otherwise) sexual fixations lead to more sex – numerous killings frighten a community. This is news to anyone?
Just a thought…but where’s the parents’ responsibility in all this? Parents can not buy the soda, teach their kids a healthy view of sex, and teach them not to live a gangsta lifestyle. (not to mention not buying the explicit CD’s and monitoring their children’s purchases!)
I think “Your (beautiful) Dau” hit the nail on the head.
My comment . . . DUH!!!