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Thursday, July 13, 2006
Censorship
I have found myself censoring myself a lot lately. We live next to a family that is very religious. They practice modesty, in that their girls do not ever wear pants...only skirts. They don't cut their hair, ever. They can't wear jewelry. No television. The 15 year old can't even see PG-13 movies. I swear they are like an experiment of what happens when people are not exposed to mass media. The mother had no clue that people go shopping in mass numbers on the day after Thanksgiving. The eldest daughter had no idea, until last week what a 'hooker' was.

They know absolutely nothing. The girls have no idea about how the world works. They think the Jefferson Mall is the best mall in Louisville. They look at me in awe when I know things about current events or geography or history. They wondered how in the world people would know for sure that a line for the first McDonald's in Kuwait that opened in 1998 stretched over 7 miles out of the drive thru. They thought WAVE-3 anchorwoman, Jackie Hays, was on The Weather Channel.

The problem is this: I have been taking them places with my brother this summer. And I have found myself censoring what comes out of my mouth at all times. If they walk into our house I turn off the TV. If they are in my car I won't listen to music. And normal questions I would ask anyone about their religion or life views I find myself clamming up over when I talk to these girls.

But, why? Madre says it's wrong. That I shouldn't feel that way about anything I say in front of these girls. But, it often seems like I'm trying to protect them too. When all they need is a hefty dose of reality. I'm really not sure what I should do. Do I continue to treat them with kid gloves just because their parent's chose to be in a denomination that causes them to live very differently than me? It's tough.


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