Trends

Thanks to Ivy Jungle:

Facebook Admissions: 10% of admissions counselors at competitive colleges say they have looked at Facebook and other social networking sites to evaluate applicants. The survey, reported in the Wall Street Journal, indicated that most of the time reviews of student profiles "negatively affected" their application. (Inside Higher Ed September 18, 2008)

Didn't We Meet on Facebook: These days, two freshmen roommates shaking hands and introducing themselves for the first time has become a very strange site. Virtually all students arrive on campus not only having met their roommates, but perhaps dozens of other new friends thanks to Facebook. Students quickly join their "class group" and find other affinity groups from their campus. Many say it has created a different kind of awkward meeting when many have begun friendships online and meet for the first time saying, "Hi, we met on Facebook . . .". While some students have become concerned about roommates based on their profiles, even more alarming these days would be a potential roommate not on Facebook. (St. Louis Post Dispatch Online August 28, 2008)

The Facebook Effect: Researchers believe that today's teens are becoming sexually bolder because of social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace and Bebo. Information about sex and discussions about sex are much more prevalent in their virtual worlds. Many teens say that they believe the sexually active characters they see on TV accurately reflect teens today. However, they also they resent that older generations view them as promiscuous and obsessed with sex. Some experts say that the good thing is more teens are learning and asking questions about sex. However, they do fear that many lack the maturity to weigh the sources and discern what is appropriate or inappropriate behavior and levels of intimacy, especially in the semi-public environment of social networking sites. (Telegraph.co.uk August 27, 2008)

21^st Birthday Drinking: It is no surprise the many college students consume a drink or two on their 21^st birthdays. However, a recent study by the University of Texas-Austin indicates that most students drink quite heavily on that day, with men consuming an average of 12 drinks and women an average of 9. More than of students say they experienced ill effects the next day including hangovers (54%); blackouts (44%) and sex they did not remember (22%). Nearly 40% say they were unsure how they got home that night. A similar study by the University of Missouri found that just over 1/3 of men and almost of women reported consuming 21 drinks on their 21^st birthday. The UT study examined behaviors in the 2 weeks before and after the 21^st birthday, finding that quantity of drinking decreases after turning 21, but frequency increases. (USA Today August 27, 2008)

Giving in the US: According to Barna, the percentage of income Christians give to ministry work has declined for the last 35 years. Across the US, people currently give less than 3% of their income to charitable causes, a rate below that of charitable gifts during the Depression. Only 5% of Christians tithe. (Mission America Coalition Update September 2008)

Guys Trying to Figure Out How to Act: Behavioral researchers have said that many young men seem confused on what it means to become a man. A generation ago, masculinity had clearer parameters and men and women had clearer roles. However, today, many young men are unsure how to act. Labels like "mook" and "slacker" are often used to describe a generation that spends much of their time with video games and has little motivation. They seem to have a difficult time navigating adulthood and issues of sex, drinking, friendships, and the future. A number of books including Boys Adrift (Sax); Guyland (Kimmel); and Buddy System (Greif) all point to the importance of relationships with parents and male friends for guys as they move into adulthood. (USA Today August 25, 2008)

Struggling with Morality: A Barna research study shows that adults under the age of 25 struggle with morality much more than their older counterparts. The poll looked at eight behaviors including the use of profanity in public, gambling, gossiping, sexual intercourse with someone other than their spouse, viewing pornography, acts of retaliation, getting drunk and lying. In each category, younger adults were more than twice as likely to have engaged in these behaviors. The most common behavior for both groups was profanity, followed by sex, lying, and pornography (not in that order for older adults). Politically liberal people were also more likely to have engaged in these immoral behaviors than their conservative peers. Among evangelicals, profanity and pornography were the most common transgressions. Agnostics and skeptics were five times as likely to have engaged in any of the behaviors as evangelicals. Researchers believe the results show that the moral code has begun to shift considerably in areas of honesty, language and sex. (Barna Update August 25, 2008)

Graduate Student Auctions Off Virginity: In a new low for morals and capitalism, a 22 year old graduate student at Sacramento State has joined with a legal Nevada brothel to auction off her virginity. The young woman says she can verify her purity and is selling her first experience to finance her graduate education in marriage and family therapy. Holding an undergraduate degree in women's studies she believes her actions are empowering to her as a woman and that her virginity is marketable because it is a rare commodity. Several students have expressed support, especially for a cause as noble as paying for school. (CBS13.com September 11, 2008)

Sex & Social Injustice

I've had written work published before, but never anything visual. Usually, I think visual artists are uncomfortable having their work published for magazines... at least, that's what I always heard from my professors when I was in college. I've heard woes of black and white photos doing color art injustice, text littering the image, inappropriate cropping, and more. But the opportunity arose and I thought it fitting to accept the offer- not as a sell out moment, but because I thought it was worth supporting. All in all I don't think that the publishers did my drawing injustice because the colors are rich, it isn't chopped up, and the text really isn't that distracting. Smart of them to work with and around the composition of the figures.

The publication is PRISM, put out by the Evangelicals for Social Action. The full article can be found here (PDF), written by Bruce Wydick.


Also worth reading from this month's issue is the cover story, Toxic Culture (link is a PDF, peppered with additional articles so please read it!). Discretion is advised: PRISM takes no shortcuts in this article as it examines pornification of our culture. It is a bit explicit; be aware of photo examples of mainstream advertisements (like CK and fragrances). "Now a multibillion-dollar business, pornography plays a pervasive role in contemporary society. For the sake of our families and future generations, it's time to face the industry head on and take back our God-given sexuality." The pinnacle of the article points out the sexualization of today's children -- 'Girls as Consumables' and 'Boys as Predators' -- and offers insight to approach the issue with a Christ-like attitude, rather than being naiive. Admittedly, a quote from a 14 year old boy was shocking enough to make me realize that things are not the same way they were when I was growing up -- and that was only 10 to 12 years ago. Sexuality is much more prevalent in pre-teens (7 to12) and adolescents (13 to 19) than I realized.

It makes one wonder how things have gotten so permissive in our American, mainstream culture today. I've noticed this in watching television over the past few years, and moreso lately in seeing ads for shows like Swingtown that appears to glorify adultery and promiscuity in our history. True, I haven't seen the show, so I honestly cannot say much about it. But beyond that, even commercials and advertisements are racier than I remember and extremely suggestive, laden heavy with sexual connotations. I mean, really; Why must you sell sex when you're trying to sell deoderant? or jeans? or cars? or yogurt?! Prime example is Abercrombie & Fitch's explicit 2003 Christmas catalog: you really aren't selling clothing when you're really selling group sex. Even their webpage features a sculpted half-naked man in which you can barely even see the top of his jeans. All the more, abercrombiekids.com has a shirtless teen on it.
I'm sorry, what does the lack of clothes have to do with buying clothes? It really makes me queasy thinking about the potential of raising a child - son or daughter - in an environment such as this because exposure is pretty much unavoidable. It makes me queasy just knowing that sexuality is even pitched to children and young-teens, and that parents and manufacturers find the "prosti-tot" look acceptable.

Not just that, but generally speaking women are the targets of the sexualization... rather, girls. While the Dove Self-Esteem program is another topic of discussion, as are Dove products overall, but check out this video about the pervasiveness of body, image, etc completely surrounding a girl's world:

Dove Film: Onslaught

For the most part I try to avoid the things I don't like about media, like these and try not to purchase from stores that promote sex over their product. But as you may be able to tell, it's hard to do and to do so can be a double-edged sword; on the one hand I keep myself safe and protected but on the other hand I think I've lost touch with what's going on outside of my bubble. Where is the balance? How do you approach the issue of over-sexualization without being disregarded as a mere prude? Like the nature of Fair Trade, this is a difficult path to navigate but it's the small steps of choice, voice, and action that can even give us hope of things changing. It also takes a great deal of being informed and carrying that information with compassion. Here are some questions to think about:

• What can you do in your purchases and in your sphere of influence to make a positive impact on our sexually charged culture?
• How will you talk about this subject with your peers, co-workers, or family?
• What small steps can you take to not promote the sexualization of children?
• How can you be better informed? Do you need to examine your influences more closely?
  
• How might this issue affect your own life?
  
• Does your attitude need to change? (are you ambivelent? angry? immobilized?)
• If a follower of Christ, how does your faith and worldview need to impact this area of life more?
  

A first for everything

It was a beautiful day as I stood next to my husband, holding tightly onto his hand as I looked past unfamiliar faces to find someone I knew. On the hour-long car ride we were joking with one another but now my voice couldn't find words besides a quiet, "This is too weird," and the occasional comment about wanting to find a friend. We stood on the grassy-edged sidewalk leading up to the funeral home dressed in gray, black, and dark blue; I didn't want to go inside yet.

I've only been to a funeral for a friend once before in my life, when I was 13 and hardly had any idea how to emotionally handle a 19-year old's suicide. The few others I'd been to were family members that I had a distant relationship with. This was different, a lot different. I heard the news two days after the accident happened and I wasn't really sure what to think. I'd been out of college for two and a half years and moved to Philadelphia -- far flung from my stomping grounds and closer friends in good old Kutztown PA. The news wasn't surreal so much as it was 'just weird' to me, and life over the weekend carried on as usual. My Kutztown life had been distant and disconnected that I could half expect everything to be the same if I went back to it. However, the reality and tangibility of it began to sink it's way beneath the surface when we decided to go into the funeral home and I saw Matt's face in the back of the foyer.
Then Josh, Trevor, Timmy, Grace. Black, gray, olive, blue, purple. Quiet and sullen.
Deep breath and trying to ignore the tightening in my chest.

We talked quietly as people continued to file in, going past the foyer and into the other room. We were called to come in because everything was ready. I wasn't ready yet. I don't think any of us were.

As we went inside and stayed close to the nearest wall we passed other friends. Bridget and Tara, Jodi and Kayla.. we stayed in a nook across from them. The service was nice. There were so many people. I needed a tissue as I hid half of my face in Scott's shoulder. He didn't get a chance to meet Chris or enjoy his goofy grin and Strongbad impressions; I think they would have been friends. I tried not to stain his gray shirt with salty tears or snot too badly as I thought about this, and praised the Lord that Scott would get a chance to meet Chris one day in the presence of God. Eventually, Bridget noticed I needed a tissue and gave me one. The service ended, we waited until we could go in line. Then we waited in line. I couldn't see anything at first because we were so far back and there were so many people. And then I noticed the open casket and my heart plummeted to my stomach.

I'm reminded of different thigns David Crowder and Mike Hogan talked about in Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die. Good book and there's a bit of truth in what they discuss later in the book: "What you are looking at is familiar, but it's bot the person you knew. What you are looking at is only like the person you knew."
That was not what I was thinking at the time, though. I glanced over my shoulder to Scott and tightened my grip on his hand. I wanted to run. I wasn't expecting the open casket viewing because of the nature of the accident. I can't really handle open caskets to begin with so to see one unexpectedly was even worse. The first time I saw one was when I went to the funeral of a friend's father, and the second time was my step-grandfather. There's something about it that seizes me in my gut and my throat all at the same time. I know the casket was black with white material inside, but I couldn't tell you what Chris looked like; I couldn't look. When we passed I practically darted with blurried vision and clenched teeth.

I don't want to remember my friend that way.

We stepped outside into a sea of black and gray and the colors of mourning. I clung to my husband's side, occassionally letting go to embrace friends as they passed. Most of them I hadn't seen in a while... not exactly the most favorable of circumstances to play catch-up. We then moved on to the truck to join the 50-car plus caravan to the cemetary. I was mostly quiet. We walked through the grassy grave-stone studded cemetary to the tent where Chris was to be buried. The sky couldn't have been more clear a blue than it was Tuesday. In my head I said goodbye, prayed for his family, and wished I called over the summer. He was involved with the National Guard; as they played taps and as the shots split the air, I heard many of us crying just a little bit more than we were before. His mother's sobs were the last thing I heard as most of us stood there in silence for what seemed like a long time. It broke my heart for her. Slowly we walked away and talked solemnly with friends. Deep breath.

Today, back in Philadelphia, the funeral already seems distant. Life continues to move forward -- though I do wish I could find a particular photo of Chris and I our Sophomore year at Kutztown, sitting in the hallway outside of Jodi's old dorm room.

RIP Chris Cole, September 10, 2008
I'll see you in glory, buddy.