Spend any evening watching TV and you'll hear things that used to be considered TMI - Too much information. Is nothing sacred anymore?Do we have no secrets?
When I was growing up, which was not long after dinosaurs roamed the earth, there would have been a collective gasp, a public uprising, and possibly a Congressional investigation if TV stations (there were only three of them) aired some of the commercials we see today. But today's society has become a tell-all world where things like erectile dysfunction, birth control, and genital herpes are part of every day TV programming. Is it just me or do the ads for Cialis seem just a bit voyeuristic? It's clear these two middle aged folks are headed for some hot sex, but wait...the faucet erupts (how symbolic is that!). But we know they'll get back to "business" when the time is right..wink, wink. As a kid growing up in the 50's and 60's I can't even begin to fathom the idea of sitting through a commercial like that with my parents in the same room. Of course the one with those wild and crazy middle aged guys jamming to Viva Viagra is just stupid and deserves no further reference.
If you want to take a walk down memory lane and see how things have changed, consider this. I remember sitcoms like the Dick Van Dyke show (circa 1961) where Rob and Laura, the main characters, slept in separate twin beds even though they were married. At that time, to show a man and a woman in the same bed, was beyond the boundaries of decency and good taste. My husband, who is a year older than I am, clearly remembers when commercials for the Platex Living Bra started to show up on TV. As an adolescent boy, this was exciting stuff and almost as good as National Geographic pictures of bare breasted tribal women.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a shriveled up old prune and I think that on some level, all this openness can be a healthy thing. But I have to wonder what we will define as acceptable limits of decency and good taste in the future. Twenty years ago, there was no way a commercial like the one for the latest Miracle Bra would have made it to the airwaves. Now, if you've ever seen the annual lingerie show by Victoria's Secret, you'll know that not much is secret anymore. Talking so openly about something as personal as erectile dysfunction was simply unheard of. Now we have former Senators and professional athletes sharing their stories with us any time of the day or night. Call me crazy, but I really don't need to know that sort of thing about Bob Dole or anyone else for that matter. I guess it's all relative though. My mother-in-law blames the demise of mankind on Dr. Ruth, that spunky little doctor who first started encouraging us all to talk openly about sex.
I suppose it's all of this is part of any societal evolution and as the walls of inhibition fall and social mores shift, behaviors change. It happens to every generation. My grandparents were shocked by the gyrations of Elvis. My parents saw things change with the counter culture of the 60's and again with the 70's. I suppose it's my turn now to be dismayed by what I see around me. As I look at the faces of the children coming up in today's world, though, I fear for their innocence. And I can't help but wonder where we are all headed as a society. Where do we go from here when the actions of a sitting President can redefine the definition of sex and intimacy has become it's own multi-billion dollar industry?
When you send out Christmas cards, be sure to include this in your addresses book:
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Every Veterans Day should be an opportunity to say "thank you" to all the service men and women who have kept this country safe over the years. Unfortunately, people have a way of confusing the war with the warriors, letting their political beliefs get in the way. But, you don't have to be in favor of a war to favor those who fight. Several of my friends have children fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan right now and I cannot imagine the worry and the stress that they live with every day...wondering if the child they love and cherish will come home. But I am grateful for the choice they made to be a part of our military.
