Christmas Already?!

Although Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I cannot wait until it comes, isn't before Thanksgiving a little too early for malls to set up their Santa displays? It's just starting to get cold out, and radio stations have been playing Christmas carols for weeks! I believe that the major cause of this early start is the commercialization of the Christmas holiday. When most people think of Christmas, they think about presents, Santa Claus, Christmas trees, etc., instead of thinking about its original meaning, the birth of Jesus Christ. I am completely guilty of these thoughts, but I do think that radio stations should at least wait until after Thanksgiving to play Christmas carols. This way, we wouldn't get sick of all the songs by the time Christmas actually arrives!

While I love the commercial holiday as well as the religious holiday, I simply think that it's a little ridiculous how much our world is focused on the gift-giving aspect of Christmas. Stores do have a right to use the commercial aspect of Christmas to promote their business, but I don't think they should start setting up displays where kids can meet Santa until after Thanksgiving. With so much focus on Christmas, we almost tend to overlook Thanksgiving and what a great holiday it is, as well. Even though Christmas truly isn’t that far away, I think that we could hold back our excitement just enough to enjoy the coming Thanksgiving holiday, as well.

Teen Pregnancy and Television

There have been new studies that have shown that many young, teenage girls are getting pregnant as an effect of watching television. In fact, teens that watched the raciest shows were twice as likely to become pregnant over the next three years than those who watched less extreme shows.

Although I am guilty of watching some these shows, such as Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Friends, and Sex and the City, I do agree that these studies make sense. These shows portray a society in which sex is a very common and casual occurrence, and it is very rare for many of the women on the show to become pregnant. Even if they do, the situation is often not elevated as a negative as much as it could be. The shows prefer to show the positives of sexual experiences, rather than the negatives that can lead to pregnancy and other complications.

Many people also have varying perspectives on the movie, Juno. This movie is about a girl in high school who gets pregnant. Many people dislike the movie, because they believe that it glorifies pregnancy and makes it seem "okay", because the pregnancy turns out to be happy and fine, which is a very unrealistic outlook on teenage pregnancy. However, others think that the movie realistically showed what it would be like for a teenager to go through a pregnancy. Although pregnancy is not necessarily shown as a negative in this movie, it does show the possibility of getting pregnant, unlike many of the sexual television shows of today.

While sexual shows promote casual sex, it is important for viewers to remember that real life should not be carried out as in the realistic setting of those shows, and that they have to be responsible to themselves and others. Teenage pregnancy is a very big issue, and usually has many negative effects on the lives of teenagers across the world. While the shows are entertaining, it is just important to always remember the risks of sex and the negative impact of teenage pregnancy.