Grasshopper New Media Presents...

Bratz: The hyper-popular toy for girls. The thing I don’t like about Bratz is it gives girls the impression that it is acceptable to be a “brat.” As a matter of fact, it encourages it.

From Wikipedia: (a brat) is “…a child who believes that they are above others around them, because their parents and/or other educators systematically fail to teach socially acceptable behavior and discipline. The term also carries the connotation of the child’s being privileged, as well seldom being subjected to consequences of their actions.”

Most girls get their first Bratz at a very young age, and that is worse because they are raised with that impression. By letting them have the toys, their parents are blessing that attitude. There are girls at school that are defiant about being a ‘brat’; they are proud of it. Why not? Society says being a brat is all the rave, right?

I see a similar attitude when comes to wearing saggy pants so low it shows half your underwear. As blogger Heloise describes it at blogcritics.org:

“The origin of saggy pants is up for debate, but many believe it’s an evolution of ill-fitting prison garb. Since belts are often banned in the big house and uniforms aren’t tailor-made, pants would sag. Former inmates might have brought the fashion to the streets.”

So much of rap is about being ‘tough’ and the gang life that I think the saggy pants became a part of that. Almost like a defiant message, not a style. I think if you want to wear your pants like that then you should just walk outside in you underwear. Either way, it’s another example of a bad idea becoming the latest fad.

Finally, a real troubling behavior is the hero worship of the Scarface character and movie. Yes it was a popular movie, I can understand that, but when people walk around with Scarface shirts and tattoos, you get the idea that they think it’s cool to be a murdering drug dealer. You can find Scarface shirts at just about any flea market in Florida, and Scarface posters at all the county fairs. I can’t believe moms and wives would think it’s okay for someone in their house to promote a person like that character. He killed, he beat his girl, and he didn’t do anything decent. I think that’s much worse than a being a brat, but the Bratz toys are starting young kids off with the idea that it’s cool to unpleasant. It only grows from there.

by Nick

[tags]kids, children, parents, parenting, Bratz, role models, modeling, learning, behavior, Scarface, Tony Montana, rap, attitude, acting tough, low-riding pants, prison[/tags]
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