Mrs ERJ, Belladonna and I had a discussion about cancelling Netflix.
I raised the subject. I don't watch Netflix very often and I believe corporations pay attention to their wallets and less-so to strongly worded memos.
What triggered my raising the subject was Netflix pushing the envelope with "Cuties", a show that some claim is about girls learning to express themselves through creative dancing and others claim normalizes voyeurism and pedophilia.
Belladonna's arguments were particularly interesting.
"How is 'Cuties' different than beauty pageants which also turn women into objects? Many of those pageants involve minors"
"Nobody is forcing you to watch it. If you don't like it, then don't watch it."
Those were interesting points and I struggled to answer them in-the-moment. If I appear to be intellectually agile in the blog, it is primarily because I have time to consider things and organize my thoughts. Frankly, I am not that good.
Regarding the first point, I eventually puzzled my way to the realization that the contestants have parental permission, and often their parent accompanies them to the contests. In that way, it is not much different than "travel league" sports.
While that doesn't get much traction with Belladonna, that is huge for me. The protagonist in 'Cuties' is sneaking away and is enabled by others (the show's film crew) to do things that are the antithesis of her parent's values.
The reason it doesn't get much traction with Bella is because, to her remembering, she was fully autonomous and capable of making adult-level decisions at the age of eleven.
I remember it differently.
The other point
The other point is tougher to argue.
"If you don't like guns, then don't buy one."
Sound familiar?
"If you don't like the show, then don't watch it."
I don't have a "kill-shot" answer.
The best I could come up with is that some people need protection. Babies. Children. Unborn. The frail elderly. People with dementia. Handicapped people. People who are physically abused by their partners.
What child will rat-out their mother? What elderly person will send their adult child to prison. Many women will not file charges after being domestically abused.
In the absence of other mechanisms to pressure Netflix to stop monetizing pedophilia and normalizing eleven-year-olds as objects to lust after, I am still in favor of dumping our Netflix account. To continue to send them money is to become complicit in what they did.
How-some-ever, I was out-voted. As a family, we agreed that I would send a strongly worded memo to Netflix. A memo that Obama would have been PROUD to send to Iran when they violated their sacred trust to not develop nuclear weapons.
Then, after a month, if my nuclear-grade memo isn't sufficient to move Netflix...we will discuss it again.
Dollars sent to Netflix makes their soapbox higher and their voices louder in comparison to others. We don't and wont subscribe to Netflix, among others.
ReplyDeleteThe only vote that most companies pay attention to is the "$".
ReplyDeleteI cancelled last year in response to the Obama involvement and the level of sexual perversion they are mainstreaming.
ReplyDeleteThey are promoting it, not just hosting it.
YMMV.
Your Belladonna has committed a category error: porn is not wrong because it objectifies women. Porn is wrong because it is an improper way to satisfy a proper need.
ReplyDeleteIf beauty pageants are porn, then the proper response is to condemn them, not to use them to justify more porn.
Your women are demonstrating why females should never be allowed a voice in public affairs.
Hear, Hear.
DeleteI also cancelled when they made a deal with the Obamas for $60 million. They sent me a survey asking why I quit them. I said :"Obama".
ReplyDeleteAlso...If you don't like it, don't pay for it...
ReplyDeleteBeauty pageants are not the same as 11 year olds twerking and grabbing their genitals. At least the ones I know of.
ReplyDeleteOMG you cant see the difference between beauty pagents and "cuties"? Someone coached, directed, 'educated' those childrent to do those lewd acts. Its called grooming and now they are forever groomed. it is PORN.
ReplyDeleteI don't support pagents either, but then I don't have a Netflix subscription in the first place.
ReplyDelete2 Corinthians 6:17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate. says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
ReplyDeleteThe "If you don't like the show, don't watch it" argument is off-point. Let's look at some analogous comments:
ReplyDelete"If you don't like slavery, don't buy one."
"If you don't like cannibalism, don't eat one."
"If you don't like riots and violent assaults, don't look out your window."
When people do things that violate the principles of civilized society, it isn't right to merely say "that's not for me." The right thing is to stop those people, by any means necessary.
Perfectly said
DeleteIs dwarf tossing exploiting the dwarf?
ReplyDeleteIs it an adult dwarf capable of giving informed consent, or a child? Is tossing a dwarf the same as sexualizing a pre-pubescent child?
DeleteI was extending your excellent bullet points into something that would hit home to Belladonna. If porn is wrong even though engaged in by consenting adults, then by extension dwarf tossing is wrong even though engaged in by consenting adults. It is exploitative in that it is demeaning, degrading, and potentially physically harmful. Sexualizing? No. But still harmful and still wrong.
DeleteIt is not that the beholder can choose. It is that the children exploited could not choose with mature understanding of their actions.
ReplyDeleteWould Belladonna consent to participating in such a project herself? Is she capable of understanding the implications of her participation at her age? Just because she is independent does not mean she is mature. She is very capable of self care but that is not the same as maturity.
Innocence is in some ways precious and in many others naive. Even so, we try to preserve our children's innocence as long as we can so they can grow up mentally without the oddities and perversions of adulthood affecting them. The children exploited in Cuties will never get the chance to grow up without their experience ever. They have been objectified to adult sexual standards long before they are emotionally and mentally able to comprehend the implications.
There was a time when the morals of society protected children to a greater degree than we see now. In many ways the changes we see are due to the dissolution of the nuclear family as well as absentee parenting. These phenomena are causes and the production of 'Cuties' is the symptom of the ever widening gulf between traditional American values and the liberal socialism that is looming in our future where 'anything goes'.
ERJ, You know in your heart that Netflix is propaganda from the other side. Be careful who or what you invite into your household, you are responsible. Re-read your preamble “keep what is good, avoid all evil”. Sorry.
ReplyDeletePedophilia is the Next Thing That Used to be Wrong. The progression has been nothing but predictable : Homosexuality, Homo marriage, transgender normalization.... gee, what's up next ?
ReplyDeleteA family is not a democracy. Who is head of the family? It is the father. He is held responsible. Does Belladonna own the house and pay the mortgage? Does Belladonna own the TV? Does Belladonna pay the Netflix bill? I agree with all the commenters above. We don't have Netflix and never will.
ReplyDeleteWho is paying for it? If you are, you can cancel Netflix without discussion with the wife and Belladanna. If they wish to subscribe using their own money, they are free to do so. They have no right to expect YOU to subsidize the enemy.
ReplyDeleteButch