Can of Worms #1

There's a new show on Channel Ten called Can of Worms, which is an interesting concept, even if the presentation is a little shaky. I'm not sold on the unfunny host and the guests are a little strange, and the twitter feed...let's say that the QandA twitter feed is a little more active. But the topics that are discussed are really interesting, so I'm going to experiment and post my own responses here, on the original Lady Sovereign Word Vomit Dump.

Worm #1: Is porn just a healthy part of a normal life?
The long and short of it: No. 

My say: I'm saying no on this one because I don't know of many people who openly indulge in pornography - then again, I am a fifteen year old at quite a prudish school. I don't see anything wrong with pornography, not that I'm addicted to porn or that my ambition is to become a porn star, but I do think that we are a little too prudish when it comes to sex in general - porn is, after all, just entertainment. I don't think there should be restrictions to porn access for adults but of course it's not really an appropriate medium of entertainment for children. Like any addiction, porn addiction is neither normal nor healthy, but the crowd that I hang out with (read: underaged and nerdy) aren't really into that kind of thing, so from my POW there's nothing wrong with porn, but it's not normal and has the potential to be unhealthy.


Worm #2: Is it okay to spy on your kids online?
The long and short of it: No. 

My say: On the show it was specifically 'is it okay to spy on your teens online', so I'm saying no, you cannot spy on teenagers online. Why? The answer is simple: in this day and age, children are introduced to computers and the internet at a very young age, and you have more than enough time before the teen years to drill in the basics of internet safety. If the message hasn't sunk in by the double digits then you've failed as a parent or you've got a dud kid. Simple. I think that anything you can do from another computer, such as looking at a facebook or twitter page, a blog etc., is fine because after all: that is internet publishing and your child is putting this information out to the world. What's not fine is if you actually use your child's computer and internet identity to snoop around: that means checking internet history, word documents, emails, etc. And whilst we're on the topic, snooping around phones and other private paraphernalia is also a no-no. My logic behind this is simple: adolescence is a time when children grow up and start to depend less and less on their parents, and this in turn means that trust between parents and children is a little shaky. By going behind a teenager's back is automatically assuming that they're doing the dodgy, and is one surefire way to ensure your kid becomes dodgy. I know all parents are concerned about their children's safety (or, at least...they should...) but adolescence is that funny time when you have to start respecting your kids as well as loving them to pieces, and the consequences of not doing so can be as potentially deadly as negligence or abuse. So, no, please do not spy on kids, especially teenagers, online.

Worm #3: Is it offensive to call someone a bogan?
The long and short of it: Yes.

My say: I have called people bogan before (cough Sam Worthington) and I have privately labelled many people as bogans, but it's not something I would say to a stranger or even somebody that I just didn't know really really well. It's a very touchy thing, especially here in Australia, where we're supposed to be classless but we're anything but. And I would be offended if someone called me a bogan, because I don't think I am one: although I have spent the last four days in my pyjamas, so you may beg to differ. So I wouldn't use the word too freely, no.

Worm #4: Is the burqa out of place in Australia?
The long and short of it: Yes.

My say: Yes, but it shouldn't be. For a country as multicultural and supposedly tolerant as we're meant to be, we are a rather racist, sexist, xenophobic lot. The only burqa-wearers I have a problem with are those who don't like non-burqa-wearers, or those who are forced to wear the burqa or niqab against their will. But we all have the right to chose what to wear and what not to wear, and this includes the burqa. I don't agree with the religious aspect of it, but I also believe in religious freedom, which is more of a preach but not practice thing in some places. So, I wouldn't wear a burqa, but if you want to wear one (want to, not have to) then wear one, but this is'nt really the voice of the people. Just a note: I'm slightly on the fence when it comes to court rooms and such.

Worm #5: Do Australians swear too much?
The long and short of it: Yes.

My say: I don't have a problem with swearing, and I personally swear on a regular basis. I draw a line at the c-bomb though; I don't think it's ever an appropriate word at all. Aside from that, I don't see the problem with swearing: I'm an angry person, and swear words are angry words, so it makes sense. Anyway, bad language is subjective and it's almost impossible to open your mouth and not piss of somebody, so I've kinda given up on the whole notion. But when you spend most of your time amongst highly obnoxious year eights and various other potty-mouthed individuals where every second word is 'fuck' (example: hello fuck you fuck this fuck that where the fuck is my fucking pencil etc.) then you realize a whole new meaning of OTT.