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Even though I have front row seats, I can't decide whether children today
are different than we used to be. Their predilection for all things grubby
has not changed, so you could say the grand scheme of things has remained
intact, but I have a feeling that it's duplicitous third parties who are
responsible for a downpour of unmentionables with which they bombard the
small fry via toy stores and gift shops, in the hope that their business
will earn them a good living. Perhaps this is the reason why filth today is
somehow filthier than it used to be.
Let me clarify this using a visual aid. My daughter turned seven the other day - something I can prove by showing you her handwriting, or you might think I was just another Man Behaving Badly. The picture shows one of the birthday presents she received. The turd has an unspeakably filthy feel to it as well as emanating a truly nasty smell. It can be lifted, to reveal a pinkish squelchy substance which when pressed produces a wind-breaking sound. The kids have a name for it, they call it slimey. Revelling in disgust, they produce a noice which sounds like "ill". This does not however discourage them from lovingly including the thing in the motley collection of cuddly toys, Barbie dolls, DIY kits and Pokemon albums. The thing is, if today's children have become so familiar with imitation turds and artificial farts, doesn't this bring with it the risk that the smut tolerance limit of adults might start shifting as the century moves along, with the potential side effect of contemporary art having to shock to an even greater degree by setting itself apart, so that probing outbursts of creativity such as canned excrement, rotting meat and cows sawn in half will at some point need replacing by more powerful messages? Where will it all end, one wonders … |