Slog
News & ArtsThursday, February 28, 2013
Parenting Issues Sexualizing Children
Posted by Charles Mudede on Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 7:27 AM
ABC:
The Brockton, Mass., boy, born Luie Rivera Jr., refers to himself as a "Coke Boy," rides (without a seat belt) in a Ferrari and slaps a woman's bottom, in a raunchy music video that is stirring controversy as it goes viral. The video has also triggered an emergency investigation by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families after local police filed a complaint against the boy's father, Luis Rivera, alleging child abuse or neglect.I know a lot of white people will roll their eyes at the claim by made Lil Poopy's family and lawyer. It's the race card yet again. Minorities can only see racism everywhere. This is nothing but the exploitation of a child by his parents, and so on and so forth. I actually do think the boy is being exploited and the state should intervene, but white people, you can't tell me there's a real difference between what Lil Poopy's parent are doing and, say, what JonBenet Ramsey's parents did to her...
The family's attorney denies any wrongdoing by father or son and calls the investigation "racially motivated."
"White child actors are depicted in far more serious scenes, including violence and sexual content, and they get awards," Boston attorney Joseph Krowski, Jr. told ABCNews.com. "A young Hispanic male who raps - he gets an investigation."
And there are lots of parents like Ramsey's parents and no one is asking the state to intervene in their middle-class form of sexual exploitation. Ramsey was sexualized, but in away that fits middle-class aspirations and realities. Lil Poopy is being exploited, but in away that fits under-class aspirations and realities.
2
A Mudede post that is actually inspiring me to think. This is going to be a red letter day.
Charles, you bring up a valid point, I think. But I will point out that the boy was riding without a seatbelt, which is inarguably irresponsible and possibly considered to be child endangerment these days. As far as I know, neither the Ramseys nor any other baby beauty pageant contestant's parents are taking their girls without seatbelts and appropriate booster seats. But we know that it wasn't the fact that "Coke Boy" was riding without his that brought them attention in the first place.
That said, if a white family is sufficiently trashy (and I've seen white trash boys behave like little sexist pigs), there's not much difference between their experiences and those of minorities. It would be interesting if something virtually identical was done by a white family somewhere.
When Jon-Bonet Ramsey was murdered, I remember the general outrage at the idea of prepubescent beauty pageants that arose. They were not a well known thing before this case. But there was nothing really illegal about it. We can condemn the values behind them, but there was nothing rising to the level of endangerment, so there was nothing to be done legally.
Charles, you bring up a valid point, I think. But I will point out that the boy was riding without a seatbelt, which is inarguably irresponsible and possibly considered to be child endangerment these days. As far as I know, neither the Ramseys nor any other baby beauty pageant contestant's parents are taking their girls without seatbelts and appropriate booster seats. But we know that it wasn't the fact that "Coke Boy" was riding without his that brought them attention in the first place.
That said, if a white family is sufficiently trashy (and I've seen white trash boys behave like little sexist pigs), there's not much difference between their experiences and those of minorities. It would be interesting if something virtually identical was done by a white family somewhere.
When Jon-Bonet Ramsey was murdered, I remember the general outrage at the idea of prepubescent beauty pageants that arose. They were not a well known thing before this case. But there was nothing really illegal about it. We can condemn the values behind them, but there was nothing rising to the level of endangerment, so there was nothing to be done legally.
3
Lil Poopy can't afford high priced attorneys that intimidate state lawyers. Jonbenet's parents could and did.
6
Reminds me of the film Little Miss Sunshine. Still has one of the greatest endings I've ever seen.
7
The difference? That was then, this is now. There have been a lot of changes since JonBenet's case shed a lot of light on child exploitation. We should be learning from that whole Ramsey mess, not trying to use it as an excuse to get by with something else.
8
Guys, the same pageants Jon Benet participated in are still going on, unchanged, today. So I don't know where this talk of "we've moved on" is coming from. Charles actually has a point here.
9
Charles,
I agree with you on this one. The Jon Benet tragedy I found creepy before her murder. I never knew much if anything about these child beauty pageants. Indeed, it's exploitation. And, just plain strange. @2 put it succinctly.
I agree with you on this one. The Jon Benet tragedy I found creepy before her murder. I never knew much if anything about these child beauty pageants. Indeed, it's exploitation. And, just plain strange. @2 put it succinctly.
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