Dina Kok The Interim In early August, a group of young Americans presented a petition to movie executives in Hollywood, Ca., signed by thousands of young people, asking the executives to make cleaner movies. The petition, drafted by a teen member of the Youth Advisory Council of the Abstinence Clearinghouse, was part of the “Light, Camera, NO Action” conference that was held in Hollywood August 3-4, together with just over 1,000 abstinence educators, parents and teens who learned about advances in abstinence education. The petition, which begins with the compelling statement, “You have a lot of power,” speaks of entertainment that Hollywood provides and its unrealistic depictions of sex and relationships: “What you’ve shown us isn’t real. The glorified sex we see in movies doesn’t match our experiences. We never see the teenage beauty queen getting STDs from her boyfriend. We never see the insecurity children feel living in homes with unmarried adults. We never see the 137,213 AIDS patients writhing in their deathbeds as a result of so-called “casual sex.” We expected happy endings from the passions of sex! But we’ve found that sex before marriage only ends well in the movies.” Following this powerful commentary is the request, “All we ask for is the truth … all our eyes are on you. Please consider our voices and give us the lessons of life that will enrich our minds and enhance our lives. Our future is in your hands.” |
