Jun 19, 2008 10:41 pm US/Eastern
Pregnancy Pact: Is Shame Gone From Pop Culture?
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
The so-called pregnancy pact among young teenage girls at Gloucester High School has been sparking discussion across the nation.
It's sparked a debate over an emotion some say is missing from popular culture these days – a sense of shame.
"These kids are being socialized, educated and reared by a sick, pathological popular culture that says it's cool to get knocked up at 13, 14, 15 and 16," said Boston Rev. Eugene Rivers.
Rivers has been working with broken families and troubled kids for decades, and in the Gloucester pregnancy pact he sees the bitter harvest of an era of cultural decay.
"You can curse, you can walk around half-naked," he said. "There is no conception of shame. There is no proper conception of order. There is no belief in this culture that for some things, the proper response is no."
Could a turn-away from a do-your-own-thing culture prevent future pregnancy pacts?
One e-mailer to WBZ said no to that. "Bringing back shame means more girls will be pressured into abortion or adoption. Stronger families with involved parents will do wonders to cut down on teen pregnancy. Shame won't."
But another writes: "Holding irresponsible parents accountable sounds ideal, but how do you propose fixing 16 years of damage by a parent who obviously doesn't care or doesn't have the resources? Shame may work and as harsh as it sounds, what is so wrong with abortion or adoption?"
It's a debate Rivers says is long overdue.
"One hopes there will be a pushback against the vulgarity that produces the tragedy we have in Gloucester," he said.
An item on the popular Perez Hilton celebrity gossip Web site says, "Blame Jamie Lynn and Juno,'" a reference to the 17-year-old sister of Britney Spears, who gave birth out of wedlock Thursday, and the hit movie about a pregnant teen.
Too easy? Maybe. But when some parents are letting the popular culture raise their kids, you have to look at some of the culture's role models and wonder where we went wrong.
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