The violence in young adult books has escalated over the decades, to the point where it's difficult to see how it could become more violent. The topics are often sick or overly sexual to the point of being nauseating. The story plots come second to a desire for adrenaline spike after adrenaline spike. And this is a problem for all of society.
Writers (storytellers) throughout evolution have been the stablising force of culture, and so, with writers having lost their way so much, we can hardly be surprised when culture does the same. Sustainability of society and environment are a feedback system with fictional storytelling. Our brains make the fiction, the fiction moderates thoughts and behaviours, thoughts and behaviours change society and the world, our brains respond to those changes and make stories to heal us... or at least that's how things work when love is our motivation instead of money and thrills. Now is a great time to explore more traditional and cultural stories, to celebrate our diverse ways to teach to most desirable traits humans aspire to.
Young adult fiction is part of freedom of speech and self expression, yet it needs social responsibility and the moral backbone to stop sensationalist mind-pollution. Some adult writers are perverts, they really are, egging on sexual contact between teenagers who really need those precious years to figure out who they are and grow in maturity first. It's not just there in their plots, it's in their metaphors. So gross. It's cheap sleaze that sells and our kids deserve better, so much better.
In a role modelling mammal such as humanity, one that evolved creating extra role models in fiction, the money-hungry and morality-poor writers of trash novels - especially those aimed at youth and young adults - need to really think about their role in society and what they are prepared to use their creative gifts for. Our language and our culture is one and the same, our art creates society as much as society creates art. We owe it to future generations to get this right and tell stories with more purpose as the native Americans and other stable societies did. Without good storytelling, there can be no stable human society. It can and should be entertaining and great art - yet it is so very much more.
Let's face it, most young adult books are mind polluting garbage. They teach all the wrong messages. In our youth, to have health, we need to learn who we are as individuals and what we have to contribute to our communities. We need to learn our self worth and how to maintain high self esteem for a lifetime. We need to become comfortable with our gender identity, ethnic identity and sexual orientation. This genre is little more than some pervert whispering in young ears... and it needs to stop. Kids aren't fodder for the consumerist machine, they are our hearts and souls, they our divine responsibility to keep safe and our honour to love. So let us take a look at what we are providing with fresh eyes and engage our brains with a view to protecting each other and moving into an emotionally intelligent future. Real adults don't exploit kids, they raise them up with great respect.
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