What Are We Teaching Our Kids??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80pNUxIczig

I'm sure most of you have seen this commercial, where the little boy is "feeling sorry" for the other kids who have "lame parents" that don't drive cool cars.  REALLY??  People are NOT  the cars they drive NOR the homes they live in.  It amazes me that a company like Toyota would even think this commercial is ok.  What I am starting to wonder is what age group is in charger of making these commercials now?  Obviously a younger generation than me!! 

I have such a huge problem with this commercial.  It's becoming a sad statement of the society we are living in today.  Cars should not be a "status symbol".  Cars are a means of transportation, to get you from point A to point B.  I think its terribly sad that even the youngest of children are being exposed to these kinds of statements, and will be influenced at an early age to start comparing what they have to other people. 

I sometimes wonder just what made society change as a whole from just being nice and respectful to one another, to being mean and derogatory because someone doesn't have as nice of things as you do. 

I have thought many times that commercials are probably the number one thing that leads to theft/robberies/and feelings of hopelessness among folks.  If you have ever been really really poor, and you are forced to watch commercial after commercial of places you can't eat at, clothes you can't wear, vacations you can't take, and cars you can't drive, you really start to despise the way the world turns.  Heck, I have to remind myself all the time that the sparkly, clean, super organized  houses I see in commercials are just that, COMMERCIALS.  Commercials are not an accurate representation of society as a whole. 

I know for a fact that children are not automatic judgers of these sorts of things, they are taught it.  Last year I took Payton to a McDonald's play place.  He was having a good time, running up and down and sliding down the big slides.  A father brought in his son and his daughter.  I was a little surprised, but didn't want to show it, because the little girl had two arms and no legs.  None.  She could still get around by using her upper body strength and what parts of her legs she did have.  Payton became her new best friend.  He wanted her to go up and down the climbing thing and down the slides, and he never thought twice about noticing her differences.  To him, she was just a playmate.  He never said a word to me about her being different.  All he knew was that she was nice to him. 

I pray that most parents will have the common sense to teach their children that nice things are just that, nice, and you don't flaunt them when you do have them and that people are still "cool" even if they drive cars that are over 2 years old or live in a tiny shack next to a river. 

I know I am preaching to the choir, but I have to tell another story that goes along with this.  My husband used to sell tractors.  From time to time customers would come in that no one else would help, because the salesmen were very judgemental about how the prospective "customers" were dressed.  They would decide just  by looking at someone if they could afford to shop there or not.  So sad. 

An older man came in wearing overalls and no shoes.  He smelled like he hadn't had a bath in a few days.  The other salesmen ran the other way .  Billy being the super nice guy he is went right up to him and treated him with the respect that he deserved.  He told him he needed a new cab tractor for his place.  Billy showed him the one he wanted, he said he would take it.  Billy asked him if he would like to visit the finance office.  The man said no, that he would go home and come back in a little while.  He came back alright, still dressed the exact same, but with $38,000 in cash stuffed in his overalls. 

My moral to this story is....DON'T JUDGE AND DONT TEACH KIDS TO JUDGE....AND LETS NOT SUPPORT COMMERCIALS THAT ARE SENDING THAT MESSAGE!!