Don't Forget to Pack Your Morals

 Jessica Safavimehr, staff writer

Spring break another year another moral let down.

As Spring Break draws near, I feel the need to let the world in on a little secret known as the sober morning-after woes.

As we embark on those trips to Cancun and other party hot spots, college students need to keep in mind the morning after. That crazy, wild night maybe be fun for a few hours, but then you have to live with showing up half naked on a “Girls Gone Wild” DVD. Everyone knows exactly what I am talking about. Taking five shots of tequila and drinking nickel can beer who could go wrong with that?

That leads me to my next point, college and alcoholism. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we insist on drinking and making fools out of ourselves? Is it merely for a good time? Do we even have a good time while partaking in those sinful activities?

Of course, the partying has to do with age, hormones and what not. Studies have proven this point over and over again. But what good are studies if nothing is being done about it? Studies merely point out a problem but provide for no real solution.

Take the war on drugs that has been fought since the beginning of time, studies have been conducted, and researchers are coming out with conclusive data that could quite possibly lead to solutions but not enough is being done about it.

Americans spend millions of dollars on a winless battle each and every day. Perhaps if we had more programs in place to teach us how alcohol and drugs will effect us later on in life, such as a progressive, comprehensive program beginning in the early stages. Maybe we might have less “Girls Gone Wild” videos and less drug problems. America, at the moment, is extremely conservative and will most likely do nothing to help in the early stages of learning about consequences from alcohol and drug use. No one wants to talk about these problems. Its comparable to the sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy issues. Everyone wants to sweep the issues under the rug.

For once, I am going to praise MTV for a show they aired a couple of years ago called “One Bad Trip.” On this show, they followed girls and guys around during spring break. The catch was there parents came along and watched as their child took part in drunken debauchery. This was a deterrent for me to ever set foot in Cancun. I know how I would feel if my mom watched anything I did while intoxicated. Maybe we need more programs likes this.

I feel the youth of today have lowered their moral standards so low that they are putting their  bodies through such turmoil that eventually they are just going to fall apart. I hope that my generation sees the error of our ways and begins to realize how degrading it is to be on “Girls Gone Wild,” a DVD that will end up in some store with some creepy old man watching it. Is that hot? I think not. 

Perhaps we should spend more tax dollars on educational programs rather than criminal enforcement programs. My age group doesn’t vote and is inept at becoming involved in politics, so there is a slim chance something might get done to help the youth of the nation.

This is my plea to those in the same age group as I am. Vote, and maybe we can have a chance to prevent future problems from arising. Perhaps we can even make a difference, or even change how America views its youths. Now I’ll jump down off my soap box and express the need for more education prior to spring break.

Spring break is a time of relaxing and enjoying time away from school. It is set up to give the students a chance to chill out before finals, not a time to go extremely wild and crazy an lose half the brain cells in the body. So, slow down, and take two shots instead of five or drink one margarita instead of three. Relax, but don’t lower your standards. You don’t want to end up being the girl in the bath tub on the “Girls Gone Wild” infomercials. Everyone knows who I’m talking about. Lastly, remember that someone is always watching, and the choices you make on that weekend in Cancun could affect you for the rest of your life.

As for  “Girls Gone Wild,” and other such videos, they are completely degrading to the female gender. I have no idea why anyone would want to be on video looking utterly ridiculous flashing their genitalia everywhere. Why would you want something as beautiful  as the human body put on trashy display? It is scary to think what some girls will do to get on television.

On the other hand, if there wasn’t a market for these videos, then we wouldn’t have them. So that tells me that somewhere along the line America got its moral messages crossed and the female body once again became the object of lust and desire. I know I want a guy  to be respectful to me and my body, and not judge me solely on the basis of “she was on a video I watched last week.”

These videos are sending the wrong messages to men and women about sexuality. Sexuality is supposed to be something intimate and beautiful shared between people, not some cheap show for a creepy peeping tom. The moral character of American society has declined so much during the past 50 years, I am almost ashamed to be apart of my generation. Some may think it is natural to meet new people on Spring Break and have a possible fling, but it is not natural to degrade yourself in a wet t-shirt or shorts contest.

 Remember, the whole idea behind spring break is to kick back and have a good time. No where in the books did it say to get belligerent and have sex with the next person who walks your way. So please heed this warning and keep it in your pants or under your shirt. Remember, mom might be watching that infomercial at 3 a.m.