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Sex, Drugs and Reality TV: Start the Conversation on the Impact of Pop Culture on Your Life
Sex and drugs? Aren't these topics too controversial? In a word, no. Now is the time for a wide-ranging, frank conversation about the impact of pop culture on our lives. And what better place to do it than in a church, with teens, parents, business people, faith leaders and other community members coming together to discuss these issues in an atmosphere of safety, trust and respect.
That is precisely what Marnita's Table is known for doing. We have been hearing from many of the 500 or more teens who come to the Table each year that they would welcome an opportunity to talk with the adults in their lives about how pop culture impacts them.
Where else should we talk about the packaging of hip hop culture for our youth? As one young woman put it, "they use sex to sell everything from M & M's to cars, and we're not supposed to talk about it?"
Based on our work with teenagers, we know that these three topic areas of sex, drugs and TV are interrelated. How many pharmaceutical products -- ranging from Viagra to the little purple pill -- are sold during the reality TV shows that we all watch (come on, admit it. You watch them too!) There's a miracle drug for every problem!
Virtually every show on TV packages sex in one way or another, teaching young people to view themselves as sex objects, instructing 13-year-olds to dress and act like 16-year-olds, and 16-year-olds like.....you get the idea. Like it or not, many teenagers are having sex. A stunning one in four teen girls has a sexually-transmitted disease. Among African-American girls, the number is two in four, with similar proportions in other communities of color.
We must have these conversations, because if we don't, our young people will just get their information somewhere else -- from TV and the rest of the media, their friends, and the culture. If we're not willing to speak the truth, we will all live with the consequences.
For over four years, MARNITA'S TABLE has served up substantive conversation and great food to over 4,500 people of every age, ethnicity, class and culture -- for the purpose of igniting enduring cross-cultural connections through intentional social interaction.
Recognized by the community and media alike for their groundbreaking work building "bridging social capital" (establishing relationships across socially and culturally heterogeneous groups), Marnita's Table founders Marnita Schroedl and Carl Goldstein "walk their talk" by graciously opening their home to thousands of individuals and organizations yearly.
Those fortunate enough to attend a Table are guaranteed great food and intimate conversation with people they would never have met through their own social network. Unexpected things happen when people experience firsthand how inclusion is achieved -- finding common ground and building trust one person at a time. Table attendees always leave with a minimum of three practical items: the skills for expanding one's personal and professional network in the broader world, a satiated appetite, and contact information for at least one person, not to mention an uplifted spirit and sense of hope.
In order to step up the efforts of Marnita's Table as catalysts for change and make their dynamic work accessible to a larger audience, we've created an annual platform called "Start the Conversation." On Oct. 24, 2009, six hundred people will gather under one roof to partake in a delectable feast, discuss topics that range from the silly to the sublime, controversial to transformational, and party like there's no tomorrow!
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AdresseSt. Mary's Greek Orthodox Church
3450 Irving Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55408
United States
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