The Wisdom of Madonna

This morning while driving my young daughter to a field trip, I popped Glee: The Power of Madonna into the CD player.  I listened to a few songs before I started to wonder if this album was appropriate for young ears.  Feeling doubtful – but not wanting to stop listening – I began to think of reasons why Madonna was OK for a young girl .  After all, I grew up listening to the Material Girl – and I think I turned out alright.

It didn’t take long before I heard true wisdom in her lyrics, and felt sure that listening to the Glee Cast’s versions of her songs wasn’t going to do irreparable harm.  In fact, I realized that some of the lines in her songs would make great jumping off points for in-depth conversations one day.  For example:

  • “Beauty’s where you find it (not just where you bump and grind it).”  (Vogue) It’s up to us to find beauty and happiness in life – we can’t count on others’ ideas of what it might be.  Is it possible to change our minds about what is beautiful and good over the course of our lives?
  • “If I died tonight at least I could say I did what I wanted to do.  Tell me, how ’bout you?”  (4 Minutes) Are you using your life wisely and doing what makes you happy?  Are there ever times when we shouldn’t do what we want?  Should we ever delay our gratification?
  • “Strong inside but you don’t know it, good little girls they never show it.  When you open up your mouth to speak could you be a little weak?”  …  “When you’re trying hard to be your best, could you be a little less?”  (What it Feels Like for a Girl) Do you think boys and girls are treated differently at home, school, soccer, church?  Do you have different standards or expectations for boys and girls in your life?
  • “You don’t need diamond rings or 18 karat gold.  Fancy cars that go very fast, you know, they never last.”  (Express Yourself) All I can say is that we should have listened to Madge 10 years ago.  Maybe our country would be in a better spot financially if we had.

Other lyrics I’m missing? I’d love to hear them!

Can Britney Really Cause a Sex Riot?

If you watched last night’s episode of Glee, then you know the music of Ms. Britney Spears was featured. One of the many story lines included cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester warning Mr. Schuester of the dangers of singing Britney songs. She advised him that exposing the students to her music could lead down a slippery slope of debauchery, deviancy, and ultimately a sex riot. And in fact, a semi-sex riot did ensue when the kids sang “Toxic” at the homecoming assembly. So my question for today is: can Britney (or pop music in general) really bring about the kinds of misbehavior of which Sue is warning us?

Not that this is a new question, parents have been accusing popular culture of sullying their kids for generations. But does it really happen? Is there a direct line, as Sue would have us believe, between risqué music and bad behavior?

I’m inclined to say no. I don’t believe that listening to a suggestive – or even explicit – song can cause kids to engage in sexually riotous behavior. And to say that it does minimizes the other, more constant, influences in their lives. Parents, teachers, friends, neighbors, classmates – all these factors have much more influence than one sexy song ever could – even if the singer is Britney.

So, if you’re a parent, don’t underestimate the influence you have with your children – even if it seems like they never listen to a word you say. And be

Why Everyone Should be Watching Glee

Glee Cast - Glee on Fox TV

What are you doing Tuesday night? If it’s not watching Glee then you are missing out on something great.  And coming from me – someone who hasn’t “gotten into” a show since  Beverly Hills, 90210 (the old-school edition) – that really means something.

As a quick review, Glee is a one hour program on Fox that follows a high school show choir and the fun, struggles, and drama they and their teachers face on the quest to win a series of show choir competitions.  As a former show choir geek (or should I say gleek?) myself, I had an immediate interest in the show.  But it is the quality of the musical/dance performances, the diversity of the musical selections, the humor in the dialogue, and the depth of the story lines and characters that have me hooked.

Teen pregnancy, homosexuality, peer pressure, popularity, and cultural stereotypes are all explored in Glee – perfect fodder for a blog with a psychological bent.  So my goal during this second season will be to post my thoughts about each week’s episode.  And lucky me – next week’s guest star is someone who has inadvertently given a lot of exposure to psychology and mental health – Ms. Britney Spears. Stay tuned!