Entitled said:
Purity culture.
Well, I would prefer a more gender-neutral version of it, where women don't get singled out with slut-shaming like they always were and are. But in principle, I would prefer it if everyone would be encouraged to keep their pants on.
All purity culture really does is make people ashamed of their sexuality and unable to cope with it when the time is "right."
http://thoughtcatalog.com/samantha-pugsley/2014/08/i-waited-until-my-wedding-night-to-lose-my-virginity-and-i-wish-i-hadnt/
And I don't really see this changing even if you make it gender-neutral. At least when it's only heaped upon girls at least ONE gender is allowed to grow into their sexuality relatively naturally, and without shame or expectations they don't even fully understand.
Uriel_Hayabusa said:
I feel that some parts of society have become entirely too sympathetic towards criminal behavior, to the point that certain criminal actions will be blamed on things like poverty or racism or a crappy childhood or something else that's ''out of that person's control''. The way I see it, anyone who blames outside factors for their criminal actions is only looking for excuses.
David Draiman, the lead singer of Disturbed (a band I don't particularly like, by the way) said something about this subject that perfectly encapsulate my feelings:
''The minute that you start blaming everything around you for why somebody loses their goddamn mind is the minute that everybody comes up with an excuse to be a maniac''
Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOCP-nQvPzg
Well, considering poverty, lack of education, and lack of a proper family structure are all things which are known to increase the likelihood of criminal behavior, I think it makes perfect sense to be sympathetic to people in those situations and people who are forced to lead those lives. Yes, I say FORCED. People who are born poor are much more likely to not finish high school and remain poor themselves. As much as I love and respect Bill Cosby, I hate it when my (overwhelmingly white) friends and family quote his little speeches on how black people today and serving themselves badly. Yes, he grew up during a time of horrible discrimination and was treated badly and unfairly when he first entered the entertainment business.
However, he had two parents who both stayed together, both worked, both made sure he had the best educational opportunities, encouraged him to succeed in these avenues, and instilled in him the value of hard work. And he was rewarded for his efforts--his educational and professional success grew through his hard work. Now there is a poisonous culture that exists in poor urban areas which doesn't value education, family structure, or professional success. Most children are in broken families, and the people in their neighborhoods who have money don't have it because of jobs, they have it because they're in gangs or sell drugs or other illicit things. Parents don't instill in their children "traditional values" because they themselves weren't raised with them, and nor in their life were they rewarded for having them. Having an education doesn't get you success in that world, committing crime and serving time does.
People aren't born with good values intact, they are greatly influenced by the environment they're raised in and the opportunities which they are given. People who are poor have very few opportunities, and people raised around crime are forced to tolerate or even join in it just to protect themselves. America has the most stringent punishments of any first world country--we imprison people for the longest lengths of time, we imprison people starting at the youngest ages, we still execute people which most civilized countries have stopped doing, and we have solitary confinement which most countries and even the UN recognize is a form of psychological torture. Yet we have the highest rate of imprisonment of any civilized country, and the worst recidivism rates. Obviously punishment is not getting us anywhere, because a lack of discipline is not the root of the problem.
Anyway, on topic, the only one I can really think of and not despise the reason it existed or the way it was originally carried out is family dinners. I suppose one reason family dinners don't often happen anymore is because with both parents working there isn't a lot of time left over to cook, but at least on the weekends it's a good thing. Hell even if you don't have a family and it's just you and your spouse it's a great way to spend time and not be consumed by other things for a few moments.