“It’s so stupid!”
“It’s a waste of money!”
“It’s not even going to change anything! People will still kiss!.”
“I disagree with it.”
This was just some of comments made by my friends when I asked them what they thought about the new kissing law. Although the comments varied, it can basically be all summed up into one sentence, “It is stupid.”
The youth of today use many different ways to describe what they think and feel, e.g. posting comments on Facebook, MXit, YouTube, Internet, ECT... Looking at the general responses on these channels “I disagree with it” is the all-round feeling. Some teenagers think that the government is trying to stop raping and sexual abuse and this is the reason why that they are going about it - stopping or trying to prevent people under the age of 16, kissing or having any sexual contact. But most teenagers think that the government is just old school and doesn’t want the youth of today to “have any fun”. Or that someone in the government was dumped badly and this is their way of getting even with whomever.
No one is really taking this new law seriously and often openly mock it in conversations, usually with stuff like,” Okay, we kiss and get caught, then what? Are they going to lock us up together?”; “What’s the point? If it is supposed to try and prevent rape it won’t really work”; “It will just encourage teens to rebel against government and kiss even more, just to see who’s going to do what about it” or “Government says they don’t have enough money to help Eskom, but they have enough money to create a stupid kissing law and worry about a silly youth oath.”
Although this law is based on and made for teenagers, one very important view has been left out - that of the parent. Many parents don’t like the idea of their teenagers kissing at whichever age they are, so they don’t disagree with this new law, but they also don’t agree that there should be a law about kissing. Instead, it should be part of your principles anyway. As most parents know, you can’t tell a teenager not to do something because that’ll just make them want to do it even more. Some parents also think that this law is plain unimportant since a 12 year old girl can have an abortion without her parents even knowing about it, yet a 15 year old girl isn’t allowed to kiss her 18 year old boy friend. The government should be more worried about other important things than teenagers kissing.
The opinions and views on this law may be varied but they're still mostly negative. This may be because of all the uncertainty and discomfort of the topic on which the law was based on - rape, inappropriate sexual contact and couples with a big age gap. Either way, only one thing seems clear and that is teenagers will still continue doing what they’re doing and the government will have do a lot more than put up a law to stop them.
realmdigital
Date: 14/06/2008
Name: DZ Hall- Concerned Youth
Rating: 4
Comment: I agree that this law is somewhat silly. Kids are going to do what they're going to do. However, we need to look at this from both sides... We live in a world with standards that are slipping... and slipping very fast. 10years ago, there would not have been such outrageous filth broadcast on our TV stations but look at the youngest local free to air station in our country as an example: every monday night they broadcast a show with an 18LVNS restriction at 8:30pm I believe. There are more teenage pregnancies now, than there ever have been. Parents don't seem to teach their children anything about respect, morals and many other important things anymore. One often gets the impression that many parents dont care about their families as much as their work and selves. To cut my highly opinionated views short, maybe the government is just trying to reduce the countless mistaken pregnancies and resultant deaths of innocent little lives, the pains that these teenage girls have to go through when they fall victim to men that dont care. . . Why would the government spend money on something that isn't going to benefit them in an obvious way? Are they doing this because parents no longer teach such basic principles or maybe because youth no longer listen? I go to the shops and I see 10year old kids holding hands. . . it makes me wonder: what's next for them? Kids are finding out about the Birds and the Bees at far younger ages now. . . So maybe the government does care. Maybe we need to take a step back and re-assess ourselves and what we stand for. . . Well, that's my 2cents worth.
Date: 13/06/2008
Name: Mr Democracy
Rating: 4
Comment: What is becoming of our democracy if you can't even kiss anymore? I'm going to start voting for the KISS party.
Date: 29/05/08
Name: Brandon Marais
Rating: 4
Comment: they should make it clear on the show that this law is not wanted and is disliked by every teenager in S.A yeah so much for a free country
Date: 29/05/08
Name: mphephu sedzani
Rating: 1
Comment: I think the government is spending much of its time concentrating on small issues. I don’t see any fuss with people kissing & if this is their plan to try to reduce rape then I give them thumb down.
Date: 29/05/08
Name: BA SEKGOTA
Rating: 3
Comment: I disagree with this law because there will be more teenager pregnancy than ever before. Teenager will just be doing it indoor so that no sees them and the chance are they will be driven away by emotions one thing leading to other.