It's Not Like There Are Other Problems In The World...

This morning, I read that the state of Texas is considering legislation that will prohibit sexually suggestive routines from being performed by school cheerleaders. Hip hip hooray... but I mean, think about it, what goes together more than a violent sport and sex? It's American! They do have a point, though; teens are becoming more sexually active, and at earlier ages, and there is a strong correlation between their behavior on the field and their pervasive thoughts elsewhere. But passing legislation? Come on.
With so many other problems in the world, and in Texas, this seems almost inane. We live in a country that has a healthcare crisis, rising prices for resources, crime, environmental concerns, I could go on. Instead, we decide that this particular aspect of being a teenager is worthy of devouring state time. Not to sound cliche, but in my time, this sort of thing was left to the individual school districts.
More than anything else, though, this smacks of state involvement in something that used to be the exclusive domain of family and church; morality. This day and age, the moralists among us want morality to be legislated. That is not the place for it. Morality begins at home. It is our society's failure there that brought about this problem. Our music, television, most forms of mass media project these images. Passing legislation will not change things. A change in heart, a change at home, will.
There are bigger problems in the world that our legislators need to be tackling. Scantily clad teenagers should not be one of them.