The government is not your mother. Television is not your mother. The army is not your mother. The police are not your mother. Your mother is your mother. And no matter what, you are an adult, and you shouldn’t need your mother any more anyway, except for cordial chat and visits on major holidays.

I write this as I read two articles. One is by a mom who writes:

“The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan on Tuesday declared the FCC’s indecency policy on ‘fleeting expletives’ unconstitutional. As a journalist, I am pleased with the decision and how it removes the FCC’s chains from the First Amendment. As a parent, I have mixed feelings”

The other item is about skin-whitening cream, and this is the lead:

“A new Vaseline ad campaign in India urging men to whiten their faces has sparked international controversy, with critics of the ads contending that Vaseline–a subsidiary of the Dutch-Anglo conglomerate Unilever–is promoting the notion that only white skin is beautiful.”

First, journalist/mom: Item number one is to drop the double standard. Either it’s good law or it’s not. Item number two is this: it is not the FCCs responsibility to raise your kids. It’s not the government’s or the TV network’s or the TV station’s. It’s yours.

Secondly, the skin-whitening cream: So what if some company comes along and offers a product you don’t like? They offer it to sentient, adult human beings, and if they are stupid and childish enough buy snake oil, they deserve snake oil. I don’t care if Vaseline offers Hitlerizing cream. I just won’t buy it. It’s not Vaseline’s job to take care of you. It’s not the government’s or the billboard company’s or… well, you get the idea. I hope.