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Gaga’s go-go stick is too big for little minds

Scott MacKillop

by Scott MacKillop

19 Mar 11:38am

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Filed under: Children, Classification, Lady Gaga, Parenting, Society, Sydney Concert

60 comments

A woman in her late thirties leaps out of her seat in a muggy Sydney Entertainment Centre, screaming as if she were a teenager again as a larger-than-life Lady Gaga, wearing skin-tight black leather, gyrates her genital region over the upper thigh of one of her female dancers.

Great entertainment, just not for the whole family. Picture: Noel Kessel.

Good for her. She’s just letting her hair down, getting away from it all for a night, the house, the husband, the kids.

Oh, my mistake, the kids are right next to her, cheering along to the hyper-sexualised live spectacle, and even doing a little gyrating of their own.

Although the audience is mostly full of teenagers and twenty-somethings, there are significant numbers of young children accompanied by adults at Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball.

“As you may have heard, I have a tremendous dick. Get your cocks out, Sydney, I hear you’ve got some big cocks around here,” Lady Gaga announces to the audience, generating a cheer from the mother and her two little girls.

The concert also involves video footage of a woman vomiting on Gaga, visual references to group sex and sadomasochism, and enough potty language to make a particularly foul mouthed sailor giggle with embarrassment.

So why have so many people bought children to see a Lady Gaga concert? There are three possibilities.

The first is that they are selfish parents, bringing their kids along because they want to see the show themselves and couldn’t get a babysitter.

The second possibility is that the kids wanted to see the show and their parents are well trained to cave in to whining and complaining, so do what they are told and take them along.

Parents in these first two categories most likely come with blinkers firmly in place, telling themselves that if they don’t pay any attention to the adult aspects of the entertainment unfolding before them, their kids won’t either.

The third possibility is that somehow, through stupidity, naivety or both, these people think that a live concert, packed full of more sexual content than a condom, is appropriate entertainment for children.

I saw the same thing last year when Britney Spears came to town with her Circus tour. Children as young as eight, perhaps younger, being encouraged by their parents to clap and cheer along to Brit and her gang of barely-dressed dancers as together they slid into a small metal cage and rubbed against one another, a mass of flesh and sweat throbbing to the beat of the music.

It was at those times when it occurred to me that what was going on in the audience was more twisted than what was happening on the stage, and there was a dwarf assisting a half naked contortionist to assume a position resembling the letter ‘M’ on the stage.

I hope I’m not in danger of sounding like some raving right-winger who spends their time telephoning talk radio about boat people and tutting to themselves about single mothers, I’m certainly not and I’m also no prude. I enjoy Lady Gaga stopping just short of a public indecency charge as much as the next guy, but there is something very awkward and off-putting about enjoying it a couple of feet away from a ten year old.

I don’t have any kids, but you would have to be an idiot not to realise how tough raising children must be these days. There is so much pressure to adjust personal parenting standards to those promoted by corporations as being acceptable, in order not to marginalise kids from their peers.

It must take a brave parent to look at the bigger picture of their child’s upbringing and say ‘no’, to put up with the objections, the whinging and the sulking and to draw the line at exposing their kids to experiences that they are not ready for, whether they be a highly sexualised pop concert or a party at a friend’s house where kids will be drinking and parents aren’t home.

I suppose this line of thought inevitably leads to the question of whether or not live shows, including pop concerts, should be classified and rated, just like a movie, video game or piece of music.

If these parents are too lazy to figure out the content of these shows for themselves before they load up the station wagon and head to the Entertainment Centre, or too warped to recognise that kids shouldn’t be in the audience, then maybe the answer is yes.

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60 comments

Show oldest | newest first

    • m says:

      11:56am | 19/03/10

      Best picture I have seen of the lady, face totally hidden.

      Reply

    • H of SA says:

      12:12pm | 19/03/10

      I don’t think many would disagree with you sir. I reckon the performers themselves wouldn’t be too happy to know kids are coming to their shows.

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      12:15pm | 19/03/10

      I think parenting is hard, but there’s a lot of lazy parents out there.

      Seriously, Gaga is “Bluffin’ with her muffin”. And if a parent is too dumb/lazy to understand that reference in its actual context, they should not be parents in the first place

      Common sense just isn’t very common these days. Too many adults looking for a nanny, need someone to blame for their own stupidity and ignorance. Common sense and responsibility, completely lost. I’m only 26, but dumb stuff like this really shits me. Too much finger pointing at others, rather than themselves

      Reply

    • Tim says:

      12:44pm | 19/03/10

      I’d be more worried about exposing my children to GaGa’s music.
      Bad Romance?  *Shudders*

      Reply

    • Hermano says:

      01:00pm | 19/03/10

      Agreed Tim.
      Once again the mass public are lapping up the “shock” and “raunch” that the media is dishing out.  The music is rubbish, yet a bit of talk about hermaphroditism and flashing a bit of snatch and tit around and all the plebs line up for a piece of the spectacle.
      As for me, I just don’t get it.  Maybe I’m just too old/jaded/cynical.

    • Pretty1 says:

      12:41pm | 19/03/10

      I couldn’t agree more, I was at Brit’s Circus tour, just metres away from a four year old child who, overwhelmed by the sado-masochstic media flooding their senses, had covered her ears and fallen asleep in her mother’s lap. Lazy, selfish people.

      Reply

    • Mum says:

      12:47pm | 19/03/10

      I am the parent in this debate, with four children in my care. I think part of the issue here may be two points. First point is that when I was attending large main stream concerts back in the day such as Dire Straits, Elton John, Billy Joel, Icehouse, Split Enz, Rolling Stones, Madonna the concerts were on the whole about the music, the dancing and in the case of Madonna the image and clothes. Apart from the odd expletive they were not overtly sexual, that was not part of the branding of music back in the day. Sex, drugs and rock n roll were implied as a lifestyle but not necessarily played out in gory detail on the stage. The tone has changed somewhat and although I have not succumbed yet to the pressure from y kids to take them to these events, it would be easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the tone would be fairly similar to the events I experienced in my youth.
      The second point is about the music marketing engine, again back in “my” day (boy do I sound old), the music was defintely marketed to a different demographic than today. Somewhere between 16-25 I would say when I was ten years old I never wanted to go to a concert of a current group, performer. I was just getting into roller skating. I was not marketed to the way the kids are these days, so I never even hit my parents up about it. Things have changed and as a community we need to respond, I think the ratings are a great idea. We parents could use the guidance, we cant be everywhere and know everything.

      Reply

    • Matt says:

      01:05pm | 19/03/10

      Ok Mum, I question this.

      Do you honestly feel like, with the image and music, and particularly themes, Lady gaga (as an example), markets herself to children too young to understand?

      Personally, I don’t think Gaga has a whole lot of control over the marketing, but maybe she does. I do believe she finds herself an older demographic (20s-late 30s seemed to be heavily repped at the gigs apparently), but commercial radio and TV push her enought that kids can hear it, and are attracted to the tunes. Not what is said or the imagery. Its catchy, they get caught, and they have no idea what they are hearing.

      Also, Gaga’s first ever shows in Sydney were not to 10,000 people. There were to a few hundred at a club called “Bar Broadway” on Oxford St. A BAR - 18+.

      Obviously, no kids then. But she’s big now - what licenced venue will hold 10,000 people?

      The debate is big, but there’s one controlling factor - parents.

    • Mum says:

      01:53pm | 19/03/10

      @Matt I dont think there is any argument about how much more exposed children in this generation are to marketing.

      For a start when I was a child we did not have a TV in our house until I was 10 years old, or a working radio in the car for that matter. As much as I try to be the filter for my kids we would pretty much have to turn everything off all the time to stop them being exposed. The radio in the car on the way to school can even be a minefield. Yes it is the parents job to monitor their childrens exposure to media, but community standards have dropped and I was recently in the position in the car on the way to school having to divert to my 5 year olds attention away from from a conversation occuring about a BJ on commercial radio. Yesterday the same station were talking about a staff member not wearing undies under her dress. Our parent did not have to be vigilant about this kind of stuff when we were young, it just did not happen.

      As for Gaga specifically, I know she is not the marketing machine, she is the product. But there is a lot that is appealing about Gaga to a younger market, on the odd occasion when one of the teenagers in the house turns on video hits on Saturday morning, the little ones 5 and 4 are facinated by Gaga. The costumes are vibrant, the wigs, the painted face, she is like a lifesize doll - not to mention the songs are catchy, the lyrics repetitive and the dancing fascinates them. They know who Gaga is at 4 and 5. They are not aware of some of the underlying themes, but yes my five year old thinks “a lady with a bright blue phone on her head” is something to watch. Is that surprising?  I am not supporting kids attending adult concerts at all, or poor parenting. But I think the majority of parents are very responsible, love their kids, are not lazy and are trying their best to be the filter but I still say the ratings will help as this will help us to make more informed choices for our kids.

    • Vicki PS says:

      06:17pm | 19/03/10

      @Mum, I think we are reading from the same book!  Comparing my generation to the experience of today’s children (I’m now the nanna of a 9 year old), and allowing for the fact that, like you, we didn’t have a television until I was 12, I would have had no qualms allowing a preschooler to watch Bandstand or Countdown. 

      There is simply no comparison in terms of explicit (i.e crude, vulgar) sexual or violent content with, say, MTV or V Channel.  Can you imagine the Beatles, even with the coded drug references in their songs, inviting the listener to “sit your booty on my face”?  And yet, as you say, there has been a tremendous lowering of boundaries, so that pop mainstream performers like Lady Gag-Gag and Slu- , sorry, Britney are marketed to an audience that takes in pre-teens.

      That said, on the issue of ratings, I think it’s a great idea, but it didn’t arise back in my day.  If a performance such as the Lady’s had hit the stage, the police simply would have closed the show down.  Full stop.

    • Rhys says:

      06:39pm | 19/03/10

      Parents can’t be everywhere and know everything.  But they can take precautions, any responsible parent intent on raising a respectable child would do well to steer children under 16 away from extremely objectionable material such as Lady Gaga.

      Just because times change and the morals of society on the whole change it doesn’t mean that we should merely give in.  I’m only 17 and believe that a great portion of the entertainers that have my generation as their target audience are rubbish.  Why? because my parents care, they took an active role, careful to make sure that I grew up with appropriate guidance.  Now I make all of my decisions and more than often find myself siding with the older generation.

      It makes me sad to see that parents simply lack the enthusiasm and the moral drive to parent their children properly

    • Seano says:

      12:56pm | 19/03/10

      “I hope I’m not in danger of sounding like some raving right-winger” as someone considered a left winger I’m pretty disgusted with these parents also.

      And even more disgusted because as a parent of 2 under 4 I will have to deal with these idiot parents in the future as they let their children be exposed to all sorts of adult content whilst I fight for my kids to have their childhoods.

      BTW. Bratz dolls are banned in my house, as is TVthrough the day except for the occasional Wiggles or play school as a treat.

      Reply

    • Heather says:

      01:02pm | 19/03/10

      I am a mother of a nine year old and an eleven year old.  They probably would have loved to go to the concert, if indeed they were even allowed to listen to Lady Gaga’s music.  They aren’t.  So they didn’t want to go.  If they had asked, it would have been with the expectation that I would say no.  The reason for this?  They know that they have boundaries.  Those boundaries are very clearly set.  They know the reason they don’t listen to this music is that it is not appropriate for their age group.  My kids don’t get given random CDs, I listen to every song to make sure it’s appropriate and if it’s not, I burn them a copy with only the appropriate songs.  I watch the TV shows and movies to make sure they’re OK before I subject my children to them.  Parenting takes time, effort and responsibility.  You can’t expect things to be the way they were “back in the day” because they’re not.  That’s naive, and blaming marketing is just passing the buck.  We don’t need more guidance, classifications and rules, we need to be present for our kids.  It’s called parenting.

      Reply

    • Nothousebroken says:

      04:01pm | 19/03/10

      I’m predicting teenage pregnancies in your house.
      As they get older they will just learn to hide these things from you.
      As a parent, are you saying you never use the classification guides to give you an idea of the content of something? So if your children do want to go and see a concert, you go first to watch it then decide if they can go to a future concert?.

      You must have a *lot* of time.

      Good luck with that.

    • Lee from WA says:

      05:02pm | 19/03/10

      Nothousebroken: What a stupid reply. The idea that discipline always results in teenage rebellion is total rubbish. As someone who did have a pretty strict upbringing during the 90s, I didn’t even feel the need to rebel. Nor did most of my mates with strict upbringings. It is probably because the discipline was combined with love.

      I am a Cub Scout Leader now and I can say that most kids want to have some discipline, even if they sometimes push the boundaries. Kids want adults who love them and treat them with respect and boundaries are a part of that.

    • Jolanda says:

      03:27pm | 20/03/10

      Heather don’t listen to these people who seem to think that every single kid wants to get drunk, have sex and take drugs. 

      My children are also very aware of what is appropriate for them and they feel uncomfortable with a lot of things that they are exposed to in movies and on TV etc.  It is a little bit more difficult in my family to monitor what comes into the house and the appropriateness of everything because I have a 19, 18, 14 and 12 year old so the younger ones sometimes get exposed to things that, had they not had older siblings, they wouldn’t have.  Very hard too completely monitor and control but they have a limit and they themselves will remove themselves from the situation if they feel it is not appropriate.  I am so proud of them in that way.

      I feel sorry for good kids because nobody actually believes that despite all the peer pressure, and it is difficult, that some kids have a lot of self esteem and self respect and they can and do say no.    It really seems that in this day and age, for children, it doesn’t pay to be good because it seldom makes you friends or encourages support and nobody believes them anyway.

      Good on you and your kids and good luck.  One thing with kids is that you can never say never you can just have open communication, teach them well, allow them to make the right decisions and be there to pick them up if they fall.

      Education - Keeping them Honest
      http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/

    • Jamo Ramone says:

      04:41pm | 20/03/10

      @Lee from WA: im the same with you, brougth up well in the 90s. I was taught to be respectful and to be polite and well-mannered and to to not resort to violence but in turn was brought up lovingly. As such now I am nearly 19 I found that as I got older and more independent and learned about things, I was granted more freedoms as I got older, like i didnt have to somehow score alcohol for parties (when i drank) or anything because it stopped becoming a matter of having to ask and more being about simply letting mum know where i was going. 
      as to the topic at hand, I wholeheately agree with Heather that parents need to actually BE parents and allow their kids to access/watch/use/do when they at such a young age. My parents wouldnt let me watch Monty Python at that age, although thatd have to be worse sometimes than this explicit-wise.

    • Cameron Price-Austin says:

      01:27pm | 19/03/10

      Classification, when it aims to provide information so adults can make informed decisions about the content that they and their children consume, is a good thing.

      Unfortunately, classification in Australia is thinly-veiled censorship. If a movie, TV show, book or game contains content deemed by Classification Australia to not be ‘reflective of community standards’, it can be refused classification and cannot be sold (i.e. censored).

      Few would debate that some material should be illegal to sell and possess (such as child pornography), but it seems the moral line-in-the-sand drawn by the classification board is creeping slowly toward the conservative right, such as in the case of video games, which, for some inexplicable reason, do not have an R18+ rating.

      Reply

    • marley says:

      09:16pm | 19/03/10

      But surely, even if you think classification is censorship, the fact that something is rated for adults only would give you pause to think about exposing your 10 year old to it? Then, you would check it out to decide whether in your adult judgement your own child should see or play whatever is on offer.

    • Tractor says:

      06:38pm | 21/03/10

      I cannot believe the amount of rules and regulations Australian’s want.  Having just come back from the US, I am astounded at the level of “we need x rule for this” simply because people cannot decide for themselves.  When did we become so rule-focused? Besides, if such a system was implemented, people would then complain that there are too many rules! So you can’t win!

    • BullClip says:

      10:47am | 22/03/10

      Cameron,

      I agree wholeheartedly but the need for classification ratings does not arise from fair minded people who look at a product and are able to discern what is appropriate for their children.

      Classification is needed for the guidance of those who are parents and are not otherwise qualified to feed a goldfish let alone a child.

      The idiot cheering to Gaga talking about cocks while her daughter next to her is the case in point.

      I don’t like being treated like I am that idiot but understand that she needs to be.  This cannot be done on an individual basis.

    • Matt says:

      01:30pm | 19/03/10

      @ Heather
      “If they had asked, it would have been with the expectation that I would say no.  The reason for this?  They know that they have boundaries.”

      So when they are 16, and the cool kids are going to a party where they will be drinking, they won’t ask, they will lie, have a well presented plan (to go to the movies and see Bambi) and find a way to not only attend, but get enough alcohol to fit in. They sure as hell won’t ask you, they aren’t that stupid.

      And if you have a female teenager, she knows how to get an older guy (who knows what he wants too), and she will have no problems with a good supply of alcohol… and drugs, sex she won’t understand.

      You see, part of being a good parent is hoping your kids WILL come to you, not avoid you because they already know the answers. Because knowing the answer means knowing not to ask, and knowing how to outsmart you.

      You’ve been warned - by a male who recognised those girls with naive parents when he was 18. Those girls like to keep the suppliers of “the good stuff” quite happy.

      Reply

    • Heather says:

      07:51pm | 19/03/10

      I have an 11 year old who goes to friends houses and says to them “I don’t want to watch that movie” when it’s already been vetoed.  In those exact words.  So don’t try to assume the type of children I’m bringing up.  She understands enough about drugs, alcohol and sex as is appropriate for an 11 year old.  She has had boys ask her out several times, all of which she has declined because she herself knows she’s not ready for that and isn’t interested.  Every single time she has come to me to talk to me about it.  She has very high self-esteem and knows what she wants and what she doesn’t.  Making the assumption that she will lie because she’s overly controlled is ridiculous.  My children are not controlled, but guided.  Would you prefer they were sent out to figure things out for themselves?  I really hope you’re not a parent, and that before you are you have had a chance to rethink your views.  I was brought up with far too few boundaries, and wish to god my parents had more sense.

    • Tractor says:

      06:48pm | 21/03/10

      @Heather I think you are being rather naive.  What your 11 year old says and does now will not necessarily correlate to her future decisions, actions, and behaviours.  Ever heard of teenage hormones?  Hopefully what youhave taught her will influence her future behaviour, but there is always the likely scenario that she will rebel.

    • Eric says:

      01:32pm | 19/03/10

      I agree that these concerts are unsuitable for young children. But do they do any real harm?

      I can remember being eight years old, or ten years old. At that time, sex meant nothing to me - nothing at all. If I had seen an explicit sexual display, I would have been completely puzzled, and maybe a little repulsed.

      As far as I know from my own experience, pre-pubescent children neither know nor care about sex. Now, post-puberty - that’s a very different story!

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      01:45pm | 19/03/10

      ‘If these parents are too lazy to figure out the content of these shows for themselves before they load up the station wagon and head to the Entertainment Centre, or too warped to recognise that kids shouldn’t be in the audience, then maybe the answer is yes.’

      They would still load up the station wagon and head to the concert because they would be too lazy to look for the rating the concert has been given.

      Reply

    • BMJ says:

      01:48pm | 19/03/10

      I don’t understand what all the fuss is about.

      I’m offended that anyone would actually go to see Lady Gaga. Look beyond video hits people. wow.

      Reply

    • Andrew Goff says:

      01:49pm | 19/03/10

      Heather says:

      “Parenting takes time, effort and responsibility.  You can’t expect things to be the way they were “back in the day” because they’re not.  That’s naive, and blaming marketing is just passing the buck.  We don’t need more guidance, classifications and rules, we need to be present for our kids.  It’s called parenting.”

      I think everyone, left or right, progressive or conservative, old or young could agree with that statement. We need to be present for our kids pretty much says it all.

      As an aside, wouldn’t genuine truth in advertising laws make a world of difference.

      Reply

    • josh says:

      01:59pm | 19/03/10

      You’re absoultely spot on. It comes down to lazy parenting, or perhaps more appropriately, useless parents.

      At 30, I’m a relatively young father of 2 daughters, the eldest of which is 10. But even I know you are not your child’s friend you are their parent, and as a parent you have a respnsibility to balance the protection of your child from inappropraite material with educating them about the world in which they live.

      Unfortunately there are so many shit parents these days, you can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen to these kids.

      From the white trash westies who are too busy knocking back cans of woodstock and watching foxtel to take their kids to the park, help them with their home work or much less care if they are pregnant before they finish Year 9, to the Eastern Suburbs and North Shore socialites who are too busy taking the same drugs as their kids and being seen at Ravesis to care at all - put them through an exclusive school, give them the keys to the beemer and stick ‘em on the pill, righto job done, back to the Ivy then?

      As you said, any parent taking children under 12 to one of these concerts is either lazy or clueless, and definately useless.

      Reply

    • nic says:

      02:08pm | 19/03/10

      This is a modern phenomenon that poses a threat to school teachers, kidults. In days of yore, what parents would ever go to a Led Zeppelin concert? There were different zones/roles for young and older people. If a 30 year old today wants to bop to Lady GaGa, ok, but really, kids shouldn’t be there. The problem is they want to ‘bond’ with their kids and be their best friend. Some adults need to grow up.

      Reply

    • One of the Grown Ups says:

      02:23pm | 19/03/10

      Is nowhere a kid free zone these days?  Everything’s going to be banned soon because it’s not fit for kids.  Message to parents -  treat them like the kids they are, instead of trying to be “really cool” parents and thinking you’re their BFFs.  You’re not.  You look stupid, and they’re pests in the wrong environment.

      Reply

    • Jack says:

      02:24pm | 19/03/10

      How do these whining parents propose the OFLC rate the content of performances that havent actually occured yet? Assess what people havent yet said at a live concert to make sure that parents are warned about swear words the performer might not have even decided to use yet?

      Does it involve a DeLorean at 88mph?

      Reply

    • Greg says:

      04:03pm | 19/03/10

      Most of these concerts by stars like gaga are planned down to the word. What looks like improv isn’t. You think she doesnt cry on cue at the same point in every concert or tell every city that she visits that she hears they have big dicks and everyone should get them out?

      Doc and Marty wont be required to rate a pre planned pop show.

    • Bon says:

      02:25pm | 19/03/10

      There were plenty of little girls at the Pink concert I went to last year, I was quite shocked.  It had never occurred to me that parents would think it appropriate to take their babies - yes, there were babies there - and children to such a show.  But then, when you realise that there are plenty of CDs released each year that are marketed to children -  little girls especially (one that springs to mind is ‘Barbie’ branded albums) - that have these artists in the play list, then it is not so surprising that kids are listening to and engaging with this music.  So many parents do not pay attention to what their kids are listening to and watching on tv.

      Reply

    • Not a parent says:

      03:53pm | 19/03/10

      If those parent bashers care to think about it for a moment…is it really practical for a parent to listen to every song, watch every tv show, read every book, or otherwise filter every aspect of their childs entertainment?

      If they did this, they would never have time for anything else. Of course they steer clear of the obvious stuff, but there are plenty of artist who have much acceptable content, and may appear “harmless”, but diverge wildly in some of their material. It’s not surprising many girls want to see Pink, Lady Gaga, etc. They are colourful, full of dancing etc. Kids won’t see the sexual connotations, and by definition the raunchier stuff won’t make it on TV, or late at night when parents or even the kids aren’t watching.

      Is it really such a huge ask to put a “this show contains strong sexual references” etc. on a ticket, or at the point of sale? Most shows don’t change a lot, I’m sure the touring company or artist could give an idea beforehand.

      I don’t see the point of these pseudo-pornographic shows. If I want pr0n, we have the interwebs, if I go to a concert, I want to see an artist perform, using the talent they advertise, not use cheap tricks to distract the crowd.

      Reply

    • Rhys says:

      06:38pm | 19/03/10

      They don’t have to filter everything, it takes a simple glance at an artists lyrics, behaviour or act to know whether they are type of artist you want making an impression on a person.

      I sure as hell feel sorry for any 8 year old who was unlucky enough to be told that Lady Gaga was an acceptable role model or someone who should be looked up to

    • Seano says:

      08:38pm | 19/03/10

      “If those parent bashers care to think about it for a moment…is it really practical for a parent to listen to every song, watch every tv show, read every book, or otherwise filter every aspect of their childs entertainment? “

      Ah yes. Noone said good parenting was easy. And of course if a parent is going to take a their child to a show like Lady Gaga surely they should check it out first. 5 minutes on youtube should convince any sensible parent that this show wasn’t going to be appropriate for a preteen.

      The problem with these parents is they are too weak, lazy and/or stupid to say “No”. And of course they don’t even have to say a flat out no, they could say “No it’s not appropriate for us to go to Lady Gaga but we can go to the Royal Easter Show”, or something like that.

    • Kate says:

      04:03pm | 19/03/10

      Excellent article. If you don’t have kids yet, I hope you do one day, you’ll make a good parent.

      I believe you can’t hover-parent forever. Sooner or later your kids are going to discover music, TV and movies that you probably would prefer them not to watch. But while they are in their young childhood, parents absolutely have the responsibility to keep an eye on what their child is exposed to. If you choose to have a kid, you accept that responsibility. It is not the Government’s job to legislate around parental laziness.

      Reply

    • Bee says:

      05:29pm | 19/03/10

      Any parent who knows enough about Lady Gaga to buy a ticket to their concert is either completely naive or stupid to not realise that there would be overt sexual content, and therefore, not suitable for kids. I’m not a fan - I don’t own any of her albums - but even I knew that it would be a raunchy night. Not that hard to figure out if you pay attention. I find it insulting that some parents are blaming the concert promoters or the artist for THEIR mistake! You are the one that bought the tickets, you must surely know enough about her music - listen to at least one of her songs? The one with the lyric “Disco stick”, for example?! Pretty damn suggestive!! Not thaat hard to do a tiny bit of research, considering you are spending over $100 per ticket, so you want to make sure that it’s suitable!!

      If that material had come up at a Taylor Swift concert, then I would be understandably upset. But again - Lady Gaga is suggestive and sexually explicit at times.

      Reply

    • Sam Chowder says:

      05:44pm | 19/03/10

      When I was at school the careers officer never mentioned that singing in your knickers was a viable and well paid job option

      Reply

    • BTS says:

      04:35pm | 21/03/10

      ...and the rest of the world thanks your School Careers Officer for not telling you that Sam.

    • Suzy says:

      06:18pm | 19/03/10

      I have an 11 year old who was desperate to go to the Pink concert with me.  Not a chance.  Not only because I knew that it would be severely age inappropriate but also because I scarcely had the money for my ticket let alone hers.  I had to grow up and earn my own money before I could go to concerts so my kids can too.  Even so, there were heaps of five or six year olds there.  Not sure how the parents explained the couch with the hands in “I Touch Myself”.  I had also been to Little Britain.  They had actually been on every sort of media telling people to definitely not bring their children.  Even so there were very small children there, about 7 or 8.  It was as explicit a show as I have ever seen.  How any of these kids ever saw it on TV let alone someone thought it was appropriate to bring them to the even more explicit live show, I have no idea.

      Reply

    • Helen says:

      08:10pm | 19/03/10

      (Quote) So why have so many people bought children to see a Lady Gaga concert? There are three possibilities….

      Well, Scott, it’s bad enough if people *brought* children under, say, 15 to a Gaga concert, but if they’re *buying* them to take along then our society has a much, much bigger problem than just some random onstage raunchiness.

      Reply

    • Jolanda says:

      08:34pm | 19/03/10

      I think that it is the Governments responsibility to assist parents to bring up their children and that includes setting laws and rules that help parents discipline and guide their developing kids through the stages and ages.

      The music DVD’s from these types of pop stars are required to have a warning label because of the explicit language used in songs.  How come the label doesn’t extend to when their songs are being sung at a concert?  Not the mention the lurid performances?

      Parents with pre-teen kids, who are being lured by the media towards idolising ‘out there’ pop stars, need the Government to assist them when they want to draw the line and say NO to their children on the basis of them being of inappropriate age for the content that they will be exposed.  Of course parents can take their children anyway if they want to even with there is a label or rating but it is about supporting parents who do not want to immerse their children in promiscuity, alcohol, drugs and sex too early in their childhood.

      Education - Keeping them Honest
      http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/

      Reply

    • Caz says:

      09:41pm | 19/03/10

      I too was amazed at the number of little girls at the Pink concert.  These are often the same parents who lament the sexualization of young girls and how they’re all “growing up too fast”....a little insight would suggest it can’t all be contributed to “society” or “media” but also in the choices and decisions parents are making on behalf of their daughters on a daily basis

      Reply

    • Duke says:

      09:57pm | 19/03/10

      I’m 60 and lurve the Gaga!  But i would no sooner take my 9 year old grandchild to her concert than I would have taken my daughter to see Blondie 30 years ago…

      Reply

    • Gregory says:

      10:31pm | 19/03/10

      I am generally against government imposing more of a nanny state, but if industry wish to self regulate then thats their decision.

      And im sorry, I still think a parent who takes a 9-year-old child to a Lady GaGa concert is severely lacking in parenting skills as well as skills of common sense. 5 seconds it takes to look her up on Wikipedia. 5 seconds. I am sick of nanny state laws being pushed on society because people dont know to do some research or use some common sense.

      You could say we are being bombarded in media and stuff like GaGa slips by parents. But cmon, not even raised in conversation with friends? I still think this response is lazy as hell, and to see some of the pathetic excuses being trumped on here…

      Learn to use some common sense in our day and age, look out for your own children. Stop expecting the bloody government to regulate our lives, parent your children and classify everything.

      Reply

    • Violet says:

      10:32pm | 19/03/10

      Is it lazy parenting or misguided parenting? I think some parents actually encourage their children to be sexualised because they have deluded themselves into believing that appearance and sexual power equate to worth.
      I was at a pub recently in the outdoor niteclub section and there were two young women, sisters of about 18 and 19, barely dressed, gyrating up and down as if they were strippers. Sweaty men were leering at them and dancing with them. Nothing wrong with that, except stitting nearby, looking on with pride, admiration and approval, was their mother.

      Reply

    • A country member says:

      07:48am | 20/03/10

      Q - There is a fourth possible reason why parents took their kids along.
      A - White Trash

      Reply

    • Mum says:

      10:30pm | 21/03/10

      This term is so offensive in so many ways. To call another human being trash for any reason let alone their demographic position is sad for all of us. Not to mention the racist implications. No human beings are trash, we have lost our compassion for people that have different backgounds to us when we talk like this. It would be nice if we could support each other as a community instead, offering helpful and caring advice rather than name calling, judging and pointing fingers. Here is one for you, people who call people White Trash should never have children.

    • BullClip says:

      11:01am | 22/03/10

      Ok, how about ....

      Stupid people whose thought process, out of sheer laziness,  is so lacking in the application of basic judgment, that the decisions they make can be considered to be akin to rubbish.

      Better?

      Hard to feel compassion for those making their ten year olds into adults too early.  Demographics have nothing to do with it.  Idiocy and lazy sees no socio-economic boundaries.

    • S.L says:

      12:57pm | 20/03/10

      Up until Lady GaGa arrived here I’d never heard of her.
      From what I’ve seen on the news she’s created a product and a persona her target demographic are after and she’s making an honest dollar out of it. Good for her I say!
      Remember when AC/DC, Alice Cooper and Kiss were almost the anti christ? Now they’re so mainstream it’s enough to make any hardcore old rocker burn their black T shirts!
      Would I go and see her? Probably not!

      Reply

    • Jools says:

      04:21pm | 20/03/10

      I just figured that people had no clue about the actual content of the songs GaGa sings - she’s not singing about rainbows and puppies!!  She’s up there with Britney for using shock and sex to sell music.  Nothing wrong with that, Madonna has been doing it for years. 

      As a parent, you are obligated to educate your children about age-appropriate material whether it is music, television or movies.  I personally find it revolting to hear a small child singing about threesomes or riding on disco-sticks.  I change the channel when I hear or see something I don’t think is appropriate for my 13 year old son and he is well aware of the boundaries.

      Reply

    • Sam says:

      11:51pm | 20/03/10

      The real question should be why is anyone that is a fan of Lady Gaga or the others allowed to breed

      Reply

    • Daniel says:

      10:45am | 21/03/10

      The real question should be here is Why are parents taking small children to shows that people know full well are a bit raunchy? It boggles me. People that I know that went there and had kids didnt take them with them.People need to get real and get over it.If people dont like her and shows tur off the tv or dont go to her concerts.Easy!!

      Reply

    • Simon the pieman says:

      12:41pm | 21/03/10

      Went to see comedian Daniel Kitson and in the front row were young kids and he asked the parents if they knew what his show was like (he was renowned for much swearing and vulgarity).  It threw him off track as he tried to adjust the material (bless him)and he struggled most of the set . It spoiled the audiences enjoyment but what can you do with clueless parents.

      Reply

    • Jacqui says:

      04:38pm | 21/03/10

      im a young musician, only 15
      but when i was younger, i had two teenage sisters
      who loved nirvana and bon jovi (good bands, amazing music)
      now i have a 7 yr old niece, and im always suprised at the things she comes out with, even on tv
      if someone is crying about the simpliest thing
      she’ll say” did her bf cheat on her?”
      i have to say as well, she is wise beyond her years, and is extremely smart (not just saying that).but i think its a great idea to have that ratings thingy(sorry cant remember the name of it ) she has her own mind and knows whats right and wrong, she doesnt really like lady gaga, she thinks she kinda weird.
      but she loves justin bieber, LOL
      As for me, as i was growing up, i was listenin to dire straits, bryan adams, pink floyd, etc. and i listened intesnly to the lyrics of every song, and in my family, almost everyone plays an instrument or two, so we were all so in touch with our musical roots.
      my mum says i have a very open mind about everything, but music in paritcular
      now lady gaga, is a pretty good artist, the music(melody and rhythm) is pretty good, but i hear the lyrics and im just like “WHAT” even with Ke$ha, in some song, talking about boys and some other things.
      it just astounds me at what the music industry has become
      everything is always sex sex sex these days
      no one can write a decent love song (there are artists who can, im sayin like hip hop and stuff)
      hope i havent just babbled on,
      smile

      Reply

    • Money For Nothing says:

      09:21am | 22/03/10

      Jacqui, with young people like you around I think the world may just turn out to be OK.  I agree with you about the words to songs. The music that is around today is hardly going to be a classic tomorrow. The songs that people of all ages hum or sing and enjoy are the ones that tell some sort of story, romantic or otherwise.
      I was in the hairdressers the other day and the music was disgusting, songs were blaring out with the ‘f’ word loud and clear. I made a decision not to go to that salon again.

    • Amber says:

      11:39am | 22/03/10

      I don’t think these are naive, uninformed parents - I think this is in the same vein as parents letting their 13-year olds smoke and and 16-year-olds,  drink.  I think they just don’t see a problem with it. Sadly.

      Reply

    • Nicole says:

      10:18pm | 22/03/10

      I don’t understand why the concert didn’t have an age-rating. It might be a bit nanny-state like but Big Day Out is 18 and over and no-one seems to really mind that… and from what I saw of both evenings, Lady Gaga’s concert was far more inappropriate for young minds. At least then idiot parents wouldn’t be able to take their 9-year-olds to the concert and then complain about it… they’d have to leave them at home like they should!

      Reply
 
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