‘Kids! I Don’t Know What’s Wrong With These Kids Today …’

I learned a new word today—“twerking.”

According to urbandictionary.com, “twerking” is “to work one’s body, as in dancing, especially the rear end.”

Have you ever seen a music video in which a young woman kind of bends over and moves her behind up and down aggressively for the camera? Yeah, that’s twerking.

I learned this word today after hearing about the YouTube video of a father beating his daughters with a cord of some sort after catching them making a “twerking video” for Facebook.

(If you choose to click on the link and watch the video, I’m going to warn you that it’s disturbing, regardless of whether you believe the father was justified in his choice of discipline.)

Everybody and his grandmother has already offered an opinion of this Dad’s actions, so I see no reason for me not to jump in.

In my opinion, Dad went way overboard. Way overboard. Dad was waling on those girls like there was no tomorrow. He seemed very angry, and everybody knows that even if you’re a parent who does not believe in sparing the rod, you ought not wield said rod when you’re angry and unlikely to be able to control  your actions. So I can’t get on Dad’s side here.

At the same time, this situation reminds me of seventeen-year-old Taylor from the Lifetime reality series Preachers’ Daughters saying that sometimes she thinks it would be cool to be a porn star. Preacher Dad prayed about his concerns, but would anyone be surprised to discover that giving his daughter a good whupping had also crossed his mind? 

Listen. I do remember what it’s like to a teenage girl and watch your body develop in quite amazing ways (if I don’t say so myself). I remember admiring my figure at that age and the new thrill of getting attention from guys and all that stuff.

But this level of exhibitionism made possible by social media is off the hook. And I really don’t understand wanting whole gaggles of strangers to be checking you out while you display a serious lack of modesty.

But, grown ups, have you looked at the pictures of your friends on Facebook? You seriously have grown people posing like they’re on the cover of some fashion magazine or about to walk down the runway. And so, is it any wonder our teenage girls are all turned around?

In my corner of the world, it is all too common to see teenage girls inappropriately dressed, wearing clothing that is too short, too tight, or too revealing. In fact, when I see a young woman wearing clothing that fits neatly and showcases her figure without being vulgar, it is a pleasant surprise.

So, I really shouldn’t be amazed about this story, but I am. Every bit of it. And judging by the activity on the Internet, I’m not the only one.

What do you think? Is a “twerking” video for Facebook a new, disturbing low in bad teenage behavior or just the kind of dumb stuff kids have been doing since forever?