The aforementioned sparsely-occupied sliver of the opinion spectrum that D.A.R.E. targets lies between the more permissive folks for whom drug use prevention is not a priority, and the more conservative folks for whom drugs are a taboo subject. There was/is a concern among the latter that talking to kids about drugs would only serve to whet their appetite and might actually increase the chance of later experimentation. This, from what I've gathered, was part of my parents' rationale behind not having me go. Besides, I was already well on my way to becoming my dweeby straight-edge self, so I was hardly "at-risk."
But there's a troubling assumption there, and I think it's especially prevalent in people who've grown up with the story of Adam and Eve and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Is it the "knowledge" part of the tree which ruined humanity's one-time innocence?
When it comes to drugs or sex, many seem to think so, and I'm sure you the reader can think of plenty of current examples of contentiousness over whether or not to teach or study something. Usually the argument is phrased with the motive of not brainwashing or indoctrinating the kids. But, if I may be so bold, often the opposite is true: it is the protective parents who wish to shelter their kids and make sure they grow up in the right sort of doctrine.
From both a policy and a moral standpoint, though, informed decisions are key. One cannot be moral out of ignorance, and the chance of hitting upon a just law in the dark is basically zero. Even freedom requires an awareness of such. Of course I recognize that parents should be able to determine when and how their children learn about tricky topics such as drugs and sex - but it's naive of them to think they can, especially since avoiding mis-information is even harder than holding back the truth.
So whether you want to call it "purity culture" or "innocence culture," I think it's a poor approach to morality, and life. I believe humans, and Christians in particular, are meant to be in the thick of things: as wise as serpents, gentle as doves; in the world and not of the world; and how much better to get wisdom than gold?
I know it's debatable - the message of the Adam and Eve story may indeed be just a warning against the hubris of pursuing knowledge. But Adam and Eve already had nothing hidden from them, being familiar with all the plants and animals, and seeing God's own face daily. Consider also Pandora's Box (another slightly-misogynist origin tale). In both stories, I believe the point is not to try to return to the earlier innocence - you can't put everything back into the box, and Adam and Eve can't go back to the garden. But there are things which should not have been forgotten... the search for knowledge is now a process of getting re-acquainted with Creation, and what we find out often becomes our useful ally in combating the perils the forerunners unleashed, among them disease, violence, and suffering.
For we who must deal with the world they left us, the dilemma is no longer between life and knowledge, or even innocence and sin. Everything is now imperfect, and the choice is now good versus evil, love versus hate, hope versus despair.
Is it the "knowledge" part of the tree which ruined humanity's one-time innocence?
When it comes to drugs or sex, many seem to think so, and I'm sure you the reader can think of plenty of current examples of contentiousness over whether or not to teach or study something. Usually the argument is phrased with the motive of not brainwashing or indoctrinating the kids. But, if I may be so bold, often the opposite is true: it is the protective parents who wish to shelter their kids and make sure they grow up in the right sort of doctrine.
From both a policy and a moral standpoint, though, informed decisions are key. One cannot be moral out of ignorance, and the chance of hitting upon a just law in the dark is basically zero. Even freedom requires an awareness of such. Of course I recognize that parents should be able to determine when and how their children learn about tricky topics such as drugs and sex - but it's naive of them to think they can, especially since avoiding mis-information is even harder than holding back the truth.
So whether you want to call it "purity culture" or "innocence culture," I think it's a poor approach to morality, and life. I believe humans, and Christians in particular, are meant to be in the thick of things: as wise as serpents, gentle as doves; in the world and not of the world; and how much better to get wisdom than gold?
I know it's debatable - the message of the Adam and Eve story may indeed be just a warning against the hubris of pursuing knowledge. But Adam and Eve already had nothing hidden from them, being familiar with all the plants and animals, and seeing God's own face daily. Consider also Pandora's Box (another slightly-misogynist origin tale). In both stories, I believe the point is not to try to return to the earlier innocence - you can't put everything back into the box, and Adam and Eve can't go back to the garden. But there are things which should not have been forgotten... the search for knowledge is now a process of getting re-acquainted with Creation, and what we find out often becomes our useful ally in combating the perils the forerunners unleashed, among them disease, violence, and suffering.
For we who must deal with the world they left us, the dilemma is no longer between life and knowledge, or even innocence and sin. Everything is now imperfect, and the choice is now good versus evil, love versus hate, hope versus despair.
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