Pause Before You Play
"Pause before you play." It’s the new tag line on the Bristol Palin campaign against teen pregnancy. Watch the video here (there’s an extra interview type of thing after the ad if you want to keep watching):
"Pause before you play." It’s the new tag line on the Bristol Palin campaign against teen pregnancy. Watch the video here (there’s an extra interview type of thing after the ad if you want to keep watching):
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What does pause before you play mean? Well, on Good Morning America, Bristol explained, "It could be pause and go get a condom or it could be pause and think about your life or it could even be pause and wait until marriage."
In other words, the phrase is a bit vague, a little ambiguous. She’s openly said that it means abstinence for her, but she’s also leaving the door open for interpretation on this tag line. I can hear the critics saying that she’s going back on her stance for abstinence, that she should only be a part of a “Just Say No” type campaign. I say, good for her.
I agree that abstinence is the best choice. I agree we should tout it first and foremost. But I also know that most people don’t hear us because we don’t leave the door open for them. We’ve slammed it closed and shut them out. A little ambiguity doesn’t mean we’re losing our beliefs, but maybe it does mean we can share them as we all actually come together to discuss.
Pause before you play is out there now. Even more important than that discussion with the larger audience, though, are the ones that should happen at home. When your kids and teens see it, talk to them about it. Watch it with them. The ambiguity helps here too. Find out what they think the tag line means. Find out before they have to tell you another way.
Jamie Lath
Jamie Lath is a middle child that has no baby picture without her older sister in it. Even with only two siblings, she grew up with family everywhere because all her aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and even second-cousins lived in her hometown. With forty people at her birthday parties (all relatives) and her sister in every picture, she knows a little about community, and it's everlastingness. This has brought most of her ministry focus into meeting people where they're at, listening closely (especially to those who feel voiceless and like no one is listening), and helping them find God's voice in the mix. Jamie graduated with a BA in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas. Following a year of teaching English in China, she returned to the states to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. She received a Th.M. with a focus on Media Arts. Her background in the arts (ballet, writing, and acting) has given her an understanding of how creative expressions can give people a safe place to begin exploring how to use their voice and how it can touch hearts to hear God’s voice. She also blogs at I just called to say "Olive Juice."
