Bring Back Shame and Prudery (Vanity)

Vanity ^ | 2-6-2004 | Me, Judith Anne

[Judith Anne]

Can people's behavior be changed? Can their expectations of consequences for lewdness be awakened? Most of us don't go around flashing breasts, bumping and grinding, tearing off clothes, or singing sexually aggressive songs...

I'm not a kid anymore...I do feel sorry for little girls and boys today, they have an entire industry battering their brains with soft porn before they even get a chance to learn algebra...no wonder they don't have their minds on their schoolwork...

The blurring of the line between innocent youth and responsible adulthood occurs much much lower on the age scale now...didn't used to be that way. The natural modesty of a child, male or female, is constantly assaulted, not just by a half-time show, but by television, all the time. Kids don't need to see ads about erectile dysfunction, about treatments for Herpes, about feminine hygiene products, about movies whose theme is rape or pregnancy out of wedlock.

Can we change this? Make MTV a PPV channel, for instance (thanks to the FReeper who suggested it? Any ideas?

How do FReepers feel about this? I'd like to know, and my flame suit is ON.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Personally, I think kids should wear uniforms to school. Furthermore, separating boys and girls into different schools would be a good idea. Studies show that children learn better in same sex enviroments.

[Cathryn Crawford]

And how do we "make" them PPV? What if MTV refuses?

Come on! It was a joke. Lighten up.

[hellinahandcart]

"Daddy, what's 'passion'?"

LOL

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Could you please post the email address of the FCC chairman? I have a hard time locating these addresses. I complained online at CBS, but even there it wasn't easy. There's a pulldown box where you can complain about a specific show, but naturally, the Super Bowl wasn't listed. So I had no choice but to send my comments to the webmaster at CBS. I have no idea if my comments went to the right place.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

The only thing you can do, if you want cable, but not all the stations that go with it, is to manually de-select the channels you don't want. Most TVs have this option - mine does. I've programmed out the WB, UPN, BET, E!, Comedy Central, all the Spanish stations (I don't speak Spanish), the shopping channels, etc.

[MissAmericanPie]

My grandmother would have passed out at what is on tv now. I would assume few people watch anymore, I know that is the case at my house. People will talk about a television series like Law and Order, or West Wing, and I have never seen one episode of any of them.

The liberals made the comment years ago if you don't like what is on the channel turn it off, so I did, and it has stayed off. Sharing a good book and good conversation is far more satisfying. My son is studying german and sharing that, other than a few sporting events or hunting shows he doesn't watch tv at all.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

I don't watch commercials - ever - at least, not intentially. As soon as one comes on, I turn down the sound. On the rare occasion when I've been caught unawares, I can't reach for the remote fast enough.

I think we should stay on this issue - not let it go - become activists. Write emails, write letters, cancel our cable, etc. - whatever we can do to return TV back to the decency it once had. There's no reason that entertainment has to be consistently interlinked with depraved sexuality - when did that start?

[Judith Anne]

Well, the weather is threatening, so I'm going to go hole up in a motel near the hospital, so I can get to work tomorrow with no problem (it's 60 miles away from my house).

God bless us, every one! Folks, thank you for all of your responses. I'll check in on Sunday night, when I hope I will be home.

[EggsAckley]

Pinky,
I'm not gonna go to that channel to find out who the sponsors are, but I'd be willing to bet that Coke and Pepsi are high up on the list.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

It was sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, remember?

But not as blatant as it is now, and not to the degree. Imagine a 1954 crowd watching the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

[EggsAckley]

Joke:

What do you call a boomerang that doesn't come back?


(( ? ))

[Lady Eileen]

bump

[Amelia]

A stick?

[Amelia]

But not as blatant as it is now, and not to the degree. Imagine a 1954 crowd watching the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.

Sorry, I was thinking about Woodstock....

[Wife of D28Man]

I think one of the most powerful actions we can take is to generate conversations in our own communities about this. And the first thing we have to do is reframe the question.

The nihilists have trained us all to justify almost everything we do in terms of our children's welfare. Then the response is, well, it's up to you to see that your children don't see this: change the channel.

We're not talking about "the children." We're talking about our culture.

There has always been - and will always be - pornography, prostitution, violence and sleaze. The salient point is what level of regard they are accorded in society. In a civilized culture, you have to go to some effort to indulge in them. In a barbarian culture they are simply part of everyday life.

There was a time when, to see the sexual violence and perversion which is today common TV fare, you had to hoof on over to the red light district of town. Today this stuff is ubiquitous, and it is coarsening all of us. Today it is the decent, genteel person who has to make an extraordinary effort to find or create for himself a wholesome environment. That was the real message of the SuperBowl outrage. The barbarians have invaded our communities.

My husband and I have started conversations in our community - at the office, the gym, at church - and have been gratified by the kind of responses we've been getting. This stuff has been bothering a lot of people for a long time, but they have been intimidated into silence and acquiescence by the familiar charges of "censorship" or "prude" or "homophobic" or even simply "unsophisticated." Quite literally, I guess, we're living the story of the Emperor's New Clothes - as soon as one or two adults say Hey, this is unacceptable, others are willing - relieved, even - to voice agreement. And that's the first step toward taking action.

I think conversations like the ones we've been having here are happening all over the country. I think the barbarians finally awoke the sleeping giant. I think America is gathering its moral forces for a campaign against the cultural Al Qaeda. And, as usual, it will be us no-names out here in the trenches that will actually win this war.

[kimmie7]

.

[gcruse]

A stick?

That is the correct answer to the question, "What is brown and sticky?"

[kimmie7]

DISCLAIMER: I've had 1 hour sleep in the past 30 and have a lot of junk going on in my life right now, so if I ramble please forgive me. I'll put on my flameproof pjs later...here goes.

Just tonight I was shopping at a local department store when I heard someone singing "I like it, I Love it, I want some more of it". Off key. Horribly off key. But what was worse than the singing (did I mention it was really, really off key???) was the fact that it was a grandmotherish woman singing it to an appx. 6 month old boy! Not only was this poor child hearing singing that would make my pets hide under the bed -- he was being taught that profound and moving song. Now, folks, I'm a country girl that doesn't care for most country music...was a Prince fan as a youth (I know, I know...) but something is just inherently wrong about that. Kids are sharper than people think. Just as they instinctively know when you are about to pop that last Oreo into your mouth, they know that when this guy sings "I like it, I love it, I want some more of it..." he's probably not talking about having another slice of Grandma's apple pie! There are many more examples of lewd lyrics -- in all kinds of music. And while 'golden oldies' are not excluded in that, certainly the lyrics were more subtle or relied on knowledge already in the possession of the listener. Today's music is in your face, lewd, crude, denigrating to both sexes and every race on earth.

It's my feeling that television has most certainly been a pied piper of indecency...constantly sticking one toe over the line so slowly that before you know it the whole nasty giant is trampling your property. I feel we are at that point. We are being assaulted from all sides...whether it's the Jackson/Timberlake stunt, gay marriage, partial birth (and all) abortion, NAMBLAs very existence, etc. Like most things it's a double edged sword. Informative? It can be. Entertaining? Most certainly. Filled with potential for corruption? Of course. We all well know television programs are not the only culprit. Yes, the commercials are just as bad. I have posted (to the best of my recollection) only 2 vanities on FR. One being a prayer request, the other being a paragraph or two regarding commercials. Just when you're settling in with the kiddo to watch a nice, 'safe' show that you've carefully screened -- an old Cosby rerun that you've seen and remember -- here come the people dancing suggestively in their underwear. I had a suggestion on that vanity, and I'll post it here now:

Rate the commercials. Just as shows are rated. The rule would be this: only like-rated commercials could air with any given show. A commercial rated YA, for instance, could not be aired during a program rated Y. Thus, while you may not like that particular commercial, it would at lease have been pre-screened to better align with the level of programming you allow your child (or yourself) to view. I honestly think this would help at least a little.

I hope I'm explaining my idea sufficiently, the screen is beginning to blur and I absolutely have to sleep. I've been much too verbose already, but this thread has definitely touched a nerve with me. I am in agreement that something must be done -- action must be taken to protect our precious children. Bring back the 7 second delay -- reinstate the 'deadly words' list. Relegate those programs whose producers won't comply to either the trash heap or subscription-based services.

Just my sleep-deprived opinion.

[sarasota]

You may have missed an opportunity to enlighten your 9 year old in what that was about and to set her straight. If my 3 year old granddaughter asked me this questions, I would tell her that it is an artificial stimulant (like alcohol and tobacco) and that advertising it on television is inappropriate.

[EggsAckley]

Yep.