Posted on 12/21/2004 3:57:29 PM PST by Lindykim
TV Mocks the Faithful by Keith Peters, Washington, D.C., correspondent
New study finds on-screen depictions of religious men and women are overwhelmingly negative. Watching television can be a frustrating experience for people of faithâ€"a truth documented in a new study that finds ridicule of religion is increasing on the small screen.
According to the Parents Television Council (PTC) report, titled "Faith in a Box," negativity toward religion grew steadily this year with each passing hour of prime time. During the 7 p.m. hour, religious content was negative 16.9 percent of the time; in the 8 p.m. hour, 20.8 percent of instances were negative; In the 9 p.m. hour, 27.5 percent of instances were negative; and in the 10:00 p.m. hour, 28.2 percent were negative.
The worst offender was NBC, which was found to advance nearly 10 negative portrayals of people of faith for every positive depiction.
Melissa Caldwell, director of research and publications for the PTC, said Hollywood is comfortable with people expressing that they are spiritual beings, but when it comes to how they actually express their beliefs, it's a different story.
"Those depictions of the devout laity or institutions of religion, of doctrine, of Scripture, of the clergy," she said, "tend to be overwhelmingly negative."
Dr. Frank Wright, president of the National Religious Broadcasters, cited two reasons behind the negative treatment: Creative laziness and the fact that the majority of Hollywood executives, writers and producers are unchurched.
"A very high percentage of them identify themselves as atheists," he noted, "and so they are a people who are largely out of touch with an understanding of people of faith in general."
That lack of understanding creates negative depictions, stereotypes and caricaturesâ€"and Wright warned they could have dire consequences if history is our guide because it leads to dehumanization. He pointed to the media treatment of Jews in Germany before World War II and the cultural treatment of blacks in the United States before the civil rights movement as examples.
"That dehumanization," he said, "is of great concern because it's the potting soil, if you will, of persecution."
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ping
how in the hell do you quantify "negativity"? isn't that purely subjective? tsk...tsk...tsk...tsk
Just mock the TV by TURNING IT OFF!
I'm a little mixed up. The article says that religious protrayals are "overwhelmingly negative" but then the statistics cited show 16.7 going up to 28.3 negative. Isn't that still at least close to three out of four portrayals either positive or neutral? I would say that's a tad less than overwhelming. Have I misunderestimated those figures?
I'm a little mixed up. The article says that religious protrayals are "overwhelmingly negative" but then the statistics cited show 16.7 going up to 28.3 negative. Isn't that still at least close to three out of four portrayals either positive or neutral? I would say that's a tad less than overwhelming. Have I misunderestimated those figures?
Seventh Heaven is one of the best programs on TV! I do admit, however, that I'm surprised it's still on the air! Check it out if you haven't already.
Every year, network television gets more disrespectful. And, every year, fewer people watch network television?
Coincidence?
If I had a billion dollars or so, I would start a conservative, family-oriented cable network. I think there would be collective shock in the MSM and Madison Avenue over how many people would watch.
Oh, Behave!! You going to lead a lot of good people astray. (I'll admit Brenda Hampton has created one of the funniest sitcom satires since Soap - with a nominally Christian, dysfunctional family with the nastiest, most unadmirable and unsympathetic characters ever)
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