Posted on 05/01/2006 3:07:48 PM PDT by Mr. Silverback
Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.
In McLean, Virginia, a young mother named Silvia began channel-surfing, looking for something that would amuse her 4-year-old daughter. Up on the screen popped something called Girl Next Door. It was a photo shoot for a Playboy centerfold, and it showed women in sexual poses, completely nude, except for portions that were blurred.
It was very clear what was going on, Silvia relates. She grabbed the remotebut it was too late. Her little girl was already asking questions.
The program was not a cable or satellite offering. In fact, Silvia did not even subscribe to those services because she knew it was hard to control their content. However, even over-the-air broadcasts have hit a new all-time low.
Its just as bad on the radio. Another mother, this one in Seattle, was in her kitchen with her 5-year-old son, searching for her favorite music station. But instead of classical music, guess what: She heard a DJ using a vulgar term to describe the female anatomy. As Robin put it, My son learned a new word that he wasnt ready to learn, and I wasnt ready to explain.
These moms are not alone in their disgust. Overwhelmingly, Americans loathe having their children exposed to profanity and sexual vulgarity every time they turn on the TV or radio. The networks dont seem to care. In fact, they recently filed suit against the FCC over its decision to fine networks that ignored community standards of decency. In their view, nobody has a right to tell them what to do. Even during family hour, they insist on airing programs containing the F word. If parents dont like it, too bad.
This in-your-face attitude is indicative of how far our society has traveled along the path of radical individualismespecially when it comes to anything related to sex. Anything else can be restrainedsmoking in public, driving without a seatbeltall on the grounds that its good for society. But restrain sexual expression? No wayespecially if it makes money.
And this is not without consequences. Just yesterday, I was advised by the head of a juvenile court services unit in a large suburban county that sex cases among juveniles are beginning to dominate their court dockets.
All of this is in contrast to the Judeo-Christian view that dominated our culture for most of its history. The view says innocent children should be protected from things that might harm themespecially ugly distortions of human sexuality. If adults wanted to consume filth, they had to go to grubby little theaters and bookstores to do itplaces that kept children safely out.
What can we do today to clean up the airwaves? We can ask our lawmakers to support the Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act. This bill would increase fines and hold networks accountable if they break the rules.
The House overwhelmingly passed this bill a year ago. But its gone nowhere in the Senate. Yesterday, members of pro-family groups bombarded their senators with calls. They reminded them about the networks lawsuit against the FCC. And they asked them to get behind the Broadcast Decency Enforcement ActASAP.
If you didnt call yesterday, I hope youll call today, and get your friends to call, too. Were working hard on Capitol Hill for this cause.
In reality, the networks are not declaring war on the FCC; theyre declaring war on our kids. Are we going to put up with itor are we going to fight back?
Sorry, I wasn't aware that you were able to read Mr. Franklin's mind.
I decided that a guy who died in the 18th Century might have given more thought to search and seizure than to the crucial need of slack-jawed yokels to view T&A on the public airwaves. Surely, that required me to read his mind.
Puh-leeze. Either defend your ideas or stay out of adult conversations.
Not exactly a Nanny State Ping -------- thought you would all be interesested in this.
Hmmm...I'll have to think on this one a bit. Not sure where I stand on regulating sexual content for adults. I usually love these Chuck Colson pings, but I'm not sure I agree with him on this one.
Of course, I draw the line when kids are exposed to this cr@p on purpose...but then, it was MY job to make sure I wasn't "The Coolest Mom" by indulging my boys in movies and music with gratuitous sex. I still remember the uproar when I popped "Coyote Ugly" out of the video player while they were (secretly) watching it, LOL!
If the 'Bra and Girdle Section' of the Sears Catalog was good enough for their Dad, it should've been good enough for them! ;)
You know, no one demands that we have TVs in our homes. They can be removed. I've done it. And when I have TIME to watch TV...I'm never impressed.
With TIVO and Netflix and computer & video games...do people really watch that much TV anymore? I've lost track.
Bravo.
A very well thought out and stated commentary and I am in total agreement with you.
I'm an adult who has parents, and just like my parents controlled what I watched on TV, I control what my child watches on TV.........I don't need the government to be be my nanny.
Monday night 10pm Travel Channel - Anthony Bourdain
I have no clue what is on at any other time on any other channel. My 7 year old, OTOH, could probably recite the weekly lineup for Animal Planet or the Discovery Channel with her eyes closed. But now that the weather has broken - the last thing on earth she wants is to be in the house. I have more important things to do in my life than bother with the TV.
I don't watch much in the way of tv-watched one episode of The Sopranos, and swore I'd NEVER view it again. Nothing but "F" every other word-not a virgin here, but my old rule of thumb was always, the more swearing in something, the weaker the script. More 'godfather' crap-why should I care about a bunch of vile scum that live to double-cross and kill each other? Garbage. Watch Animal Planet, Discovery, Lou Dobbs, other than that, pretty much movies -the older, the better, as a rule, and occasionally a talk program. Hard for me to believe I used to watch for hours a day back from the time I was a kid until about the early eighties.
I'm there with both of you. The garabage on tv today just doesn't warrant being tuned into. I like a lot of the old B horror flicks, and I do like a lot of sci-fi. But as for this ghetto-mode stuff, I will not turn it on. I cannot tolerate mtv, of E!, or those crap shows on vh1.
But, I would not want aunt nanny being my advocate, either, and if someone likes that stuff, more power to 'em. I don't think more restrictions will solve the problem. I can't stand a lot of this music today, either. But the P.M.R.C. really cranks me off. We don't need a P.M.R.C. for tv, too.
Now you know why there are only 4 shows I never miss: Brit Hume, Monk, Overhaulin' and Packers football.
It is quite possible that "Girls Next Door" is syndicated in some markets...but I doubt it. The mom in question probably didn't have her parental controls on when she went past E!.
I'm there with both of you. The garabage on tv today just doesn't warrant being tuned into. I like a lot of the old B horror flicks, and I do like a lot of sci-fi.
Amen.
LOL! I don't consider Packer's Football to be "TV." We usually turn down the sound on Madden and tune in to our local announcers. ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.