Concerned Women of America Blasts Fox Over Playboy Special

Newsmax ^ | 5/2/02

[areafiftyone]

Fox Broadcastings plan to air a racy special on Playboy magazine's notorious centerfold is drawing fire from conservative groups.

The network is due to air a two hour show, "The Girl Next Door: The Search for a Playboy Centerfold," at 8 p.m. on May 10 and organizations such as Concerned Women For America (CWA) want Fox to reconsider showing the program.

"It's men victimizing women for the sake of money and ratings," Jan LaRue, chief counsel of Concerned Women for America told the Associated Press (AP) which cited CWA as one of seven groups, including the Christian Coalition and Focus on the Family, that wrote a letter of protest to Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Fox's parent News Corp.

LaRue told AP she was concerned the special would encourage men to treat women as sex objects and sends a dangerous message to girls.

"It communicates to 12- and 13-year-old girls that this is what you have to do to be attractive to men," she said. "It dehumanizes, it objectifies and it is a gateway to hard-core pornography."

A Fox spokesman, Scott Grogin, brushed off the complaints, telling AP yesterday: "We respect all of our viewers' rights to their opinions. If this is a show they don't like or feel is appropriate, please don't watch."

The planned show will feature a dozen women who are flown to Los Angeles in hopes of becoming one of the magazine's celebrated centerfold models. They're housed at Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's infamous Playboy Mansion, and are filmed while "sunbathing by the pool (and) primping for photo shoots." After being given Hollywood shopping sprees and evenings out at restaurants and clubs, one of them is chosen by Hefner to be featured in a centerfold shoot wearing little or nothing.

The AP described the show as a cross between ABC's popular "The Bachelor" series and its Victoria's Secret fashion show aired last November which sparked a Federal Communications Commission investigation that found that it didn't violate broadcast standards for decency.

Fox has drawn fire from some of the same groups protesting the Playboy show who filed complaints with the FCC last month about Fox's "Boston Public," show, charging that the classroom drama is loaded with sexual topics, particularly for a program airing it what used to be known as television's family hour, the AP reported.

Fox defended "Boston Public" and series creator David E. Kelley, saying "we're proud to have it on our air.

[Phantom Lord]

This might come as a shock to you, but take a look at your TV and the remote that came with it. You actually have the ability to change the channel, or get this, you can turn it off! I know, its amazing isnt it.

Now, if I want to watch the special I will watch it and you have no right, duty, or authority to tell me I cant, or use government to prevent and/or forbid me from watching.

[hchutch]

AMEN to that!!

[RAT Patrol]

Well I can certainly agree with you on that. We have to be careful, though, to not let THEM be the definers of when we are "adopting their tactics". Most of the time we are falsely accused, it looks like to me.

[DittoJed2]

Oh, and I suppose I am not a good conservative because I listen to Howard Stern on occasion?
Being a conservative and being a moral/social conservative are two different things. If you say you enjoy listening to Stern and still say you are social/moral conservative, then you are wrong. But you can still be a person who believes in small government and otherwise conservative policies and be conservative (just not a moral conservative).

If you want to be a fuddy-duddy, fine. But last time I checked, freedom existed here, meaning people are free to make their own mistakes. But Brent Bozell is a real jerk sometimes. Bozell does the Lord's work on media bias, but he sure comes across as a Puritan at times.
First of all, not all freedom is profitable and when someone abuses freedom to promote that which tears down society then it is wrong not to stand against it. Second, I would suggest you really study the puritans. They, like evangelical Christians, are not what the media has portrayed them to be. Did they stress holiness of life? Yes. But this does not mean that they did not believe in having fun. The fuddy-duddy image is pure fiction concocted by liberals who don't want to be told that there is a moral right and wrong. Even the Salem Witch trials are BADLY misrepresented as being a puritan witch hunt. It was more likely a dynamic between one section of Salem and another section and many Puritans opposed the trials. The trials were conducted by the civil magistrates, not the puritans themselves.

[DittoJed2]

This might come as a shock to you, but take a look at your TV and the remote that came with it. You actually have the ability to change the channel, or get this, you can turn it off! I know, its amazing isnt it.

Now, if I want to watch the special I will watch it and you have no right, duty, or authority to tell me I cant, or use government to prevent and/or forbid me from watching.

First, I pay for satellite television and have every right to voice my opinion if I wish. I even have the right to say that I think such trash ought not be on television. Second, i did not say that I was going to use the government to enforce this opinion. And third, you are telling me what to do by saying turn it off. As an American, I have the right to say this is wrong and shouldn't occur in our country. As a Christian I have the duty to tell you and everyone else that this exploitation of men, women, and children should stop because it DESTROYS people's lives. The only place where you are right is that I have no AUTHORITY to tell you what to do. I don't have that authority, but God does and He gave us moral law that we should all abide by. This special serves no good purpose and only further works to hasten the decay of American society.

[Don Myers]

Ok, it is their right. Just for the heck of it, would you explain just where that right comes from? I guess there are a few laws governing such behavior, but just where does the right to be a slut originate? Not arguing with you on this, just asking a question.

[weikel]

Your body=your property thus it follows you can do what you want with it LOL provided you don't interfere with anybody else.

[MoJo2001]

We've come a long way baby! Isn't that what the slogan used to be? Well, if women want to have their face shown on television to be the next chick to spread her legs for a "spread" and get paid..then I'd say it's not degrading women. Real women have better things to do. Chicks who need to pose nude to get "exposure" are getting exactly what they want. Womens rights be damned. Thank the Feminazi's for this one! LOL!

[Don Myers]

"Your body=your property thus it follows you can do what you want with it"

That is the same line of reasoning that women use to kill their young.

[weikel]

Ah but the fetus( past a certain stage anyway) ain't their property.