From Ozzie Nelson To Ozzy Osbourne

It seems that only a few years ago television brought Ozzie and Harriet Nelson into our homes each week. Then again, the current popularity of the MTV show, "The Osbournes," makes it seem like an eternity ago. Outside of similar sounding first names, there is nothing similar between the two principal characters. Neither is there anything similar between the two cultures they represent.

"Ozzie and Harriet" represented traditional America. The family had disagreements but never cursed or used foul language. The father was humorous but never irreverent. The wife was strong but always ladylike. The boys were mischievous but never sinful.

Families could watch an entire season of "Ozzie and Harriet" without ever having their morals attacked or their piety insulted. In fact, fundamental virtues such as honesty, morality, and integrity were integral themes of the show. The show was not the only thing pictured in black and white - so was right and wrong.

However, today's Ozzy knows no such decorum. The Osbournes are crude, vulgar, and profane. Four letter words flow from their mouths faster than water falls over Niagara. That they could even be allowed on television speaks to the debauchery of today's society. That they have become the biggest hit show in MTV's history (even President Bush is said to be "a big fan") means the culture has thoroughly collapsed.

One family therapist explained the show's success saying, "There's a domineering mother and a feeble father, something that's common to many families." She also said, "In some ways, they live a very normal life in this upper-middle-class environment, mixed with a really strange mentality and dysfunction." In other words, people like the Osbournes because they are mixed up and dysfunctional also. If that isn't a commentary on where we are as a culture, I don't know what is!

Then again, is everyone watching MTV? Are the Osbournes truly reflective of our culture? The change agents, who desire to turn America into a place Lucifer himself would enjoy visiting during winter vacations, say, "Yes." Of course, those same people would deny that the Nelsons ever reflected American society. (It's not clear how they can have it both ways.)

Obviously, millions of people in this country today have never heard of "Ozzie and Harriet" and, therefore, have never experienced life in traditional America. Furthermore, the Osbournes and MTV are helping to make sure they never will.

Note to Chuck Baldwin: "Ozzie and Harriet" was a sitcom, for God's sake! Does he, or anyone here for that matter, believe it was in any way representative of life at the time? It seems that Baldwin is hopelessly romanticizing the past based on a worthless, unrealistic example.

Yep. Check this out. Flip side of the 50's

When I was growing up in the 1970s, the mass media as it related to television was tightly controlled by three major networks and maybe one or two local UHF stations. The idea of a show like "Osbournes" was unthinkable. There was no cable, no 100+ stations to choose from. Now this MTV show is said to have an audience of some 3,000,000. That's a lot for MTV but a drop in the bucket compared to what ratings were on top shows in the 1970s. I think there was 75,000,000 people tuned into "Roots" back in 1977 if my memory serves correct. Again, there were far less stations to choose from back then and the audiences were much less fragmented than they are today.

My point is, there are far less people watching this show than one might think. Far more teens now spend time chatting on the Net or playing video games or taking advantage of one of the many other options they have for entertainment these days. TV is not as big as it used to be and we may be giving this show far more attention than it deserves. Lastly, I think most viewers of this show are in their 30s and 40s. I don't think the average teenager even knows who Ozzy Osbourne is, much less care.

I would love for my son to become as successful as Ozzy. I would love for him to be a great family man as Ozzy is.

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( OO talking about his fathers funeral, I substituded the *** for the obvious other letters {mp})

OZZY OSBOURNE
On the bus en route from Salt Lake City to Denver in the early morning hours of January 10, 1982

by David Gans
OZZY: I went, [slowly], "That's my f***ing father you're talking about." My mother freaked out; there was a whole big deal, f***ing fights and scenes and stuff. At the funeral, I'm drunk as a fool. I get to the f***ing church -- I'm the eldest son; I'm bearing the coffin -- and I have to go for a f***ing piss. It's like Airplane, f***ing insane. My father always told me, "I don't believe in f***ing God, I don't believe in f***ing Hell -- I believe in me. You've got to believe in yourself, because you're the only person who can believe in yourself, because you feel what you feel." That's what I f***ing have taken from my father. My father was one of the greatest guys that ever lived in this f***ing world.

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Be careful what you hope for.

I don't think the average teenager even knows who Ozzy Osbourne is, much less care.

You said it. They don't know who Ozzy is and whatever some may say about the man, his music isn't even close to what is considered pop culture today. I grew up on Ozzy, loved his music, and personally while I have problems with the language, am quite suprised his views are opposite what I was taught they would be

You are correct in that all the evils that are so apparent to us today were around in the white-bread 1950s too. You just didn't see them on TV. The "Leave It To Beavers" and "Ozzie & Harriets" of the 1950s only existed in the minds of the producers and writers. Shows of that day never exposed the underbelly of everyday life.

In the 1950s, there were big problems with juvenile delinquency. Kids sniffed glue, popped pills, had sex, committed crimes, etc. Wife-beating went on except in those days, a battered woman didn't get much sympathy. There were big problems with alcoholism. Organized crime was much more prevalent then it is today, business owners on Main Street USA often had to pony up protection money to the local mob and the local police were on the take too.

The difference today is that everybody is out in the open with their problems. It is no longer considered shameful to be on welfare or to be a homosexual, for example. Also, kids are not sheltered like they used to be. I was 12 years old before I even knew about sex and when I was 13, I remember being horrified by the movie "Jaws" and it was years before I could swim in the ocean again. My 10-year-old son saw the movie on TV last summer and he thought it was "dumb."

"Oh, really? Bitten the head off of any Bats lately?"

"Have you? Neither has Ozzy."

Don't tell me he actually learned a lesson from that stunt that caused him to get Rabies shots? I'm shocked!

Those who persist in pointing out class distinctions have absolutely NO class,

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Those who object most strenuously to the idea of class are generally people who don't have any.

I noticed you had to go back 20 years to find something 'damaging'. I'm sure you feel great about it, though.

Picked that up, did you? You noticed because I left the date in the post. I didn't look too hard for anything more recent because I don't think the guy has changed much.

How long did you defend Clinton for his behavior? Did you believe him when he said he was sorry? Do you still believe?

Wake up! Ozzy has some mildly interesting lyrics because he is so twisted. He would be the first to tell you that. He is bitter, angry, addictied, depressed and his lyrics might suggest suicidal. To suggest as you have previously that you want your son to be like him is whacked. Do you really want your kid to go through some of the stuff that Ozzy has, just so you can be proud of him if he survives it? I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Your posts on this thread and others continue to show your hostility. You blasted me a couple days ago on another thread because you didn't like my pen name or the question I posed. No logic. No reasons. Just attempts to attack the person not the issue. I pushed on your 'logic' today as a test. You've not disappointed. Now I know.

OK, I won't include 'you' in the flawed category.

LOL, thanks for cutting me some slack on that 'flawed' issue. I've got my share of them. What I meant to say was to not include me in the group that thinks the show was OK, or that the lifstyle it portrays is OK. It isn't, and the fact that so many don't recognize that fact is a terrible judgement on my generation.

Take a look at my profile, you'll see which generation I belong to!

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