NEWS: Whats on TV? Alot More Sex

Hey we are forced to pay for the religious network and the Disney channel. right.

So adults can watch the religious network and force the kids to watch nickelodeon and Disney.

Problem solved.

Someone posted about pollution in the water supply, how it pollutes the WHOLE body of water, and not just my sink or your sink.

I don't like the idea of nation-wide standards.

On the other hand . . .

We control pretty carefully what my kids see on TV. They watch videos we've already watched for them. We let them watch some Disney and Nick, but I don't like the commercials, which push stuff for like 10 minutes straight.

If someone thinks Disney is "kids programming" it is actually not. It's for teens. So unless you want your 4th grader asking to wear miniskirts and bras, bikinis, and talking about which boy she's "going with" in the 4th grade, then you've gotta choose one program at a time.

The thing that is really disconcerting is, we are pretty honest with out kids, and answer their questions about human sexuality in as much detail as the child asks about.

But it's pretty disconcerting when your kid comes home talking about oral/anal contact, and gay sex. The other fourth graders told her all the stuff she was missing on "adult swim." They all have TV's in their bedrooms, and watch it after their parents go to bed.

So . . . we are starting to talk pretty seriously about homeschool, after the Christmas break.

See, even if we are responsible parents, the idio-parents drag everyone else down.

How come this is "my personal problem" if I really don't want the 4th graders in my town learning all about fisting and "tossing your salad" on TV?

If you, as an adult went and talked to them about such things in person, I'm pretty sure it'd be a criminal offense, (i.e. assault, sexual misconduct with a minor, etc.) But if a network or cable company does this, it is somebody's first amendment right.

When will enough be enough,if we havent already reached the limits of decency then how far does it go."Sell your kids and throw your tv away" and other such defences are ridiculous.If it's no big deal that its on why such an outcry if it were gone.By some of your standards i shouldnt care because i dont have kids..my problem is that i do care and not about controlling what adults watch, it seems to me that were being saturated with this stuff to the point where it's made to feel like it's no big deal and then we allow "OUR" kids to become saturated as well.So in 10 years when full out hardcore porn is on public tv and one or two of you say whoa ok enough, do be expecting many others to ridicule you for having a moral or 2 and for caring about more than yourself.

I raised two kids with TV on I never controlled their viewing habits on regular TV, porn was not an option that is an adult subject.

My children grew up into teens and promiscuity was never a problem, actually my daughter was very comfortable with her body and she knew anything that a young girl should know about sex and the results of it, more so that many of her family controlled friends, that became sexually active when still in high schools and many of them didn't even knew anything about sexually transmitted diseases.

Neither my daughter or my son engaged in sex at early age, now as adults they actually say that knowing about sex and its repercussions good and bad help them stay away from it because they were no ready.

So I maybe one of a kind mother my children maybe one of a kind but they grew up with the tools to understand what was dirty and what was natural when it came to sex.

Sex is not dirty or unnatural, what we make of it is what it makes it so bad teaching our children to understand the difference is not making them grow faster or exposing them to have sex, but to make them more intelligent about making choices when they are ready not before.

Again, nobody said it is dirty or unnatural. How it is viewed, how it is handled; that is the important thing.
Marg, don't take this wrong, but I don't know you or your children, and I don't know what you think is normal or decent, and I don't know what your children are. By our discussions, I am quite certain that you and I do not share the same standards.
When I was a kid, the TV wasn't the baby sitter, and it also did NOT have the garbage on at ANY time, much less shown at times when children are awake and watching it.
When I was a kid, households had fewer TV's and adults weren't slapping them in kids' rooms, where they can flip through unsupervised.

Whether you like it or not, your character is influenced by what is programmed into yor head. You feed your brain a diet of this garbage, and you will be influenced. You feed a child a diet of this garbage, and there is going to be yet another less than healthy character wandering the world.

Rationalize filth any way you want, Marg, but do not assume that while you are arguing for indecency on the TV, that I will take child-rearing tips from. I much prefer my ways, and, by all observations of friends and family, they seem to be working quite well. My standards, and theirs, are the old, traditional ones. Tried and True.

If you really want to start tracing the teen sex/pregnancy/disease rates to something, TV is the last thing you should be looking at. Fact is, here in the US, we are a bunch of tight-assed people who look at sex as a taboo, and not as a fact of life. Fact is, open and honest acceptance of human sexuality is probably the best combatant of underage pregnancy/disease. When you remove the taboo, it becomes something that is no longer done to "piss off ones parents when feeling rebellious" and now becomes just another fact of life to learn about and deal with responsibly. I think most adults give kids too little credit regarding their decision making capabilities. Most 14 year olds are quite capable of making their own decisions, and should be respected in making those decisions. I say this as a 30 year old adult, who still remembers when he was 14. Most of the teen sexuality/pregnancy/disease is as a result of rebelling against more sexually conservative (at least in their eyes) parents and society that keeps telling them sex is wrong. Make sex no longer wrong, and more of a simple fact of life, and I'd be willing to bet my next two paychecks that the teenage sex/preganacy/disease rates would go down.

Take a look at many European or South American countries (England and Brazil come to mind offhand), where sex on TV is commonplace, and look at their teenage pregnancy/disease rates. They're FAR lower than the US rates, and this is because these nations both possess a culture that's more open about sexuality than the US is.

We, as Americans, often like to tout our prowess as "the best nation in the world," but when it really comes down to it, we're still in the dark ages on many points, human sexuality being one of them.

Kids are going to have sex one way or the other. At least with it being an accepted practice, and having an open and honest discourse with them, they may actually respect the information you give them regarding it, and prove themselves far more responible than most adults think them capable of.

Thomas Crowne

I never say indecency is good but what we teach our children at home is the first experience that they will have about life.

I don't believe that the trash on TV has any impact on people's mentality that is for the weak minded.

I do not advocate for TV as a baby sitter either, that is for the irresponsible parent.

But I do not agree with the personal choices of other to be pushed upon me, and my family.

I have been successful as a mother and the reason is because religion didn't interfered with my role as a mother.

I know this is going to make you angry but the root of evil and manipulation of the mind is in the conflicting teachings that self advocates for family values are doing when they try to take the responsibility of the parents upon themselves.

Originally posted by marg6043

But I do not agree with the personal choices of other to be pushed upon me, and my family.

There are a few albeit probably very few at this point,people who wouldnt hesitate to suggest that somebody else's choices are exactly what are being forced on you.

IMHO, I think our political correctness and the worries over morality, versus actually living morals out is whats destroying this country. Take a look at other countries Tellies, and tell me, we arent kind of prudish when it comes to whats on. Even in the holiest of land Israel, I have had friends bring back porn mags, that would make Larry Flynt blush. One pictorial happened to be woman using a boeing 757- but lets not go there.

Our problem doesnt lie with too much sex on tv, it comes from the lack of parenting going on nowadays, with parents having to work 2 jobs just to afford basic things like food and rent, who the heck has the time to instill proper morals. -Not to mention 15 year olds being parents doesn't help either. Some argue that teaching kids about sex in school is wrong, well with that gone, and the parents not being able to teach kids correctly, its no wonder why they turn to tv as their teachers.

Bottom line is, give up your house payment and your car payment, and your extreme credit card bills, and use all those savings to invest in something wiser, educating your children yourselves, the lessons of morality.

Grady, Intrepid, TC
I know this may come as a shock, but I totally agree with you guys on the content issue. I don't watch television, because I feel dumber after just 20 minutes. I don't agree with the use of sex in advertising, and there're few things more likely to piss me off than gratuitous sex or violence in art.

If I hadn't stopped going to the mall, I would still be running into middle schoolers dressed like the Times Square hookers (now just a fading memory). Was it the television that made them dress that way? Hell no, it was the parents that let them out the door, it was probably the parents who bought them the clothes.

When teenagers get together to have sex, do they do it inside the television? Hell no, they do it at home while mommy and daddy are gone, they do it in cheap motels unsupervised, they do it at the beach at midnight, drunk on cheap beer - alone because they were left that way by their goddamned parents.

I have this thing, it's called responsibility. If I screw up, I admit it. I want the parents of these caffeinated bonobo monkeys to admit their mistake, and start on step # 2, doing something about it.

It may be too late for this generation, but the next one is unspoiled. Set boundaries, enforce them evenly and fairly, show love, show respect, listen, pay attention to what's going on in the child's life, limit their exposure to whatever degree you deem fit, and compensate for the rest with context.

That's my advice.

If people spent half as much time parenting as they do protesting, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Being a parent means more than cooking supper and driving the mini-van - it's a constant uphill struggle with no shortage of set-backs. Being a parent means being a life coach; you have to teach the kid how to live a life worth living (and that's no easy task).

I think the current restrictions on media in America are too much, more would be a heartbreaker. I can't stand compromise when it comes to certain fundamentals, like the free exchange of ideas. It's all or nothing.

Think of it this way, if Joey the porn peddler can get away with distributing midget gangbangs, you can get away with distributing conspiracy content. Pornographers have always been on the front lines in any free speech battle. They take the knocks so that other, more wholesome, purveyors of unpopular speech can keep slogging away.

Most every television comes with programmable censors anyway, so if parents want to take the time, they can exclude from the child's television experience whatever ideas or images they please.

I really do sympathize with the opposition in this case though, I really, really do. It's shameful that we allow the marketting ghouls to treat us like animals; it's embarassing that they can push our unconscious buttons so adeptly. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I've got to get some Snickers and a Coke so I can get laid. (Bill Hicks, you are truly missed)

So . . . we are starting to talk pretty seriously about homeschool, after the Christmas break.

I think that's really the most sensible way to go. The whole idea of public education is appalling, the reality is much worse. Public schools are dirty, dangerous, ineffecient, and worst of all, out of necessity they use the lowest common demoninator approach to setting standards.

Private schools are simply not an option for most parents, so I'm not going to go there.

I've been to public school, and I've been to private school, the only difference in reality was the average wealth of my fellow classmates' parents. The same drugs got smoked and snorted in the bathroom, the same kinda boys and the same kinda girls flirted in the hallways, and the same influences from the world of television/internet were ever-present.

Home schooling is challenging, but I think it's the best option on the table. I know it's hard to imagine doing something so wacky as educating our own offspring, but it's definitely worth considering.

See, even if we are responsible parents, the idio-parents drag everyone else down.

Yeah..the downside of society. Your children are never going to grow up in a vaccumn, and trust me when I tell you, you wouldn't want them to in any case. Don't shelter them too much, for too long, or they'll be even more screwed up come 40 than you could possibly imagine. Think balding virgin strategy gamer living in his mother's apartment on the upper east side.

The best thing is to gain the trust of your child, and then tell them the truth, as you see it. Tell them what you think about the world, and tell them how you see it, explain to the best of your ability the reason for the decisions being made on their behalf. If they trust that you want what's best for them, who knows, they just might listen.

How come this is "my personal problem" if I really don't want the 4th graders in my town learning all about fisting and "tossing your salad" on TV?

I actually don't object to local communities having standards of decency, including those governing broadcast media. It's not a major technical hurdle to make sure that your little spot on the map doesn't get SkineMax.

That being said, a good explanation could go a long way to fixing the problem of curiosity.

"Daddy, what's tossing salad?"
"In what context Billy?"
"Chris Rock."
"Oh. I see. Well Billy...."

[Content ommited voluntarily for the purpose of maintaing decency and protecting Mr Rock's Unintellectual property.]
---47 seconds later---

"Ewwwwww, gross!"
"That's right, Billy. Now, whadya say we go get some ice cream and talk about something else?"
"Like what?"
"How about aerodynamics Billy?"

(You see, you use their short attention spans and sponge brains against them. It's a war I tell ya, a war against ignorance.)

If we're going to fight a war on any non-thing, can't it be something important? Screw the drugs, I like drugs. I like sex too, everyone should stop attacking it. If we need to attack something, if we absolutely must wage war on an intangible idea, let it be Ignorance. If you take the time, your kid can know 6 or 7 languages by the time they're ready to take the bus by themselves. It's all about dedication on the part of the parent.

And sometimes no matter what you do, your kid becomes a drug addicted homeless person. But at least you can say honestly that you tried.

It sounds like you're doing a fine job of making decisions so far Dr., keep up the good work.

If you, as an adult went and talked to them about such things in person, I'm pretty sure it'd be a criminal offense, (i.e. assault, sexual misconduct with a minor, etc.) But if a network or cable company does this, it is somebody's first amendment right.

Terrible analogy. The network isn't soliciting attention, they're broadcasting whether or not your kid in particular is watching. It's more like a street preacher than anything else. And whose fault is it if you leave your kid on the street and they're corrupted by the inflamatory ideas and terrifying images presented to them by a nut on an upside down fruit crate?

sex sells but only because we let it... we are conditioned that this is acceptable. that our value as people is based on other's desire for us.

if no one wateched the OC or Desperate House Wives, it wouldn't be on TV. if parents didn't leave the TV to raise their child, it wouldn't be an issue. if parents didn't have to work 40+ hours a week and could spend more time with their children... if parents didn't have to make money to "survive"...

people say that sex is natural... there is no doubt to that as survival of our species... BUT, our neo cortex allows us to have cognitive thought processes. with this sex becomes a choice... having a family is a choice (for most, as there are some who cannot have children)... how we raise our children is a choice.. how much time we spend with them is a choice.. the mornals we teach them... or the lack there of... what we expose or don't expose our children to is a choice.... everything we do or don't do is a choice. the way we raise our children is a choice.

also the way our bodies work and the way our society is set up do not coincide. not that i think it's right or wrong.. but 100+ years ago you were producing children almost as soon as you were capable of doing so. now we're able to produce children almost a decade or more before we're expected to have them... teenage pregnancy as a no no is a recent taboo--one that society has created.

[edit on 11-11-2005 by EDGEOFTHERIVER]

If we didn't watch these racy programs, then they would quickly dissolve...

in this day and age, it has become a game to see how much sex you can include in a TV show, or commercial.

The only saving grace is that these programs are usually on late at night in America... but many kids have TV's in there room, and watch late at night also.

If i was a parent, I wouldn't allow any child to watch TV after 9:00...
not to prevent exposure to normal sexual pandering, since that is all too common in the real world...
But rather to prevent exposure to the OUTRAGEOUS sexual activity on some new cartoons that are aimed at children...

the new cartoon series "Drawn Together" is rather funny, but would be criminal to show to children... in the last episode alone, they had no less than 10 direct graphic references to "deviant" sexual behavior that would be racy even on the internet... we are talking "golden showers and mookie stinks" here folks... yes, it contains the same warning as southpark, the one that is seen so often, it is blocked out now...

Originally posted by LazarusTheLong

the new cartoon series "Drawn Together" is rather funny, but would be criminal to show to children... in the last episode alone, they had no less than 10 direct graphic references to "deviant" sexual behavior that would be racy even on the internet... we are talking "golden showers and mookie stinks" here folks... yes, it contains the same warning as southpark, the one that is seen so often, it is blocked out now...

And it's one of the top rated shows by the 4th graders I know. They also like the one with the princess, the pig, the gay elf, and the bi-curious superhero. They thought the best one was the bit about pooping on pizza.


Most of the defenders of the status quo have posted something along the lines of "It's our own fault; if it didn't get ratings, it wouldn't be off the TV."

Which is not exactly true. You pick up any trade magazine, and you can read that a network is keep a show with low ratings, "because it's too important NOT to be on TV." You can also watch them cancel TV shows with definite followings, because the networks are "not interested in pursuing that product right now."


Also, Wyrdeone, how does telling my own kid about tossed salads somehow innoculate her from the stuff she will "inevitably" hear at school, etc.? If I don't wan't someone ELSE sexualizing my child, maybe I don't want to do it myself, either.

I haven't yet suggested "controlling" anyone else's tv yet, either.

Funny though, how "education is the answer," even when ignorance is not the problem.

It's part of the moral vacuum we live in. We can't say anything is bad or wrong, unless someone is being deprived of their right to talk about disgusting things.

So it's wrong to deprive Chris Rock of his constitutional rights. But it ISN'T wrong to immerse a generation of children in sexual deviance.

Why would I even want to be a member of this society? Why do I owe my loyalty to a system that celebrates evil, and castigates people for wanting what is good and wholesome. (here come the flames.)

Sure, the deviants are in charge. But don't be surprised when parents are ready to vote for a Fascist autocracy, if it promises to let their kids be kids. Don't be shocked when regular Americans decide that rights are not nearly as important as safety and decency.

Most of you will say we're already there.

My guess is, you ain't seen nothing yet.

.

Here is the simple option:

If you do not like what your kids are watching on television, remove their ability to watch it. It isn't that hard.

If you dislike what other people allow their children to watch, it isn't your problem.

Nobody knows what is best and if we keep thinking we do, we'll only cause more problems. This goes with everything.

If it is your child, you should have control of it. If you ask a child to not do something and it still does [including watch T.V. shows] than it is a problem between you and the child.

If you dislike the content of an advert or a T.V. show as an adult, do not buy the product and do not watch the show. It's that simple.

What you do, what rules you set down for your child are your own business.
What I do, what rules I set down for my child are my own business.

Until they day you can display proof showing that television is making children act more violent or cause more crime, don't bother trying to tell me that my choice is wrong and I won't say yours is. Otherwise, we both are involved in a pointless arguement.

For people that do not enjoy the sexual content of commercials is very good utilities that they can use at home and bypass commercials.

Occurs they are not inexpensive and it required some time to used them but for anybody that really care about what their children watch is a good alternative.

For anybody that do not have the time or the money Hey your remote control has a very nice feature that said ON and OFF and you can always stop paying for your services and spend more quality time with your children without TV.

Right?

I personally feel that we all have some small part of responsibility for restricting this "filth" to some degree...

Personally, to use the example I used before...
Drawn Together is an adult cartoon, shown only at night...
it is obviously being watched by children... (which IMO is a worse criminal act than flashing a child) for whoever allows them to watch...

I personally would support a law, that allowed us to file complaints against a careless parent who allowed children to watch this program...

it becomes my problem when that same child copies an action such as pooping on my doorstep, becuase they dont understand that it isnt funny in real life...

Do ya get my point? I should be able to address that issue with a legal action towards the parents. It would help to make parents more responsible towards the influences that they subject there children to...

much like if a child comes and kicks my dog, becuase his parents kick him, then my complaint would address their behavior as much as the childs...

and BTW... allowing children to watch "Adult swim, or Drawn together" really should be a violation of child sex statutes... and on par with child molestation "grooming" due to the extreme nature of those programs...
You can't raise a child right, that thinks that playing with poop and peeing on people is funny or sexy... they wont be socially well adjusted...

I hate to ever play the public censor... but for gods sake people... there are kids, with parents that just dont care... and that is a problem growing to happen... one that we will all pay for eventually...

LazarusTheLong, where is their proof that it has harmed the child by him watching the television show?

You are calling for people to be punished, when their is no harm to be seen on any party other than your own viewpoint. People will always disagree...would it be fair for you to be punished for stopping your child from watching the show?

I don't mean to come off as rude, but your 'harm' is highly subjective. It can't be proven that it has caused any 'major' wrong other than a class of viewpoints. If we begin to punish people for holding a different view to us than we have a highly problomatic society on our hands. As with most people you use the age old arguement of "We'll pay in time". Which is a joke...

Children, were able to go to war, could be married and have children of their own, have killed someone legally by 12 and in many parts of the World they still can. Sorry but the majority of people were not rampant sociopaths back then and I highly doubt that they will become them in the long run.

Just look at what children have done through history, from as young as 5 and look at some of these cartoons. What they have done and were able to do was a lot worse compaired to seein' some TnA on a show.

I don't think anybody on ATS is about to change their minds on this issue.

I expect the situation will get more and more depraved, with a minority becoming more and more disgusted with the status quo, until a "strong leader" decides to do something about it.

That's the fun of pushing society. Eventually, it pushes back.

dr_strangecraft, I like the way you say:

I expect the situation will get more and more depraved, with a minority becoming more and more disgusted with the status quo, until a "strong leader" decides to do something about it.

If the majority of people are happy, no harm has been done to children [which you have yet to display any proof of] than why should they be punished?

Unless you can display any harm being done to children, you are calling for people to be punished because you find these things morally wrong. People might find you wrong...should you also be punished?