[QueenAngie]

Please give us your thoughts on this topic:

which is worse on tv recently:

sex or violence?


Why?

[pamperedpeterson]

I think the sex is "worse" but the violence has "gotten" worse. hope that makes sense. I cannot stand the gratuitous sex in anything, even commercials are outrageous.

[JeanLynn81]

Hmmm..that's a tough one. Do I want tv teaching my daughter that sex has no meaning, or how to gun people down on the street? Both are detrimental, and I guess when a child's mind is rotted out by these things...the damage is done regardless of which one is worse than the other!

So I vote .......

drumroll......

equally bad!

[mumi_mckay]

hard to chose but i think sex is worse innocence needs to protected rather violence.

[MissyChrissy]

I put that they're equally worse-in the context of adult movies I believe that's true. But-sex has gotten worse in recent years...it's in everything. Even the little kid shows are centered around boyfriends, holding hands, and even kissing! Hannah Montanna and That's So Raven are 2 shows that come to mind. Don't even get me started on commercials-they're "sexy" even when the product isn't

On the same token-I don't believe the Wiley Coyote and Road Runner ever contributed to violence. But I'm not convinced that the drive-by-shooting glamorizing done by Hollywood hasn't contributed.

[jadis]

Well, I chose "other" because I believe it is neither. I'm of the opinion that if you don't like it, turn it off, don't watch it, and keep an eye on your kid to make sure they're not watching what you don't want them too.

I watch an ungodly amount of television because I need background noise when marking, working on my thesis, and cleaning, and watch anything from the disney channel to Showcase (which in Canada has a rep for pushing boundaries- my favourite commercial for them is an older lady in various places- men's locker rooms, tennis court, restaurant, etc- saying "I did all these guys- thanks Showcase"). Yep- there is sex and violence on tv- but the beauty of it is that tv's are also equipped with an on/off button, and if you don't like what you see you can use it.

I am more concerned with the violence that is presented in the media- violent crime has been going down since the early 90s, yet media reporting of it has increased by 700%. I think that does a lot more damage because it is just as sensationalized as the fictional violence, but people view it as the be all and end all. My 87 year old grandmother is convinced that because the news says it, it must be true, and is now convinced a 9 ft tall meth junkie is going to accost her outside of her apartment building (this is in middle-of-nowhere Northern Ontario mind you), and shoot her for her changepurse.

[MissyChrissy]

That's fine to turn off the shows, but what about the sexy commercials? I'm sorry-I don't want my pre-teen girls seening the victoria's secret commercials & wonder what's wrong with their own bodies. AND-I'll never forget the new years eve AFTER the Janet Jackson at the Superbowl incident...there was all that controversy & talk about "family" shows...then I watch the ball drop at the end of that very year with my girls & the VERY FIRST commercial was "Trojan Man". UGH...I wanted to scream. I still get mad when I think about that. It's MY CHOICE when I talk to my kids about that stuff. It shouldn't be shoved down our throats when we're just trying to celebrate the new years as a family.

[jadis]

I personally don't see what's wrong with Victoria Secret commercials- I actually find it somewhat refreshing that their models actually have some curves/aren't stick thin. And honestly- if it's not on a commercial your kid will pass it on a magazine rack, or deal with it at school where she may not be pretty enough, thin enough, or "enough" of something else for the pre-teen mean girl nazis out there. I think seeing images like that can be a good icebreaker to conversation, as I believe part of a parent's job is helping your child develop their sense of self and accomplish things so that all that other stuff won't matter.

Also, I'm probably in the minority, but with all the STDs and unplanned pregnancy running rampant with children under 18, I think their needs to be MORE condom commercials out there. One of the fastest growing category of people being infected with Aids are young women- if more condom adds and availability means less young adults are being infected, then I think it's worth a few seconds of feeling uncomfortable. But, that's just my opinion. Also, the majority of these commercials are only allowed to air after a certain time- so what you see at midnight is different from what you would see at, say, 4pm.

ps- I still don't get what the massive deal about the Janet Jackson thing was.

[MissyChrissy]

Originally Posted by jadis

I personally don't see what's wrong with Victoria Secret commercials- I actually find it somewhat refreshing that their models actually have some curves/aren't stick thin. And honestly- if it's not on a commercial your kid will pass it on a magazine rack, or deal with it at school where she may not be pretty enough, thin enough, or "enough" of something else for the pre-teen mean girl nazis out there. I think seeing images like that can be a good icebreaker to conversation, as I believe part of a parent's job is helping your child develop their sense of self and accomplish things so that all that other stuff won't matter.

Also, I'm probably in the minority, but with all the STDs and unplanned pregnancy running rampant with children under 18, I think their needs to be MORE condom commercials out there. One of the fastest growing category of people being infected with Aids are young women- if more condom adds and availability means less young adults are being infected, then I think it's worth a few seconds of feeling uncomfortable. But, that's just my opinion. Also, the majority of these commercials are only allowed to air after a certain time- so what you see at midnight is different from what you would see at, say, 4pm.

ps- I still don't get what the massive deal about the Janet Jackson thing was.

Obviously, you don't have preteen kids. I don't know how you can have this attitude here, but a very different one on the handgun thing. Perhaps you just like to be argumentative. I'm leaving this alone and not even reading another thing you write.

I am NOT uncomfortable talking to my kids about anything. I get really PISSED when someone else (TV) dictates when those conversations are going to happen.

The kids in school wouldn't have wrong ideas about what a woman's body should look like if it wasn't blasted all over the tv or in magazines. Real people do NOT look like that. Even the models themselves will say they are a freak of nature.

You should check out the Dove Real Beauty web site & see what goes into making some of the ads.

[jadis]

I don't see why I'm not allowed to have two different opinions on two completely different subject matters. They aren't really related- my neighbours having a handgun could mean that someone in my family is maimed or killed because of their need to be "protected"- my kid seeing a condom commercial won't automatically make them go "gee, I guess it's okay to have sex". One can have a direct effect- no real time for discussion. The other can lead to discussion, and something positive can result. (for the record- I never said you were uncomfortable talking to your kids).

Also, if you feel that strongly that commercials are innappropriate, you also have the ability to prohibit your children from watching network television.

Even when "models" were averaged sized girls (Marilyn Monroe comes to mind), girls were still uncomfortable about their bodies, and strove to be something they naturally aren't. We have a long history of oppressing ourselves in order to achieve a standard of beauty- the only thing that has changed over the past few decades is the style- instead of strapping ourselves into restrictive corsets we are are now trying to starve ourselves into a size two (well, not me, that's for sure). If it wasn't blasted by the media, it would be enforced by OTHER WOMEN in their lives- their mothers, sisters, peers, etc. I think that as women, we tend to blame the media for what we have perpetuated ourselves. It is firmly engrained in our culture, and all you can really do is work to change it within your own sphere of life.

As for the Dove "real beauty" campaign....all I think it is, is another slick add campaign that tries to sell itself as something "new and different, that REALLY cares about women"- when all they indeed care about is the acquisition of profit. Honestly, seeing a chubby woman on television in their underwear doesn't make me feel better about my own body (lol- if I wanted to see a chubby woman in her underwear I can just go look in the mirror!)- I don't think it's fair for them to blame the media for how women develop their self-image.....but then try to do the same thing themselves. Or maybe I'm jut peeved because their shower wash is crappy.

*shrug*- I don't even know why I bothered responding.....since you won't read it anyway