People take the Parents Television Council way too seriously. The mouthy organization, which claims to advocate "responsible entertainment," works hard to apply its own set of morals to every show on television. Their mudslinging campaign against MTV's Skins ended up losing the show a lot of advertisers, and in turn, caused the show to not be renewed for a second season. Perhaps its that the PTC puts too much faith in the influence of television on youngsters, but whenever I visit their website to see what hilarious messages of outrage they've posted, it's difficult for me to not feel a little anger. Their attempts to censor -- and in Skins' case, remove from the air -- shows that they find inappropriate for teenage audiences frankly shows just how out of touch they are (and can't parents control what their kids watch with V-chips, anyway?). I was watching John Carpenter movies with my dad when I was six, and now, ten years later, I think I'm a pretty well-rounded individual. Funny, huh? You'd think by now I'd be wearing an eyepatch and spraying everyone I meet with bullets from my machine gun.
Perhaps the most fun I have going through their website is seeing just which shows I'm not mature enough to be watching. The site only covers network television, meaning that we're spared the righteous rhetoric about how Game of Thrones might inspire teenagers to have sex with their siblings or throw young children out of windows (I know I've been irreparably damaged by seeing all that sex -- how will I ever be a functioning adult?).
I might be willing to forgive the PTC if they didn't so blatantly miss the point. While they might be trying (in vain) to preserve the innocence of children whose parents want them to stay naive until adulthood, they seem to be focused on the superficial things instead of what's really important. Sure, Fringe often has graphic violence, but nothing particularly shocking. Why don't the PC focus less on that and more about the core of the series? It isn't some dark, gratuitous series that revolves entirely around the gore. It's about family. Walter loved Peter so much that he put two universes in danger to save him. Peter came to forgive Walter for lying to him his whole life. The heart of the series -- while surrounded by other viscera -- is pure, and claiming that it's inappropriate misses the point. The same thing can be said for shows like Arrested Development, which, like Fringe, the Parents Television Council has deemed inappropriate for people my age. (It still frustrates me that people look at age as a sign of emotional maturity, but that's another story entirely.)
And when we look at things that are appropriate for young children, things that the PTC has given a "green light" on, what do we find? Hardly anything but reality television. For the next week, apparently, nothing family friendly is on but things that network television likes to pretend is real. While I can see the moral merits of shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, it makes very little sense to me that shows that emphasize greed, such as Minute to Win It, are given the green light. Just because a show doesn't have sex, language, and violence in it doesn't mean it's not bad for you, and vice versa. Until the PTC stops looking at shows through their two-dimensional rose-colored glasses, I'm going to continue ridiculing them for the caricature that they are.
The Parents Television Council is such bullshit. They can never stop teens from watching shows like Gossip Girl or The Vampire Diaries, and even if they could, we would still find a way to watch it. Just because certain TV shows depict sex, gore, and violence does not mean that people who are watching those shows will go out and have crazy sex, chop someone's head off, and beat up someone for no reason. Things like that have nothing to do with television. Parents should be able to teach their kids right from wrong, so that when they are watching shows with sex and violence, they'll know the difference between what they're watching and what happens in real life.
Nicely put.
You are correct: they miss the point. For instance: children have always loved scary stories/fairy tales. It's normal/healthy to be entertained by something that is 'outside your experience'. Always has been, always will be. Whether it's scary or sexy or whatever…
Also… whenever any person/group sets themselves up to dictate what's 'right' for the rest of us… they are in the wrong. Full stop.
You say you are well rounded at 16……..RIGHT!!!!! Check back with us when you are 35-40 with 2-3 kids OR even just one kid……….Let's see what TV shows (or Internet or whatever new innovation is out there teaching your kids all kinds of things) you're going to think differently then you are now………..REALLY!!!
While I appreciate your enthusiasm via multiple exclamation points, I don't think you're getting what I'm saying at all. This article isn't really about how parents regulate what their children watch. I'm saying THEY should — not the PTC. When I referred to myself as well-rounded, I was making the point that my parents (both responsible individuals) allowed me to be exposed to sex and violence on television at a young age because they thought (and rightly so) that seeing those things wouldn't destroy my fragile little psyche. I'm all for parent moderation of what children watch, but it should be up to the PARENTS to choose, not some censorship organization that takes down shows that don't meet its standards.
I agree Sam. I held back a little when my son was young; he did enjoy watching "goosebumps" and other scary kid shows, and anime. Then when he was 6 he watched the terminator 2, I think. By the time he was 10 it was zombie time. He also grew up watching Simpsons, Family Guy, SouthPark. We even had special TV watching time to watch Family Guy, etc. TOGETHER. He played the scariest video games. He grew into a loving, kind, outgoing, friendly teen, who never used drugs or drank or smoked; and treated girls like treasures. I wanted him to be a good human, not stupid and ignorant !!! And it worked fine. I'm pretty sure watching crazy shit helped his reasoning abilities as well.
And as someone said above. Who the fuck are these people to determine whats good for people/teens/children. They're not in my family. They need to stay home and worry about what their own kids watch and leave the rest of the world alone. It's not the place of anyone to determine what is viewed by others.
Brent "Bozo" Bozell is a right-wing windbag and a hypocrite.
I agree 100%. Am I the only one who think we need to start a TEENS television council? So that WE THE TEENS can voice how we feel about things? Who's with me on this?
I find it quite interesting that an "adult" (I'm referring to Genny) felt the need to criticize and attack a 16yr old whom I might add sounds incredibly intelligent, well educated and most certainly well rounded ;), rather than perhaps opening up a debate coming from a different perspective. I am a mother of 6 ranging in ages from 17yrs to 18mts and I would like to and do make the television choices for my children. I am quite capable of deciding when I think a program is unsuitable!!! But…I do not necessarily want that show taken off air as I might like to watch it!!!!