Am I a prude?
I am not a prude. Not by nearly any definition.
I really do not want my children exposed to violence or sex on television. Not at any time , but especially while viewing something like a home renovation show.
Imagine the following scenario:
You’re watching people laying out the grout for installing new tile on a kitchen counter top. The show takes a pause for a commercial break and then you see a couple discussing the enhanced sexual pleasure of using KY Jelly.
Well alrighty then!
Now, allow me to explain that in our home, either my wife or I will grab the remote control and hit the pause button. DVR was a blessing in disguise.
You’re watching people laying out the grout … then you see a couple discussing the enhanced sexual pleasure of using KY Jelly.
Now, imagine this similar scenario:
Your 7 and 6 year old children are watching Hannah Montana on their own kid’s TV in their own designated area. The show ends and your son grabs the remote control instead of going directly to the next channel, he surfs – one channel at a time.
Now, bear with me once again while I explain that we have no premium channels, and any channels that might be offensive are blocked by me – uh, and my wife. We even have Cartoon Network blocked because:
- Adult Swim
- Inappropriate violence
- They destroyed some Hanna-Barbera classics by “reinventing” them.
- Yogi Bear
- Huckleberry Hound
Oops, I’m off on a tangent.
At any rate, your son comes across an interesting looking wildlife show with a deer grazing peacefully in the woods. They cut to commercial and there is an ad for Trojan condoms. By the time you realize what has happened and race to their remote, they have experienced enough to ask questions. Uncomfortable questions. You decide the ad has finally concluded and turn the set back on, just in time to watch that peaceful deer take a slug. It’s the Outdoors, Hunting and Fishing Channel or something similar to that. You feel the world closing in around you.
Wouldn’t that be horrible? By the way, I made up the second scenario, but it could happen.
There are certain ads that, as a concerned parent, I believe should only be broadcast after a reasonable hour. Do not use sexually explicit advertisements during sports coverage. Hey TV networks, please don’t say you ever considered the welfare of the kids when it was weighed against the revenue of companies like GoDaddy.com.
So, you tell me, am I a prude for not wanting my children exposed to such material at their young and impressionable age?
That’s terrible I am glad my kids are grown. I don’t remember that. Didn’t they use to have a law as to what commercials could be shown on family and kids shows?
Sex is everywhere, especially if you live in a city, or subscribe to any magazines, the only thing you can do blow things off, 6-year-old won’t usually press you on condoms or Ky Jelly unless they think it’s candy. “Hey, it’s not candy son, what do you think about them Knicks.”
Hi Robert. Hope all is well with you! This article is very perceptive and deserves republication (I’d republish it in a flash!)
Your comment on my Afghanistan escalation article on Obey being a jerk was very insightful and quite the insider’s information, thanks.
I wanted you to know that I put a link to Freeze Dried Gray Matter with a very favorable review on Evans Politics Guide to Politics page, http://evans-politics.com/politicsguide.html
Hope you like it. ~ Paul
Egads Robert, kids learn things fast enough as it is, those companies should be hung from their… well, enuff said!!
As a parent you get stuck in a difficult situation. I wouldn’t make a big deal of it as they will be exposed to all of this whether you are there or not. The important thing is to be honest with them. You realize that they can find much worse on the net even with filters if they want to. I’ve seen it at the library.
No. I think you are trying to raise the children in a healthy environment. We did away with tv a few years ago. We watch VCR tapes that we buy at Goodwill, yard sales and thrift shops. We control the content. Sex and violence are not the only things that threaten the childrens mental health. The constant corporate propaganda is another threat. Remember when it was called the “Boob Tube”? It still is. Turns everyone who watches it long enough to turn into a boob.
Peace.
You talk about protecting your children from adult content on tv. yet you have a disgusting elephant and donkey on your side bar.. Any child could see your website, even your own. Me thinks you talk out of both sides of your mouth.
Disgusting elephant and donkey eh? Ah, eye of the beholder territory.
Insult fail. Anyways I thought the Donkey and Elephant were playing leap frog. Now “Disgusted” has shattered my innocent child like core. Speaking of child like, you should see my last post.
Peace.
Yes. You are a prude. Why does it matter if your kids know what condoms and KY are? Will their knowledge of these things send their life into a downward spiral? No. So what are you protecting them from?
Sorry, Alex. Do you want me coming into your home and dictating what your children can be exposed to? If you’re walking down the street with your kids and some man flashes them, will you just shrug it off? I believe each parent should have the right to raise their kids in a healthy environment. If someone wants to allow their children to watch pornography, then let ‘em – just don’t presume to tell me how to raise my own children and I won’t dictate how you raise yours – actually, even if you continue telling me how to raise my kids, I’ll simply ignore you and still not offer my two cents to you. To each his own.