GMA: ‘Secret Life’ Gives ‘Great Advice’ to Teens

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Sex, pregnancy, birth control, more sex.  original series, “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” an original series on ABC Family (really) does not try to hide the fact that these topics are the focus of the show. And “Good Morning America” didn’t try to hide the fact that they think its great.

The female stars of ”Secret Life,” Shailene Woodley, India Eisley, Francia Raisa, and Megan Park appeared on Good Morning America on June 29. Weatherman Sam Champion asked the girls if they ever got uncomfortable with the issues they covered, while implying that their characters act as role models. “You guys take all the tough topics” he said. “We started out with the teen pregnancy thing, so right off the bat we got that one down. Is it ever uncomfortable for you? Because you're young women and you’ve got to give, you know, kind of the great advice to teens today. Ever uncomfortable?”

In all likelihood Champion has never seen the show. Nobody who has could possibly say that these girls bring “great advice” to teens, beyond promoting “safe sex.”  (Birth control and condom companies should be paying the show, as it might as well be a commercial for their products to high school students.) Woodley’s character got pregnant at 15, Raisa’s is known for her sexual promiscuity, and Park’s abandoned her Christian beliefs and lost her virginity in the new season opener. Would any parent want these characters giving advice to their young girls or their girls emulating the actions of these characters? The boys in the show are not much better, all of them just as obsessed with sex as the girls. The show teaches no morals. It just chronicles the lives of a group of high school students with raging hormones, who are suppose to represent the “average” high schooler.

Shailene Woodley answered Champion’s question for the group, claiming that she does not feel awkward about the topics they cover because they are so realistic: “It's so true to life. I feel like in normal high schools, you know, these things do go on so I think that, you know, it opens conversations for adults and teenagers, and I think that's important.”

It may be important for teenagers and adults to talk about these things, but an ABC Family original series that idolizes and normalizes sex and birth control isn’t going to spur many serious conversations. This show takes teenage sexual activity as a given, with no thought to abstinence, and implicitly assumes the same of every teenager who watches the show

If  “Secret Life” retains its popularity and continues in failing American teenagers with its message, the show’s assumption may become a reality.

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Interesting that this would

Interesting that this would be an ABC family show, but this is the exact same thing Beverly Hills 90210 did back in the 90s.  Teen Pregnancy, check.  Promiscuity, check.  Christian beliefs, check.  Newspeople commending the show for its real life topics, check.  Recycling the same old material, check.

Not So Good Advice.

It's a show. It can show whatever light it wants on the subject. With that said "getting pregnant" is not good advice. That's actually pretty bad advice for most high school girls.

I remember seeing a preview and the main character said, "I'm missing out on everything!" Gee you think? Maybe you should have been more careful, or said no to your boytoy. 

Getting an abortion - now

Getting an abortion - now THAT'S good advice in that situation.

Socrates weeps

On some of the most important issues in life, personal responsibility, love, respect, relationships, family ... we hear the "advice" of Hollywood scriptwriters. Socrates weeps.

Fortunately, it's just a TV show. I mean, it's not as if teenagers are actually deriving their moral outlook from television, right?

come on

NB celebrated Juno last year for promoting a pro-life solution to pregnant teens. I don't see this show as glorifying pregnancy as much as saying "okay it happened now let's respect the baby's life from here on out."

 

For some reason...

... my daughter was watching this show and I took in about five minutes of it. That had to be some of the worst acting and writing I've ever seen. If this is what passes for entertainment nowadays; give me Andy Griffith, Bonanza, or one of them old black and white sixties shows.

Kids know how bad it is...

I talked to my daughter about it because she watches it.  Her reaction was that it's a joke.  The writing and acting are so bad she and her friends watch it so they can mock it the next day.

My preferences run to movies like "Casablanca" and "Roman Holiday" where the message is that values and what you give to the rest of the world is more important than what your personal desires are.  What happened to media with that kind of noble message?

Apparently movie making has

Apparently movie making has changed in the 50 years or so since Casablanca and Roman holiday were released, or at least the audiences have.  But there are still a few movies being made with a noble message.  Have you seen Fireproof?

→ Good movie

Little preachy.

Bwahahaha

Under my plan of a cap & trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket - BHO

1 in 4 Teen Girls With An STD

There is a tragedy being perpetrated on girls and women of society that if they don't put out then they are uncool.  Reality does not change with societal values and reality dictates that having sex, protected or unprotected, can lead to an STD.  And today some estimates put 1 in 4 girls stuck with an STD.  I guess it's the high price of being "cool."  Thanks ABC for preaching that kind of message to America's children.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23574940