The formerly family friendly cable network "ABC Family" has been airing sexually oriented programs of late that are riling parents of young children.
In particular, the hit series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" is so racy that viewer discretion is advised.
Such seems to go against the concept of a "family" channel, wouldn't you think?
On Sunday, The Los Angeles Times addressed the growing debate (sneak peek video of upcoming "Secret Life" season premiere embedded below the fold):
The TV series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" opens with a 15-year-old girl coming home from band practice, reaching into her French horn case and pulling out a home pregnancy test. Her horrified look confirms the results.
No less startled are some parents whose children watch the ABC Family cable program that revolves around the sex lives of high school students. The titillating themes, in their view, are out of place on a channel with the word "family" in its name -- especially given the chaste image of its owner, Walt Disney Co.
But "Secret Life" has become ABC Family's biggest hit and one of the most popular shows on cable, drawing an average 3.8 million viewers an episode. With depictions of teens rolling out of bed, a father peppering his daughters with questions about their sex lives at the dinner table, and a troubled boy revealing that he had been molested by his father, "Secret Life" represents a coming of age for a channel founded by evangelist Pat Robertson to spread the Gospel.
"Coming of age" maybe, but is this appropriate fare for a network that has historically catered to children?
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Pray for them
February 1, 2009 - 13:02 ET by danebramageFor the left, "coming of age" means "tossing aside Truth, Goodness, and Beauty to become just like them: another worthless, hopeless, futureless worm blindly flailing about in the mud."
→ Makes sense
February 1, 2009 - 13:09 ET by Cool ArrowGiven this particular genus of worm is asexual, partners abound.
Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country - Khalil Gibran
No
February 1, 2009 - 13:09 ET by choselife3x(incidentally, is anyone else having an issue with the pages loading very slowly lately, or is it my pea-shooter?)
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
chose, Yes, I was having
February 1, 2009 - 13:37 ET by msh1973chose,
Yes, I was having the same problem earlier but now things seem to be moving faster. Thanks.
Oh good
February 1, 2009 - 13:43 ET by choselife3xI'm glad it isn't just me.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
The young woman in the video
February 1, 2009 - 13:35 ET by msh1973The young woman in the video looks like a "you know what"! My daughters are 14 and 15 they look nothing like that little sexpot. TV programs do not mirror real people, only Hollywood!
What the heck is this garbage???
February 1, 2009 - 19:28 ET by thebutlerdiditThis is the girl who is supposed to be 15? she looks 25. And what girl is just calling up the bf and telling him that they aren't having sex anymore in such a bold way? Doesn't happen, unless they are little whorelets. As for her having guys just revolve through her bedroom, or at least that's how it appears, where are her parents? She's dressed like a hooker, made up like a hooker, talks on the phone like sex is a blase thing, and then another dude shows up at her bedroom, at night. I say she is a hooker. And that ABC should have to pull this garbage.
Bringing the government in to run Wall Street is like saying, "Dad burned the dinner, let's get the dog to cook." PJ O'Rourke
How about
February 1, 2009 - 13:39 ET by jdlybrandnewsisblues
How about a TV show titled "The Secret Agenda of the American Media" ? It wouldn't be a very funny show now, would it?
→ Been done before
February 1, 2009 - 13:48 ET by Cool ArrowIt was heavy handed at times, and occasionally funny, and pretty good viewing, but I think you're referring to "West Wing", aren't you?
Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country - Khalil Gibran
Yes Cool...
February 1, 2009 - 14:04 ET by jdlybrandnewsisblues
Same show; different name. Thanks for the correction.
Family Channel? I think
February 1, 2009 - 14:24 ET by motherbeltFamily Channel? I think not. More like MTV!
"Secret Life" is a disgusting show, which suggests that "normal" high school is drinking, sex, and dressing like a tramp.
The real tragedy of this is that a lot of "tweens" watch this show, as most teen trends filter down, and they think this is what high school is supposed to be like.
What on earth are we doing to our children???/
"I don't care about you,
February 1, 2009 - 14:54 ET by nawendt"I don't care about you, especially since we're not having sex anymore." Sounds great. I think I will teach my kids about this one day.
---"Be careful how open-minded you are, your brain may just fall out."---
I remember watching a
February 1, 2009 - 14:59 ET by RR GOPI remember watching a couple of their shows years ago and remarking that I was shocked that these passed as 'family friendly'.
It's not like back in the day with films showed on Kukla, Fran and Ollie/CBS Children's Film Festival, nor The Wonderful World Of Disney. Even Disney's children films seem to contain at least one fart joke each, and often various other examples of 'potty humor'.
One of the 24% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 89% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
But, it's a New kind of
February 1, 2009 - 15:01 ET by Roger the ShrubberBut, it's a New kind of Family!
That is exactly right
February 1, 2009 - 23:36 ET by Jinx McHueThe whole "a new kind of family" slogan is a dead giveaway.
Sadly this show is an
February 1, 2009 - 16:10 ET bySadly this show is an accurate representation of our society at large. Most young fifteen yr olds are being taught to have sex with multiple partners and are being told that the gender of those partners is unimportant. From the Colorado School District that O'Reilly busted teaching FISTING, GOLDEN SHOWERS and DRUG USE. To the minions of GLAD teaching sodomy as a virtue in almost every sex ed class in the country, you people are WAAAAAAY behind the times!
So lax has our vigilance been while we pursued a more favorable DOW number that the abominable people have "crept in the gate". They already have control of your childrens' MINDS! Think not? How many of your children are wearing clothing marketed by satanists, called "AFFLICTION"? You'll recognize their clothes instantly, they are festooned with DEMONS and SKULLS and DEAD THINGS. Look at MTV ever see the kids holding up the "devils horns", where the pinky and index finger make the shape of horns while the rest of the hand is closed? Ever see that? OF COURSE YOU HAVE. You can't turn on MTV,BET, or even a freakin' REALITY SHOW, without some idiot making this sign. Each act of this nature is a separate rejection of Christ and worship of satan. And it's all over your kids.
I remember years back when Maury Povich was still doing a "Sally Jessy Raphael" type of show as opposed to "pregnancy test updates. He had a show about "unruly" teens. One mother complained that she just didn't know what was wrong with her daughter. She listed the typical things, drug use, sex, etc., but she had "no explanation" for anything. Call her Mrs. CLUELESS. Then the daughter comes out. She's dressed all in black. Has on pancake makeup to make herself look like a CORPSE and has an UPSIDE DOWN CROSS TATTOOED ON HER FOREHEAD. For those of you from "Rio Linda" an upside down cross is a satanic symbol used in black rites.
This woman had no idea what the problem could be. I'm yelling at the screen, "Lady maybe the problem is your friggin' kid is WORSHIPPING THE FREAKIN' DEVIL". But like Elvis' hip wiggling, or the hula hoop, this dimwit thought it was "just a phase". That's were we're at. The average woman in her twenties would have been considered the TOWN WHORE, just twenty or so years ago. Your children are well on the path to hell and most of us know so little about the faith we allegedly embrace that our passivity amounts to consent.
Acts
February 1, 2009 - 18:39 ET by UpNorthyou're right. I worked in a suburban school district for 10 years, the median income well above the average around here. About 5-6% of the kids at the time showed up at school dressed as you describe, calling it "emo" but with all those signs. Pancake makeup, purple or black lipstick and eyeshadow, the pointed collars, upside down crosses, pentagrams on their jackets, the whole thing. My usual thought of the day was, "do your parents ever see you when you leave the house"?
Of course, those parents would drop their kids at the football games every Friday night, and drive off for drinks and dinner. Where else can you get a baby sitter to let the kids run wild for 4 hours for $4.00 for the night?
"Your children are well on the path to hell"
February 1, 2009 - 18:59 ET by choselife3xSpeak for yourself, Acts like a tool. Or go froth and foam at HuffPo. You're shrieking accusations at the wrong crowd.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
The path to hell is paved by HuffPo parents?
February 1, 2009 - 19:17 ET by JerHmmm...Maybe I'm misreading, but you seem to be suggesting it's just the kids of HuffPo parents [and their ideological kin] who are on the path to hell.
Jer
Ask Acts..like a tool to clarify who he's addressing
February 1, 2009 - 19:29 ET by choselife3xBefore you ask me about my response to his accusation.
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Don't know, Jer
February 1, 2009 - 19:36 ET by thebutlerdiditbut if they teach their kids their values, or lack of them, that they display in their comments, then a bunch of them need help. And I didn't even mention the language they use, and the desire for people the don't agree with to be murdered. Seems a little lacking in basic morals, to me. True, not all of them are nasty, but there are a whole boat-load, I actually thing they DK, DU, and TP crowd are much worse. Pray for those kids of some of those people.
Bringing the government in to run Wall Street is like saying, "Dad burned the dinner, let's get the dog to cook." PJ O'Rourke
tbdi... I don't know much
February 1, 2009 - 21:15 ET by Jertbdi...
I don't know much about the DU or TP crowd because I have never even been to the DU site and rarely to TP [I assume you are referring to Think Progress?]. I go in cycles with DailyKos, sometimes briefly checking in 3 or 4 times a week, sometimes going weeks without even visiting once. When I do go there, I usually don't bother reading any of the comments. On those relatively few occasions when I have read them extensively on any given topic, I find them--like on most political sites, left and right--to cover an extremely broad range, from the well-reasoned and intelligent to the offensive and embarrassingly moronic.
The comments implicitly or explicitly calling for the extermination of ideological adversaries, clearly and inexcusably despicable, are still a very small minority. I can rummage through the archives of NB posts and assemble a number of comments which--if considered to be emblematic of the general commentary here--would lead one to believe NewsBusters is nothing but a right-wing hate site. [Such as wishing that God would "take" Obama before he could be inaugurated, or that abortion would only be justified if it had been performed on the 53% of the electorate which voted for Obama.] I hope you will include the kids of those people in your prayers.
Jer
I said we ALL should pray for all
February 1, 2009 - 22:33 ET by thebutlerdiditof the children whose parents are that crazy. You obviously don't read too many of the comments. If anyone is saying things like people should be killed, tortured, put in prison and gang raped, then yeah, I definately think we should pray for their children. If it is on this site, then more the shame on them, and I hope they are promptly removed. I think you are seeing a small number of people who say those things here, but I have read threads with 2-300 people saying the vilest stuff I have ever seen. It is like a feeding frenzy for piranahs. Not a good idea to ever gin up a large group of people to hate. And yes, I was referring to Think Progress. Another hate site is Fire Doge Lake.
Bringing the government in to run Wall Street is like saying, "Dad burned the dinner, let's get the dog to cook." PJ O'Rourke
On the contrary, tbdi,
February 1, 2009 - 22:58 ET by JerOn the contrary, tbdi, I believe I read the vast majority of your comments. But, let's face it, in this case you were specifically referring to those people on HuffPo, DU, DK, and TP. I didn't see your post where you sought prayers for the (thankfully) few haters on this site, but it's possible I overlooked it.
Jer
"A Different Kind of Family"
February 1, 2009 - 19:46 ET by deerjerkydaveThe ABC Family Channel's tag line is, and I kid you not, "A different kind of family."
A slogan like that has "gay agenda" written all over it. There is only one type of naturally occuring family in this world. A different kind of family is not my family which is why we never watch this channel.
Almost
February 1, 2009 - 23:37 ET by Jinx McHueIt's actually "A new kind of family," but same difference.
I never had the impression
February 1, 2009 - 22:20 ET by eaglescout1998I never had the impression that ABC Family catered to children specifically. ABC Family usually airs back to back episodes of "Whose Line Is It Anyway" which perhaps a little too risque for children.
No ABC Family in this house
February 1, 2009 - 23:14 ET by WVDinoMy daughter is 9. She loves the Disney channel. Last year she had it on ABC Family one Saturday morning and saw an ad for an Ashley Tisdale movie (one of the leads from High School Musical). I agreed to let her watch it the next night. Every other commericial was for the premiere of this series. I started muting the TV whenever the commericial came on. The Ashley Tisdale movie was not that the best either.
I learned my lesson, no ABC family.
As long as the show comes
February 2, 2009 - 15:23 ET by balboaAs long as the show comes with the requisite warnings, I see no problem. Family doesn't always mean Ozzie Nelson. Life is messy. This show does a great job portraying one of those such messes, one which the first family of the Republican Party is going through right now.
'The First Family of the Republican Party'?
February 2, 2009 - 16:26 ET by choselife3xWho are they, when were they elected, and why didn't I hear about it till now?
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
The Palins.
February 2, 2009 - 19:38 ET by balboaThe Palins.
→ Ouch
February 2, 2009 - 19:42 ET by Cool ArrowGood one.
Don't throw my family on the screen. We've got a few quirks too.
“Make no mistake, tax cheaters cheat us all, and the IRS should enforce
our laws to the letter. ” Sen. Tom Daschle, 05/07/98
Cool...
February 2, 2009 - 20:21 ET by JerBy choice, or were they born that way?
Jer
Thanks for the tip, Bal
February 3, 2009 - 10:18 ET by choselife3xI'll alert my fellow members of the vast right-wing conspiracy. We'll have to put an announcement in the newsletter....
But does that mean the right should emulate the left?
-balboa http://newsbusters.o...
In order to be pro-choice, one must first be born. Ah, the irony.
Oh, For Marklarsake...
February 2, 2009 - 23:39 ET by The7SticksI would think that the LA Times doing one front page article about the Family Channel within the last five years was one too many, but TWO articles? Isn't there any hard-edged news that needs to be reported? Did they run out of any Obama fluff pieces to write about? First the LA Times comes to the defense of those morons who attacked Playboy for allegedly mocking their Virgin Mary, and now this? Oh, for patrobertsonsake...
(I've decided to stop using the Christian lord's name in vain, and decided to use, instead, Pat Robertson's name in vain because I find it fitting here in this article, which is about the channel founded by the man that tries to scam people out of their money. You can watch that episode of South Park "Starvin' Marvin in Outer Space" to find out ["With your contribution, we can build a super hyperspacial coil thingamjig that will help us get our space ship one step closer at brining Jesus to the godless Marklarians on the planet Marklar"] Can I say "Marklar" anyone?)
But what my mind is reeling over is, you're saying that a show from the creator of one of the most treacly, ooey-gooey shows ever made, 7th Heaven, is ruining our culture? I've actually heard praise being showered upon it by, of all groups, the American Family Association. The same American Family Association that's led by there kooky leader Don The Revelator, who tried to get Mighty Mouse cancelled because they thought Mighty Mouse was promoting cocaine use. Of course I haven't seen an episode for myself, but then I haven't seen a MSNBC program either since I don't have cable.
Oh patrobertson, I need a South Park fix right about now...
-"Marklar? Oh Marklar, I need a Marklar Marklar Marklar right about Marklar."