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Tuesday, 19 April 2005
sex on tv
this came up in our lounge convo as well & i was just going to kinda rant about it here...at work...so if i don't finish i will continue later...

this is to remind me to rant not that i need a reminder..ever



Sooo?my rant?
I kind of forget how this came up but Gareth mentioned watching BET (haha) & there were girls naked on the screen bent over w/ anything private blurred out?& there were a lot of inappropriate things going on?& I know Jon went on to say something about how stupid it was that sex was such a no no on tv. & that people try to keep it off tv when most of the time it?s on our minds anyways?.i understand his viewpt..yea sex it so natural (eg, violence is not) why the hell does it matter if it?s shown on tv to kids?.or maybe that wasn?t his pt?but nonethe less he?s probably gonna get ?annoyed? at me after I write this entry?or if he chooses to read this?
Well?I completely agree with the fact that sex is a natural part of life but the way it is portrayed on tv i is no what I want my kids to see?& I know this is the argument that most protective parents give?& I don?t want to be protective..hell I?ll be willing to tell my kids about the birds & the bees whenever they want (because the longer you withhold this ?truth? the more awkward it is & they will eventually find out from someone else anyways?& I?d rather have a say in what they know haha) so anyways?my point is that television tends to either romanticize or try to make you scared of or make it seem like women are objects?.
These are hardly the images of sex I want for my kids?
I want them to know the facts & then to proceed as they wish maturely?I?m not saying go out there & have sex but I?m also not saying you have to wait for marriage (like my parents instilled in me)?I don?t WANT to have to impose any sort of thinking like that onto them?I?d like to think I will raise them mature enough to know what is right for them?I want them to know the pros & cons of every situation?
Ok I will go into my definitions of romanticize, try to make you scared of or make it seem like women are objects (though the last one is self explainable)?you watch soap operas or any drama show for that matter?sex is either a gasp?oh no what if so & so finds out that they did it?or a omg I?m so happy they finally did it?did what! Wth does sex mean in these cases?maybe I?m being a freaking girl about this?I take that back I KNOW I?m being a freaking girl about this?but to me, like for a lot girls?sex is not just a thing you do?& here comes the double standard?if it IS just something you do & you?re a girl then you?re a slut?guys..you?re studs?anyways that was not my point?soo there?s this weird association with love & sex?I mean I guess this is as true in real life as it is on tv but?people seem to make the 2 synonymous?sex never means love?never?unless the love is already there to begin with sex with have nothing to do with love?(ok I know I?m rambling but I don?t care anymore) I guess I would want to make this clear to my kid?you need to figure out where you stand with yourself before you just dive in?because once you?re there & you have no idea why you did what you did?you?re in a rut?
As for making people scared of sex on tv?.so there are plenty of ads to make you aware of all the bad things that can happen to you..some tv shows do some pregnancy scare too?just to remind you?these are of course the cons that should be communicated but at the same time?these, unless you want them to, should not be the only reasons that keep you from having sex because these alone are not strong enough (well for some people, maybe they are but for others, one small convincing comment or peer pressure & you forget all about it)?
& the whole women as objects thing?most of the ?sex? shown on tv nowadays is not even sex..it?s just women & basically women alone in suggesting clothes/positions/what have you?& although I don?t care if my child sees this since it is such a part of society & the media?I want them to understand that it is just that?the media?for my girl(s), I don?t want them to feel the pressure to be a certain way to be happy with themselves?but of course if that is really what makes them happy so be it..though I would question this?& for my boy(s), I would never want to them treat a girl or boy for that matter in such a way?no human is deserving of being treated the way a lot of women are on tv?

anyways I didn?t really have a real point to this rant cept that the little tidbit in the lounge made me think is all?

I guess in the end?like with any issue?I see both sides?I just?well?I would just want my kids or whatever to see a more well-rounded view of sex?not just what?s on tv?

Posted by blog/c_is_for at 3:41 PM PDT
Updated: Tuesday, 19 April 2005 4:01 PM PDT
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Wednesday, 20 April 2005 - 8:15 PM PDT

Name: Jon
Home Page: http://www.polikua.com

It's not that I think that what currently passes for sex on TV is ok because sex is natural. I do not believe that the media's current representation of sex should be shown to kids, I wouldn't want my kids seeing it either. But complaining about the sex on TV is what puts it there, it's this horrible double standard in America where sex is taboo to talk about while in fact we're constantly saturated in it.

Sex on TV is for the most part, a horrible bastardization of real sexuality. Women are objectified, and men are sex crazy pigs. But that's not the media's fault, it's because sex is so taboo in "normal channels" (ie. conversation), but yet so important as a natural process, that people's views of sexuality is warped.

I believe that TV is a reflection of society, not always the other way around. People's attitudes toward sex in real life is wrong, and so the TV just reflects that. I agree that sex is completely natural and shouldn't hidden from the public eye, but that until everyone can be mature enough to see sex for what it is, the TV isn't going to paint a pretty picture of it.

Look at other countries in Europe, they have a mature understanding of sex and so it relfects in their media, in tasteful yet uncensored situations. They can talk about sex without the blushing or the shushing.

So basically, people here think sexuality is "wrong" even though they love it, so the TV shows sexuality "wrong". If however, people took a healthy, respectful, and ultimately natural view of sex, the TV would change to present that. The analogy (which I shamelessly steal from Lin Yutang), is food. Food, a biological necessity, has been given the "respectful" coverage in the media that reflects our view on it. We prize good chefs, we love good cuisine, and most of us don't see it as "wrong", so the TV presents many wonderful food shows. Imagine what TV would be like if we viewed sex as equally natural?

Prohibition and temperance movements made alcohol taboo and therefore it flourished. And ultimately that moonshine was full of other chemicals and dangerous, because people didn't know what they were doing. Of course, drinking isn't natural, but still the analogy is close.

Sex won't work in the media until the society behind it sees sex maturely. But you have to work from that angle, from society to media, not the other way around if you want lasting effects. The problem is that parents wait too long cause they haven't been taught how to be mature about it, because their parents didn't teach them, so on and so on up the family tree.

The sad thing is since the parent's don't speak up, kids inhereit the media's views in replacement. If parents would take the responsibilty in teaching their kids moral values in all areas, eventually the media will realign to relflect them as the market for "respectful values" opens up.

Au revoir.

P.S. So no, I'm not annoyed at you entry.

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