Wednesday night, Roy was out of town so I had the TV to myself. After watching Dancing With the Stars (which is reallllllllly stupid this year and which will probably be my last episode of watching), I stayed tuned for some new sitcoms on ABC. The first was called Modern Family and it was talked up to be a funny show. The show opened with a mom hurrying to finish making school lunches while organizing her family's breakfast, too. Her husband is on his blackberry and not helping and not engaged in conversation, while their teenage daughter comes down in a too-short skirt. The mom "suggests" that it's too short, while the dad barely looks up to support her suggestion. The daughter just rolls her eyes. This made me so mad! As I watched the show, I was really getting irritated. Some of the character story lines were gross and just totally inappropriate. Another scene showed the same mom in the kitchen asking her younger daughter what her older daughter was doing. The daughter replied that she and her friend (who was a boy) were laying in her bed watching a movie. The mom just stopped, looked up as if to tell herself to remain calm and relax, and then just went on doing what she was doing. Huh?
The next show, Cougar Town, came on with Courtney Cox. I liked her in Friends, so I thought I"d give this one a try (seriously, there was nothing on TV Wednesday night). This show was awful!!! The entire show was about a 40-something single mom who wanted to have sex, so she picks some random young guy in a bar for her prey. In this show her teenage son sees her lifestyle and is more of the parent than the child. This mom also purposely flashes a teenage boy and is constantly drinking large glasses of wine at night because she feels like a loser with no life. Again, this show made me mad and sick.
Now, please know that I wasn't sitting on the couch watching these shows intently. I was on my computer and the volume for the TV was on low so I would look up from time to time. The next show that came on, Eastwick, was ridiculous! I honestly couldn't believe it was allowed to be on TV. I ended up turning the TV off within the first 15 minutes and heading on to bed. As I was brushing my teeth, it made me sad to think that these are the examples of American families these days.
When I was growing up, my family gathered in front of the TV each week to watch The Cosby Show, Our House and Family Ties. The Cosby Show, especially, was so good and wholesome. The parents loved each other, were in control of their house and their children. The children respected the parents and their rules--they didn't even think to talk back or roll their eyes. The family could have fun together. The dad was the head of the house and he was strong and smart--not a goof-off loser like dads are portrayed as on TV today. Oh, it makes me so mad how fathers are represented on TV. I can't think of one "Bill Cosby-like" dad on TV today.
So, I realized that the good old days of gathering around the TV to watch a sitcom as a family are over, too. There is not one show I can think of on network television aimed at families that doesn't include sex, rudeness, homosexuality, provcative dress, bad words. It's really sickening and depressing. How sad that this is what some people view as normal or as an example of family.
Friday, September 25, 2009
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13 comments:
Sweet girl, I feel you post! I watched that Modern Family show too because I like the actress that plays the mom. (Well, I say I watched it, but I just had it on in the bedroom as I was in and out folding and putting away clothes.)
Anyway, I too was outraged at the way the parents looked STUPID and whole situation with the daughter, the boyfriend, the other daughter talking so matter of factly about her sister getting pregnant. Ehhhh!
I am so tired of shows where the parents look stupid and there is no respect given to authority, and the siblings are sarcastic to each other and treat each other rudely! But, maybe that is exactly where America is--stupid parents and sarcastic children.
NOT IN MY HOME!
Okay, Don and I watched all of those shows too. Now, I will admit that I did laugh on several occasions during Modern Family, but it still was SO WRONG! And Cougar Town...besides being so not funny I couldn't believe what they were saying and doing on TV! Seriously, kids are up at this hour and they're showing this on TV...unbelievable. I saw a picture of Courtney Cox's daughter sitting in a chair on her mom's TV set and I thought I can't believe she lets her little girl listen and watch that!
Anyway, I agree...Thursday nights use to be THE night in the Dunn household! So sad that we can't do that anymore.
This is a great post DOnna! I'm fired up just reading it even though I didn't see any of these shows. The sad thing is that what they portray in those shows of the American family is probably pretty normal for most of America. I'm becoming more and more of a fan of no TV! I'm sure there is an occasional good show every now and then (maybe reruns from "our house" or "Cosby"). It's sad how Satan squeezes into to family through entertainment.
BTW...I'm laughing at your title. You're funny!
Great post! This is exactly why we have become Cosby geeks and own seasons 1-5 on DVD. Sara loves it! We discovered even watching Raymond reruns allows too much unwholesome talk into our living room. I haven't even ventured into the new sitcoms. It sounds like I shouldn't bother.
It really is sad that this is what our television "entertainment" has come to. Even with Dancing With The Stars, the women wear such skimpy costumes, and when they do their "moves", it can be very arrousing for guys who are watching it.....little guys, too. Apart from Fox News, Hallmark Channel, and some of the information stations (TLC,Disc.,National Geographic, etc) there really isn't much to see anymore. The good old dvd's of past television series are probably the best to watch as a family.
I suppose we could all write to the stations, sponsors, etc. of all these new shows, but I don't know how much good it would do. Unfortunately, most families ARE like these shows, today. We Christians are in the minority.
Yes, I guess DVD's will be the way to go now. I'm glad I have Little House 1-9:) Caroline does love that show. Chelle, I'll have to get The Cosby Show on DVD. I LOVE that show!!!
Well start writing the sponsors of the shows and tell them you will no longer buy their products for sponsoring such trash.....and tell them what you would like to watch.....Start a campaign! I will back you!!!! You know me I don't like TARGET!!!!! You have enough friends on Facebook --if they all wrote letters that would be a start!
I attempted to watch the same lineup as you...I lasted maybe 15 minutes into DWTS and figured none of it was worth my time...so I put the TRBC worship cd on and went about decorating for Fall!!
Anna came in with a Brady Bunch DVD, so we watched sneaky Peter tape record his siblings' "secret" conversations and then get caought and disciplined! Oh how I miss those shows!! (although the Brady girls were slightly "hoochie" with their short dresses!!)
I completely agree Donna! I hardly even watch sitcoms now because it is nothing but trash. I will say that our family does love to sit together in the evenings and watch America's Funniest Home Videos. Caleb and Kathryn both love this show. I have many memories when I was little coming home from church on Sunday nights excited to watch it. They still have new ones on every Sunday night too!
I just recently watched re-runs of the Cosby show and it made me miss it so much!! It was so funny. The one where Theo throws a party and it gets way out of hand is hilarious - mostly that his parents totally nail him for it and he is punished. What a great show that was!
Its not only the "adult" shows that are crap (although you are right, school kids watch them too - I saw the kids choice awards one year where Desperate Housewives won an award!!!) kids shows have all sorts of junk like that trickling in too. It is so sad and Dolly is right - Satan will do anything he can to tear down the family unit.
Thanks for keeping us aware!!!
Okay, I have to admit that I thought Modern Family was HILARIOUS! (I just rewatched it on HULU) Not saying it's a wholesome show at all, just admitting I like it. But, I thougth Cougar Town was stupid and perverted and didn't even watch Eastwick. As an adult, I can navigate through Modern Family (at least that episode...it may get worse later) and still enjoy the comedic aspects. (I just love that kind of humor) I'm not saying it doesn't matter what I watch or listen to because I definitely think it does. Bad parenting? YES! Bad examples of family? YES! But, I'm not looking to TV or anything from the world for my model of parenting or family. Regardless, I still hate how they make dad's look stupid. I mean, let's just switch it up every once in awhile and have a stupid mom or aunt!
Yes, it's sad that TV has come to this because there is nothing that the whole family can watch. (I'll watch M.F. but I wouldn't let my kids watch it.) But, in a way, it's to be expected. It's the world. So, I'm not surprised nor do I think we can expect the world to have any of the standards that we believe are Christlike.
Jesus loves the modern family. Funtional or dysfunctional. And we all have our dysfunction. I think the thing that's upsetting and wrong here is that we don't need to see the dysfunction displayed on TV like it's fun and funny. It's sad and needs redemption.
I did think the final scene of M.F. was pretty sweet and loving...the way they accepted the baby into the family.
I love Denise's final line:
NOT IN MY HOME...you go girl!
You are exactly right!! There is nothing on! I was upset when channel 10 - same network as Oprah in the evenings quit showing The Andy Griffith Show and has some dumb entertainment/talk show called Wendy on. That was about the last old decent sitcom on regular TV that was still on. I watch 60 minutes on Sunday night and then Extreme Makeover Home Edition and sometimes a new Hallmark movie on the Hallmark channel. We have the $12.90 cable but that includes plenty of channels. We did watch 24 and will probably watch again American Idol but - yeah, there is really not a lot worth watching.
Thanks for your blog!
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