Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Two and a Half What??

The other day the television was on in my house at around 6pm. I was in another room of the house, but from time to time I passed through the family room and gave passing attention to what was on tv. It was Two and a Half Men. In the six or so years that this has been on television I have watched it a couple of times. I was not impressed. It didn't seem funny to me. Just so you know, it still doesn't seem funny to me.

But the lack of humor is not what get me interested that day. I was interested in the content of the jokes. I did not do a study of it, but there seemed to be a lot of jokes about sex, penises, vaginas and other graphic "R" rated things.

I am not a prude. I do not believe that adult humor and situations are always wrong. There are times and circumstances when grown-ups need to be grown-ups. There is nothing evil or inappropriate about discussion, or even joking, about sex. My problem with this was that it was being broadcast at 6pm.

This is a time when many young people are watching television unsupervised. Parents, if they are at home, are often pre-occupied with preparing dinner, watching the news or other early evening pursuits. Children, adolescents and teens are left to their own devices.

It is no wonder that we have so many unwanted teen pregnancies. This is a part of the explanation behind the casual attitude that young people have about sex. They are saturated with sex talk, they watch it on tv, they hear it at school. That is why they send nude pictures of themselves via text message and email. They are surrounded with it. Why not participate in it?

No one is innocent here. Such television programs should not be broadcast during hours when children will be more likely to watch them. Parents should do a better job of monitoring their children's viewing practices and other activities. Children should learn to say no to such media.

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