FCC and the F-Word

[TomCat84]

Perhaps not, although neither is "I'd do X if I had 'em!"

Nevertheless, it appears you may qualify, on the merits.

Fact: it's literally WAY easier for a kid today to view ass-to-mouth + bukkake, or a snuff de-limbing, then it was for me to snag an un-sanctioned piece of candy.

While I would probably attempt to block access to hardcore pornography, and try to restrain my kids from using swear words...Id have to say that a Viagra commercial probably wouldn't bother me. I'd rather they ask me about it, and have me explain sex, than for them to hear about it at school, or worse- try it at school. Keeping things from kids is rarely successful and often backfires. JMHO

 

[SilverTrain]

While I would probably attempt to block access to hardcore pornography, and try to restrain my kids from using swear words...Id have to say that a Viagra commercial probably wouldn't bother me. I'd rather they ask me about it, and have me explain sex, than for them to hear about it at school, or worse- try it at school. Keeping things from kids is rarely successful and often backfires. JMHO

I agree. But I hope that someday you get to explain to your neighbors or perhaps the school teacher why your daughter is singing "Viva Viagra!" over and over. :wink:

And there's a bit of a difference in explaining the birds and the bees to a 10 year old, and answering questions like "What does Viagra do, Dad?" "Does Grandpa need to take Levitra?"; "Do you?"; from your five year old.

Don't get me started on the "Sex and the City" adverts that air at 3pm during kids programming! I'd rather the kids looked at Playboys than listened to 4 seconds of Kim Cattrall.

YES, THERE ARE THOSE PARENTAL CONTROL THINGEES. DO ANY OF YOU WHO HAVE KIDS USE THEM?

 

[TomCat84]

I agree. But I hope that someday you get to explain to your neighbors or perhaps the school teacher why your daughter is singing "Viva Viagra!" over and over. :wink:

And there's a bit of a difference in explaining the birds and the bees to a 10 year old, and answering questions like "What does Viagra do, Dad?" "Does Grandpa need to take Levitra?"; "Do you?"; from your five year old.

Don't get me started on the "Sex and the City" adverts that air at 3pm during kids programming! I'd rather the kids looked at Playboys than listened to 4 seconds of Kim Cattrall.

YES, THERE ARE THOSE PARENTAL CONTROL THINGEES. DO ANY OF YOU WHO HAVE KIDS USE THEM?

Well, if my fictional kids asked somehting like that, I'd hope I'd have the prsence of mind to explain erectile disfunction, and then tell them that those questions aren't appropriate

 

[SilverTrain]

Well, if my fictional kids asked somehting like that, I'd hope I'd have the prsence of mind to explain erectile disfunction, and then tell them that those questions aren't appropriate

And I'll be there for you when the Department of Social Services comes knocking. :wink:

It's a minefield out there.

 

[TomCat84]

And I'll be there for you when the Department of Social Services comes knocking. :wink:

It's a minefield out there.

I don't plan on having little rugrats anyway...I plan on being the crazy cat lady :biggrin1:

 

[SilverTrain]

I don't plan on having little rugrats anyway...I plan on being the crazy cat lady :biggrin1:

Seems like the plan's well on its way to fruition, eh?

xx

 

[TomCat84]

Seems like the plan's well on its way to fruition, eh?

xx

Hehe, you have no idea :tongue:

 

[willow78]

I don't have any children, and I don't plan to. I'd be a terrible parent - how could I explain Viagra to a 10-year-old when I couldn't even bear explaining it to my 83-year-old father!

My plan is similar to TomCat84's - I'm going to be a mad cat-person!

I will be a crazy old man who lives in a grungy old one-room bedsit (that's if I actually have a place to live) with 20 cats. When I die, they will form a guard of honour around my corpse. When the authorities come to remove my body, the cats will viciously attack anyone who comes near my corpse. The authorities will then have to call in back-up from Animal Control to remove the cats. But that's only if someone discovers I'm dead and actually calls the authorities. I think the more likely scenario will be that no-one even notices I'm missing and after I've been dead for a few weeks, the cats will get bored and hungry and start eating my corpse. Once they've stripped all the meat off my bones, they'll move on and become alley strays.

As you've probably guessed, I have high hopes for my future...

 

[vince]

How many of you actually have kids? I believe HG just joined the club. If I'm correct about that, Welcome to the Dollhouse, mon cheri.

I understand and share pretty much all the sentiments in this thread. But practicalities, especially in the ever-evolving technological age, are a bitch. It's so easy to say "I'd protect them from X". Walk in the shoes, and we'll talk.

I have a kid. she is now an adult. You can't protect them from "bad words". If they don't here them on TV, they are going to hear them on the playground like my generation did. I knew as much or more about sex at 10 years old than any kid today. We didn't have internet porn of course, but the basics haven't changed much.

What any parent can do is give the kids honest answers to questions about sex. It is a normal bodily function and if it is mystified or forbidden, then it becomes more attractive and something to be kept secret. The last thing you want your kid doing is keeping secrets from you. Of course they will, but having open TWO-WAY communications solves a lot of problems.

 

[SilverTrain]

I have a kid. she is now an adult. You can't protect them from "bad words". If they don't here them on TV, they are going to hear them on the playground like my generation did. I knew as much or more about sex at 10 years old than any kid today. We didn't have internet porn of course, but the basics haven't changed much.

What any parent can do is give the kids honest answers to questions about sex. It is a normal bodily function and if it is mystified or forbidden, then it becomes more attractive and something to be kept secret. The last thing you want your kid doing is keeping secrets from you. Of course they will, but having open TWO-WAY communications solves a lot of problems.

FFS, I said multiple times I don't give a shit about language.

And don't fucking lecture me about communicating with my children.

Please.

 

[willow78]

I have a problem with nudity on television - there simply isn't enough of it! :biggrin1:

 

[TomCat84]

I have a problem with nudity on television - there simply isn't enough of it! :biggrin1:

+1 :tongue:

 

[ColoradoGuy]

. . . And if you still don't want to hear "bad" words on TV, then might I suggest you do something more important such as read a book and not watch TV at all?

Exactly! It's called parenting. I have a potty-mouth and it's my responsibility to ensure that I don't let it 'go off' in front of my kids. (Or at least it was my responsibility -- they're nearly adults now.) As soon as my first child was born, we ditched TV because my wife at the time and I didn't want to allow the TV to raise our child. Was it difficult? Yes. Was it beneficial? Absolutely. Even after we broke down and bought a TV several years later, we set specific rules about when it was allowed to be used. Problem solved.

The bottom line is that you can't expect teachers, churches, social clubs, day care providers, the FCC or any other branch of the government to raise your children. If you expect them to, you've lost common sense. If you allow them to, you've abdicated your most important job as a parent. If you demand they do, you don't get it and your children are probably already 'lost'.

 

[FRE]

One of the problems is that many people have been brainwashed to believe that TV is a necessity; it isn't. When I was a kid, we didn't have TV 'til I was in the seventh grade; we were among the last in the neighborhood to get TV when it became available. After leaving home, I did without TV until, around 1973, I bought a 12" Heathkit black and white TV set. When that failed in about 1984, I decided to do without TV for a year to decide whether I really wanted to replace the TV set. Finally, in 1995, I bought another TV set.

There are some good TV programs available, especially on PBS. However, most of what is on TV is nothing more than low grade entertainment. Even the commercial news programs are as much entertainment as they are news, else they wouldn't have two newscasters, one a man and one a woman, taking turns reading alternate lines of the news. Significant time is spent on news programs telling jokes. Some news items are given far more time than they deserve and some important items are not even covered. There is little or no background information to put news items into context. Many of the commercials seem to be aimed at 10 year olds, even including commercials advertising cars, deodorants, and laundry detergents. Some programs are aimed at voyeurs, including Judge Judy and others the attraction of which seems to be to enable viewers to gawk at people who mess up their lives by making unbelievably stupid mistakes.

Again, TV is not a necessity. Even so, there should be provision for parents to block out programs depending on various rating indexes. It might not be a bad idea to require a key to turn on the TV set. Ideally these things would not be necessary, but considering the number of parents who use the TV set as a baby sitting device, it would be helpful since that is unlikely to change.

 

[vince]

FFS, I said multiple times I don't give a shit about language.

And don't fucking lecture me about communicating with my children.

Please.

FFS who said was all about you? I related my own experience with my own kid. And I wasn't fucking lecturing YOU. Or anyone else. In fact, I was agreeing with you. I was giving my opinion on the topic and if you can't handle it with without getting pissy, you can get stuffed.