Dissing "Dirt"
Sometimes, after a long day chasing around my 16-month-old son, I just want to veg out in front of the television and find something amusing to watch. Something to take my thoughts away from the mess in the kitchen, the laundry that hasn't been washed, the novels that haven't been read and the bills that haven't been paid.
"I'll get to them," I tell myself. But for right now, I only have the strength to watch TV.
My husband and I decided to give a new show a try: FX Network's new series "Dirt." It's about the tabloid press and we were wondering if there would be similarities between this fictional newsroom and our own. (My husband is the metro editor at the Press.) So we grab our bowls of ice cream, fluff up our pillows and turn on the tube.
It only took a few seconds to realize we weren't going to have much in common.
The show opens with tabloid editor Lucy Spiller, played by actress/producer Courtney Cox, in a graphic sex scene with struggling actor Holt McLaren, played by Josh Stewart. We didn't know she was using this actor as a source until she started asking him questions about his wife's drug habit. The scene got a little uncomfortable, but Spiller sat naked in chair, legs curled up to her chin, and drank her beer placidly while he walked out. Questions unanswered.
Professionally, we were appalled but kept watching. And what we saw was some very pornographic footage. Like the drug-induced menage a trois that included the actor's wife, and a tabloid writer who seduced a young co-worker and secretly videotaped the tryst. (No, we weren't spared the bouncing buttocks.)
Now, the over-the-top sexuality was offensive enough, but the show's whole depressing demeanor and soul-dampening dialogue really made it an hour not worth watching.
That night as I lay twisting and turning in bed, the show really started to bother me. How many teenagers watched that program? Did they think most journalists - or any professionals - behave in that manner? Even worse, how many unsupervised kids tuned in and saw sex scenes their innocent eyes couldn't comprehend?
I started to get angry. Courteney Cox and her husband, David Arquette, are co-producers of this show. They have a young daughter. Would they really want her exposed to this kind of "entertainment"? Have they, and the other executives involved in this production, given any thought to the message this sends to young people? Have they considered that some teens may walk away thinking this kind of lifestyle is normal?
Doesn't Courteney Cox, as a mother, feel any sense of responsibility to protect someone else's child?
I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to maintain a certain level of decency - whether on television, on the job or at home - that serves as a model for children so they can grow into healthy young adults.
This show - and too many others like it - could never foster such growth.
"I'll get to them," I tell myself. But for right now, I only have the strength to watch TV.
My husband and I decided to give a new show a try: FX Network's new series "Dirt." It's about the tabloid press and we were wondering if there would be similarities between this fictional newsroom and our own. (My husband is the metro editor at the Press.) So we grab our bowls of ice cream, fluff up our pillows and turn on the tube.
It only took a few seconds to realize we weren't going to have much in common.
The show opens with tabloid editor Lucy Spiller, played by actress/producer Courtney Cox, in a graphic sex scene with struggling actor Holt McLaren, played by Josh Stewart. We didn't know she was using this actor as a source until she started asking him questions about his wife's drug habit. The scene got a little uncomfortable, but Spiller sat naked in chair, legs curled up to her chin, and drank her beer placidly while he walked out. Questions unanswered.
Professionally, we were appalled but kept watching. And what we saw was some very pornographic footage. Like the drug-induced menage a trois that included the actor's wife, and a tabloid writer who seduced a young co-worker and secretly videotaped the tryst. (No, we weren't spared the bouncing buttocks.)
Now, the over-the-top sexuality was offensive enough, but the show's whole depressing demeanor and soul-dampening dialogue really made it an hour not worth watching.
That night as I lay twisting and turning in bed, the show really started to bother me. How many teenagers watched that program? Did they think most journalists - or any professionals - behave in that manner? Even worse, how many unsupervised kids tuned in and saw sex scenes their innocent eyes couldn't comprehend?
I started to get angry. Courteney Cox and her husband, David Arquette, are co-producers of this show. They have a young daughter. Would they really want her exposed to this kind of "entertainment"? Have they, and the other executives involved in this production, given any thought to the message this sends to young people? Have they considered that some teens may walk away thinking this kind of lifestyle is normal?
Doesn't Courteney Cox, as a mother, feel any sense of responsibility to protect someone else's child?
I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to maintain a certain level of decency - whether on television, on the job or at home - that serves as a model for children so they can grow into healthy young adults.
This show - and too many others like it - could never foster such growth.
1 Comments:
I am a fan of DIRT and in my opinion it is entertaining especially after a long day. This show is on late at night and I would not let my child watch it. Nor would I critique someone for what they produce just because they have kids! If we are relying on TV to contribute or 'foster' good productive citizens, that is scary. It is up to parents to monitor what kids watch, be good role models and help them separate fantasy from reality. We live in a free country, one in which we get to turn the channel, isn't that a great thing?
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