ABC wants you to beat your children
This really chaps my hide. Not that I mind a little hide chapping from time to time, but you know, this really ticks me off.
During today's(Sunday) season finale of ABC's schlocky
reality show, "Supernanny," James Dobson's Focus on the Family will be
running ads promoting its "Focus on Your Child" program, which advises
parents on how to implement the parenting principles outlined in his
best-seller, "Dare to Discipline." These include spanking with
"sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely." Children
have to be taught respect for authority at an early age, Dobson preaches,
or they'll never develop respect for governmental authority or God.
[...]
Focus's ad buy is its first in prime time TV. It has ostensibly
purchased the ads through its 501 c-3, the self-help component of its
organization, so it can claim legally that the ads are not political.
But they are, and it's absurd to say they're not. On his radio show,
Dobson shamelessly begs for money for his 501 c-4, Focus on the Family
Action, his organization's political arm. FOF Action is the entity which collaborated with the Family Research Council to bring us the memorable
event known as "Justice Sunday," where Dobson blamed the Supreme
Court for "the worst Holocaust in human history." Given that the
political and family components of Dobson's empire are so
indistinguishable, I think it would be appropriate and necessary to file a
complaint with the FCC over Focus's insidious ad buy.
Furthermore, ABC's accomodation of Focus smacks of hypocrisy. Last
winter, ABC's broadcast network refused to an ad by the United Church of
Christ promoting its inclusive policy to gays and other groups explicity
forbidden from belonging to churches under the ideological sway of Dobson
and his ilk. According to the United Methodist News Network on 12/06/04,"
ABC said it would air the advertisement on its ABC Family cable channel
but not on its broadcast network." ABC stifled the speech of a group
which promotes inclusiveness and diversity, while enabling an organization
led by a man who told the Daily Oklahoman on 10/23/04, "Homosexuals are
not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will
destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." What am I missing?
Evidently ABC condones beating children, but is against churches that promote inclusiveness and diversity.
Max has the FCC contact info on his site if you'd like to complain. Or you could go right to the source and contact your local ABC affiliate.
During today's(Sunday) season finale of ABC's schlocky
reality show, "Supernanny," James Dobson's Focus on the Family will be
running ads promoting its "Focus on Your Child" program, which advises
parents on how to implement the parenting principles outlined in his
best-seller, "Dare to Discipline." These include spanking with
"sufficient magnitude to cause the child to cry genuinely." Children
have to be taught respect for authority at an early age, Dobson preaches,
or they'll never develop respect for governmental authority or God.
[...]
Focus's ad buy is its first in prime time TV. It has ostensibly
purchased the ads through its 501 c-3, the self-help component of its
organization, so it can claim legally that the ads are not political.
But they are, and it's absurd to say they're not. On his radio show,
Dobson shamelessly begs for money for his 501 c-4, Focus on the Family
Action, his organization's political arm. FOF Action is the entity which collaborated with the Family Research Council to bring us the memorable
event known as "Justice Sunday," where Dobson blamed the Supreme
Court for "the worst Holocaust in human history." Given that the
political and family components of Dobson's empire are so
indistinguishable, I think it would be appropriate and necessary to file a
complaint with the FCC over Focus's insidious ad buy.
Furthermore, ABC's accomodation of Focus smacks of hypocrisy. Last
winter, ABC's broadcast network refused to an ad by the United Church of
Christ promoting its inclusive policy to gays and other groups explicity
forbidden from belonging to churches under the ideological sway of Dobson
and his ilk. According to the United Methodist News Network on 12/06/04,"
ABC said it would air the advertisement on its ABC Family cable channel
but not on its broadcast network." ABC stifled the speech of a group
which promotes inclusiveness and diversity, while enabling an organization
led by a man who told the Daily Oklahoman on 10/23/04, "Homosexuals are
not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will
destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth." What am I missing?
Evidently ABC condones beating children, but is against churches that promote inclusiveness and diversity.
Max has the FCC contact info on his site if you'd like to complain. Or you could go right to the source and contact your local ABC affiliate.
posted by cookie christine @ 5/03/2005
7 Comments:
At May 03, 2005,
Anonymous said…
"or they'll never develop respect for governmental authority or God"
Interesting and redundant piece of the quote, Cookie. I always thought they were one in the same in bush country.
At May 03, 2005,
Sylvana said…
What happened to respect through love. I don't respect anyone who tries to control me with fear- I just eventually hate them.
At May 03, 2005,
cookie christine said…
Good point Ellen. I'd forgotten that Bush was sent to us to from God to whoop us into shape.
At May 03, 2005,
Fixer said…
Sylvana, that's why you have all the stories of kids killing their families and women killing their kids coming out of Jesusland. When they've had enough of the control, in one form or another, they snap. Boing!
At May 03, 2005,
Anonymous said…
Well, if ABC's viewers won't do it, I'll beat their children.
Someone has to do it.
Have you been to a Chuck E. Cheese, lately?
These kids are soft, loud, and out of control.
I don't know if you can actually do anything about the loud and out of control. But chasing them around with a belt is pretty darn good exercise.
As, Cookie, I expect you know...
At May 03, 2005,
cookie christine said…
Now there's nothing wrong with chasing each other around with a belt, as long as both parties are consenting adults or at least consenting ten year-olds.
But yes, some kids are brats. Some aren't. You can blame it on parenting, the luck of the draw, the culture here in the U.S. or crazy uncle Bob who cusses and talks about women in front of the kids. But if I ever have kids, I'm sure they'll be *perfect* little angels.
At May 04, 2005,
Anonymous said…
When I married my wife, my (her) kids were 12 and 13. She had NEVER struck them. If they went to a store, and they were unruly, she just told them the good part of the trip (a little treat or toy) was out. If they "forgot" their homework, they had to walk back to school and politely ask for it from the teacher (yeah, m wife had to walk back with them, and thought it was worth it!)
Today, at 20 and 21, they have four degrees between them, and good jobs, one in IT the other as a curator at a museum. Yeah, really! Blows my mind, too!
I take NO credit for any of this...Rosie did it all. But my point is that raising kids is, you know, that "hard work" thing.
And Rosie's point is always, "fear is not respect, fear is imposed; respect is earned and passed on."
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