"Skins" MTV "The most dangerous..."

[amicus]

The title is the keyword search I did after hearing about it...

Thre were over 466,000 articles in .23 seconds...

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/01/21/too-hot-for-america-the-tv-show-skins/

And so to the latest addition to the long, long list of things which are apparently considered too fruity for American television: the TV show Skins.

The first edition of an American remake of the award-winning and extremely popular British programme debuted on MTV last week. They bleeped out all the naughty language, but there was a bit of fairly vanilla nudity, some recreational drug-taking, and one or two scenes involving teenagers groping each other (see PR pic on this page). As a result the most almighty shit-storm has now erupted.

A few days back, the Parents Television Council (PTC), which is a transatlantic version of that organisation Mary Whitehouse used to run, issued a press release branding it: “the most dangerous show for children that we have ever seen.”

Yesterday, executives at Viacom, the conglomerate which owns MTV, instructed producers to “tone down” explicit content. Apparently, they were particularly concerned at a scene where (wait for it) a 17-year-old boys pale bottom was shown as he ran naked down a street.

Today, the junk food retailer Taco Bell threw its oar into the controversy by pulling its adverts from the show, saying that it: “does not match with its vision” of what television should be.

Finally, this afternoon, the US Senate AND House Judiciary committees were formally asked by the PTC to launch an investigation whether the show is “sufficiently sexually suggestive” to “knowingly violates anti child-pornography laws.” Amazingly, the writer of this New York Times piece seems to think that it is.

~~~

I make note of this issue in light of Amazon.com banning some categories of Epublished stories; that a member of Congress is asking the FCC to regulate talk radio and television and from the general aura of 'censorship' that seems to be growing across the country.

Just another 'tempest in a tea kettle', or an harbinger of worse to come?

Amicus

 

[Boxlicker101]

I've heard about this. It seems the big deal is the people using dope and feeling each other up are minors. I haven't seen any of it, and probably won't, but it wouldn't be a matter of self-censorship. It seems pretty tame, compared to what we write here and some of the sample vids that are readily available.

 

[amicus]

I've heard about this. It seems the big deal is the people using dope and feeling each other up are minors. I haven't seen any of it, and probably won't, but it wouldn't be a matter of self-censorship. It seems pretty tame, compared to what we write here and some of the sample vids that are readily available.

~~~

I haven't watched it either, and will not....but the criticisms I heard describe an aura of drug use, promiscuous sex, group sex, et cetera, all portrayed by 14 and 15 year old actors and actresses and intended for a young MTV audience.

I also heard discussed the causal factor of television programs and social behavior among young people. Now....I am the last to ever recommend censorship, which I think will happen to this program, and probably with good cause.

Even though the program airs at 10pm, what with online streaming, recording devices, view at any time features, virtually anyone can watch it at any time.

Amicus

 

[Miss_Pixie]

*sigh* If only High School had actually been that way... I mean really. The more people throw a fit about it, the more kids are gonna watch it. I watched the first episode and laughed the whole way through, it was just silly and over dramatic.

 

[Handley_Page]

It is a sad state of affairs when an Advertiser can lean heavily on the producing company.
When Mary Whitehouse (Clean up TV campaign) was going strong, most folks regarded her as "a bit of a nutter", and a good advert for a raunchy programme. Occasionally she was right, but not for the same reasons as she imagined.

This is censorship by Committee, by the sound of it.
And from the nation that produces such unadulterated porn ?