4th and Goal Commentary - April 27, 2001
More Sex on TV Than Ever Before
By Bill McCartney
A recent study shows that sexual content on TV is on the rise -- but
did we really need a study to tell us that?
I'm Bill McCartney... It's 4TH and Goal!
Research conducted for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has revealed
that sexual content on television has risen dramatically since 1997, showing
up in two out of every three TV shows. The study defined "sexual
content" to include sexual discussions, flirting, kissing, intimate touching
and depictions of intercourse. At least one of these criteria was
present in a full 68 percent of the shows studied during the 1999-2000
season - up from 56 percent during the 1997-1998 season.
84 percent of comedies contain sexually oriented language or action,
up from 56 percent in the previous study. The sexual content on dramas
went up from 58 percent to 69 percent, as well. The only television
shows to demonstrate a decrease in sex were soap operas (down from 85 percent
to a still-alarming 80 percent), and talk shows (down from 78 percent to
67 percent).
Perhaps most disturbing of all, the study indicates that an increasing
number of teen characters are depicted having intercourse on the small
screen. In 1997 and 98, teenagers represented three percent of all
characters having sex. That number has now tripled to nine percent.
Men, we must be vigilant in protecting ourselves and our families from
this onslaught. Sex is not dirty or evil, despite the fact that the
entertainment industry almost always portrays it in an inappropriate and
titillating manner. There's a wonderful and proper context for sex,
and that is when it is between one man and one woman who are committed
to each other forever in a marriage relationship.
That's simply not the picture of sex presented to us by Hollywood.
And that is why we must not allow ourselves to be "entertained" by a vulgar,
base facsimile of what should be beautiful and pure. The next time
you're watching your favorite show and the subject matter turns to sex
- and that is guaranteed to happen at some point - grab that clicker and
change the channel immediately. Or better yet, turn the TV off altogether!
Take your family out for a Coke or a game of miniature golf. Or gather
everyone together to look at slides or some old photo albums. With
a little creativity, there will be no end to the ways you can avoid the
seedier side of TV.
Television isn't all bad, but the nickname "idiot box" is becoming increasingly
well-deserved. And sex on TV just isn't going to go away -- in fact,
it's getting more common by the day. But that doesn't mean we have
to watch - it's up to us to tune out.
I'm Coach Bill McCartney.
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4th and Goal - Coaching for Life's Tough Calls, with Bill McCartney,
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