Hey, Hollywood, Wake Up
“The Bible,” a five-week series on the History Channel, has ended. No big deal. Who’d watch this kind of thing anyway, and who cares?
The most-watched TV shows are reality shows. Don’t you want to watch shows where people are worse off and nastier than you? And let’s not forget “The Walking Dead,” a show about zombies, which some would say is also a reality show. What redeeming values. And then there are shows like “Greys Anatomy” where doctors and nurses are getting it on like rabbits before Easter.
Aren’t these shows what people want? Apparently not. Reality, zombie and vampire shows are popular among our youth. “The Bible” series pulled in more than 13.1 viewers, of which 5.6 million were between 18 and 45. Wow! Who would have thought 18-year-olds were interested in Bible stories?
These numbers are considered an enormous audience by normal TV broadcast standards. What happened? Those liberal fruitcakes in Hollywood think good, wholesome programming with solid family and moral values won’t sell. Obviously they’re wrong.
Tyler Perry has repeatedly proven them wrong, as well. His “Madea” series has made hundreds of millions of dollars, and he has written directed and produced many other feel-good, wholesome, God-centered movies that have also gone on to make hundreds of millions of dollars. Go figure.
So why wouldn’t Hollywood want to cash in on this viewership? Because they are so sold out to their godless, moral-less agenda that they are willing to make less money. Instead we are bombarded with shows like “The Simpsons,” “Family Man” and “South Park” – shows that force the notion on our young people that parents, fathers in particular, are so inept that they are not to be listened to or obeyed. The family unit, religion, moral values and just good clean TV are not what we should subscribe to.
What, then, should we be watching? Vampire and zombie movies that show a romantic side to death, right? That dark side is kind of sexy and fun. We are so turned around as a society. They even tried to shove a show like “GCB” (Good Christian Bitches) down our throats because they loath what Christianity stands for and want to discredit it. What cowards. Were they also going to produce “Good Islamic Bitches” or “Good Buddhist Bitches”? Doubtful.
“The Bible” series, the Tyler Perry movies, “The Cosby Show,” “Touched by an Angel” and “Fairly Odd Parents” are but a few of many, good wholesome shows that make, and made, money, and keep making money in syndication. They have good characters with good parents in them with wholesome story lines and a useful lesson to every show.
The cable channel “ME-TV” is doing fantastic, making money, and has a rapidly growing audience. Why? Listen up, Hollywood! Because people want some good, clean, wholesome programming. But instead, the industry keeps pushing broken families, sexual perversion and down-trodden, no-way-out garbage on us, and you, the general viewer, allow it.
If you want good programming, fight back. Don’t support the shows and stations that don’t promote your values, and let them know you’re doing it.
As those Hollywood executives are sitting around trying to figure out how and why this happened, show them you care. Show them they must stop treating you like a bunch of mindless, careless idiots. Take time to see what your kids are watching, and don’t support those that sponsor these moral-less shows.
Joe Messina is the host of a Nationally Syndicated radio show
The Real Side w/Joe Messina
Hi. If you don’t like what’s on television, you realize you are not required to watch. But starting a campaign to yank shows that others enjoy but you find distasteful is really petty. I have no interest whatsoever in The Bible, but people seem to like it, which (and this may shock you) does not disgust and enrage me. I also don’t think of a show’s existence and a network’s decision to advertise that shows existence constitutes something being shoved down my throat. If something doesn’t appeal to me, I don’t watch it. Now, if employees if Comedy Central came to your home and tied you down and forced you to watch South Park like that scene in A Clockwork Orange, well, that would be inappropriate and I would contact my cable provider and complain.
I agree with you Jon, I am the adult and I change the station, don’t turn it on and so forth. I am mostly asking people to PAY ATTENTION watch what your kids are watching, check out the movies and so on. I have no objection if people want to watch GCB, ten Momma, but how about you give me some options Hollywood, more than “Father knows Best”
GCB came on ABC Sunday night, I think (my wife watched it). On the basic cable package that I have there were probably 300 other things I could have watched. Not all television is for all people. And yes, parents do need to watch what their kids are watching, and not all things were made with kids in mind. I love The Simpsons, and have since I was in high school. When I was in my early 20s I would come off a double shift at work at 7 in the morning and unwind by watching two episodes of The Simpsons and drinking a glass of scotch, and I really enjoyed that time and it makes me sad that had a group of crusading parents had their way I would not have had that.
Creativity seems to have left Hollywood & the Entertainment Centers along with their morals. Our ‘acceptance[ & “oh that’s Holywood’ behaviour has encouraged them to keep pushing the envelope. And as that envelope is allowed to move so is the ‘edge’ & we become more “de-sensitized” to violence,& immoral behavious that are rapidly becoming the ‘new normal’
Don’t like it??? Well, the LAZY way is just change channels. Ratings are based on ‘random polls’ When was the last time someone like Nielson called you & asked what you watch?…Besides these polls are taken to get infirmation for the network…Follow the money….ADVERTISERS….Notify them that you don’t watch shows you find offensive..Oh, I know I am just one person, but being rather ordinary there are a lot ‘just like me’ & complaints stack, advertisers takr notice. Shoot a copy of your compliant to the Network….I say all this knowing that Jack In The Box has developed a campaign with sometimess not so sutle sexual tones…AND REMEMBER..YOU are your child’s teacher, not the TV
Actually, contacting advertisers is still the lazy way, although slightly more active than just changing the channel. If you want to make a real change then you should create something.
By the way, it really galls me that on a Conservative website someone would start a complaint by saying that “Creativity has left Hollywood,” but in almost every other venue attack government spending on the arts and cutting money to public schools which cut generally cut arts programs first. I’m not talking about you specifically, but I’m sure you would agree that when someone brings up the National Endowment of the Arts or a similar organization it is not a Conservative voice that rushes to support it. Hollywood is a business, and business is booming, and it is booming because a)people are buying what they are selling, and b)kids growing up are more impressed by explosions and vampires than artistic statements. Not all kids, but the vast majority. Make no mistake, this is not something I’m happy about. I just recently became a parent, and I’m telling everyone I know to never mention Shrek near my son. I just don’t want him to know about it. But at the same time, the film and television industry is not responsible for raising my son, and when he gets old enough to watch and appreciate a show as brilliant as The Simpsons (and that show was brilliant for at least ten years) I want it, and other shows like it to be around for him, and not taken off the air because someone sent a letter to an advertiser. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. If you can’t find something you like, I don’t know what to tell you. Read a book?