To add to our recent commentaries on the violence that is present in today’s television programming (see "Violent TV Commercials", and "R-Rated Cartoons"), there are many prime time shows that excel not only in violence and sex, but also language that’s as bad as anything heard on city streets.
One show in particular, "NYPD Blue, " has one detective that uses every word in the Hall of Shame book. He seems to have an odd fascination with his testicles, and with those of other peoples, as he mentions them quite often during the dialog, and at least once grabbed his own testicles to indicate something filthy in a grade school conversation with another detective. On one particular episode this detective, during a crisis in his TV life, is praying to God, and several times calls God a slang name for male genitalia (which I can’t even print here). This, by far, was the worst demonstration of vulgar disrespect I have ever seen on TV.
Not only are the writers guilty of creating a situation in this detective’s life, to glorify and justify his use of phallic symbolism, even against God, but the actor portraying the detective is as guilty as the writers for going along with it. Not only is this "NYPD Blue" show a disgrace to the New York City Police Department, but it also undermines the values of our TV viewing audience.
The TV scheduling challenges us parents to protect our children from this onslaught of attacks on their senses. And because the reruns of "NYPD Blue" come on during early afternoon hours, as well as the new prime time shows come on between 7 and 11 PM, just when is it safe for our children to watch TV?
If there is anybody connected with TV censorship, "NYPD Blue, " or any TV show, that has a value system, and knows the influence television has on our little ones, and still brings this garbage into our living rooms, through the television sets that we ourselves pay for, then please heed the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:6 "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."
By George Konig
Feb. 8, 2004
www.georgekonig.org
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