Joan Ball is a business professor at St. John’s University in New York and the author of Flirting with Faith: My Spiritual Journey from Atheism to a Faith-Filled Life.
By now there is nothing shocking about the fact that some shows’ sole purpose seem to be pushing the envelope. I’m not a Gossip Girl follower, but the few times I’ve caught an episode, I found myself spouting off like an old fuddy-duddy.
“How old is that girl?” “When I was her age, I didn’t even know what that was!” etc etc.
For instance, a threesome. Ok, I’m sure at 16, I could have put two and two together (or, I suppose, two and one together) but I sure wouldn’t have thought of it on my own. And I most definitely wouldn’t have been taking part in one.
Apparently, 3 of our favorite GG characters both know exactly what a threesome is and will be taking part in one on this Monday’s episode. Time for sweeps week, people, and making money the old-fashioned way — the promotion of promiscuous teens!
Now, I’m a strong advocate of freedom of expression and speech, so I’m not sure where I fall on this debate. Personally, I’d love to see some sort of responsibility on the part of the network and the show’s writers and producers. Again, not to sound like a fuddy-duddy, but a threesome? Come on!
What do you think? Is this crossing the line? Should we look for a stronger sense of social responsibility from those that are entertaining us?
posted November 8, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I’ve never watched the show, in fact I’m not sure it even existed until now, but from the folks in their 20s that I know, threesomes would seem to be a cultural norm so the show may just be reflecting the reality of the producers’ families.
posted November 8, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Charles: One perhaps key point, however, is that the show supposedly is depicting kids in their early to late-teens, not their 20s.
posted November 9, 2009 at 2:01 am
Whats the big deal with a THREESOME?
JFK tried to get MARILYN MONROE & PIN UP GIRL JEANNE CARMEN into a Threesome back in the swinging 60′s and he’s the most beloved President of all time.
You can read the whole story at this link
http://jeannecarmen.com/pdf/jcglobejfk.pdf
Its time the PARENTS TELEVISION COUNCIL got over it.
posted November 9, 2009 at 1:20 pm
1) with solid parenting, gutter media will not take hold.
2) The notion that media are “to blame” for behavior loathed by fuddy-duddies is best addressed by the letter received by Sir James Barrie, author of PETER PAN, which read: “You fiend! My son killed himself jumping out of the window trying to fly like Peter Pan.” Though Sir James was upset, where was Mom when this flight took place?
posted November 9, 2009 at 3:28 pm
This isn’t regarding Gossip Girl but rather American censorship in general.
Was watching Leno the other night and he had on a cooking apron which depicted Michaelangelos’s statue of David, probably the world’s most famous sculpture, known to almost everyone breathing.
NBC chose to pixillate out the penis. Now, everyone knows David is depicted nude; we’ve all seen it. It’s not like we don’t know what a penis looks like. Leno airs at 10pm, most children are in bed by then.
Could someone explain to me what’s the point of this censorship? Who’s sensibilities are being ‘protected’ here? Is NBC worried they’ll be fined for ‘obscenity’ like the, what, half a million dollar fine for Janet Jackson’s millisecond of ‘wardrobe malfunction’?
Better question, how does it benefit America to pretend penises don’t exist? Who is/will be harmed by seeing one? Almost half of the population has one, too.
Heck, America’s Funnisest Home Videos still have the bumcracks of naked children pixillated out, and we all of us have one of those.
Could we please abolish the 19th century?
posted January 18, 2010 at 10:34 pm
This is nothing but a Jew-controlled filth webpage!
posted January 18, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Michael Wolfe is a Jew phoney, who masquerades as a Muslim!