The rumor is true, the FCC is considering allowing more sex and nudity on televisions. Their website posted a public notice last month proposing an end to “the prohibition of expletives and certain images of nudity on television.” Then clean shows like CBS’s Two and a Half Men could finally let loose and tell racy jokes… uh… oh wait…
Sure, network TV is already pretty racy, and blurred/pixilated nudity is increasing logarithmically, but if you want to know where this FCC consideration is heading, just watch a single episode of HBO’s Girls or Game of Thrones (Actually… don’t. But read how some parents are responding when they are exposed to the “soft core porn” of these popular new shows).
This week I’m teaching a brand new parenting workshop in an exciting new venue… we’re inviting parents and teenagers under one roof and opening up the doorways of dialogue.
I’m on a plane quite a bit. I seem to average 6 to 8 legs a month. I’ve learned a few tricks, quirks and tips over the years that make travel easier… or at least more bearable. I’ll try not to repeat the obvious ones I covered yesterday in my hotel post like, “stick with one airline.” But definitely do that to earn free flights and other perks. So here they are…
The Frequent Travelers Top 10 Air Travel Tips:
Live in a hub city: My friends Mark, Doug, Greg… almost all my friends who travel like I do… live in hub cities. Their airline can get to most cities in one leg. I however, do not live in a hub city. That means it takes me two flight to get to most places. If you plan on flying for a living… live in a hub city!
Take the first flight of the day: It’s this simple: the earlier your flight, the greater the chance of you getting to your destination. Later flights depend on earlier flights, earlier crews, earlier maintenance and weather conditions. If just one of those Continue reading “Top 10 Air Travel Tips”
I’m in a hotel 6 to 10 nights a month (like next week I’ll be in a hotel for three nights while I teach at Azusa Pacific’s FAM Conference). Over the years I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade that have helped me get the most of the experience, taking advantage of the perks… and getting a better night’s sleep!
Frequent Traveler Tips to “Hoteling”
Stick with one hotel chain: I used to jump around finding the best deal. But, in the long run, I lost out. Pick one chain, sign up for their frequent traveler’s program, and you’ll get all the perks (if you travel enough, you’ll often get free upgrades, free nights, free breakfasts…). This still works even if you don’t travel a lot. It will take more time, but you’ll earn rewards.
What mark are teen idols like James Franco leaving? Will kids remember him as OZ: The Great and Powerful, or as Saul, one of the pothead leads from the 2008 film Pineapple Express… or maybe as the drug and arms dealer in the new and very R-rated film Spring Breakers, where, among other escapades, he does a threesome with Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson?
Just how great and powerful is the influence of the highly gifted James Franco to young people today?
Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop… Country? Which genre is young people’s music of choice?
I always hate to answer that question, because it never ceases to make people angry. Maybe that’s because some people don’t like the answer: Rap/hip-hop.
I remember teaching at the National Youth Workers Convention in 2005 and 2006. In one of my seminars about outreach events, I challenged youth workers about their recurring choice of rock bands at all their venues. “How come every time I go to a big Christian event, the band playing is rock or even metal?” I asked. “Do you really think we’re accurately targeting our audience when we bring in a grunge band to try to attract neighborhood kids? Is this really what they are listening to?”
Friends with benefits, hooking up, no strings attached… it has many names. But now technology is making it even easier, because this app takes all the guessing out of the equation.
If only it could erase the consequences.
If you follow me on Twitter you saw my Tweet about this taboo little social networking phenomenon last week. It’s the ultimate tool for discovering which of your friends are interested in a little meaningless sex Continue reading “Bang with Friends”
The music industry is at it again, pimping easily accessible smut for our kids’ eyes and ears. This time, it’s a new music video from Will I Am… and most parents don’t have a clue.
That’s what scares me the most– how unaware parents are. After the Super Bowl this year, I kept encountering articles written by parents who were “shocked” by Beyonce’s performance.
Really?
Don’t get me wrong. She was overtly sexual, she was inappropriate, and I think it’s sad that our country happily endorses that entertainment. But her performance was in no way “shocking.” If you’ve ever seen Continue reading “Scream & Shout”
Maybe it was the unique matchup of two teams, one from each U.S. coast, who barely scraped wins from some of the closest and most challenging championship games in years.
Or maybe… it was the commercials.
Americans love Super Bowl Sunday, an American holiday of sorts. I’ve shared my theories on why. But it’s undeniable that this television event is one where people actually want to watch the ads. Maybe that’s why these spots sell for $4 million for just 30-seconds.
This year, I had two favorites. I can’t tell you which is my No. 1, because I loved them both for different reasons.
My favorite funny ad had to be the Doritos ad, “Goat for Sale.” This little 30-second ad was hilarious, memorable, and actually made you remember the brand advertised. That’s a lot of bang for your buck… er… your 4 million bucks. Check it out:
But the sentimental side of me (or as my wife would call it, “the woman in me”) loved Anheuser-Busch’s heartwarming spot, “Brotherhood,” showing the raising and training of a young Clydesdale horse that is sold to Budweiser, only to be reunited with his former trainer for just a few seconds years later.
Yes… I cried.
This spot was the No. 1 spot of the day, according to Ad Meter, winning by a nose. Check it out:
USA Today posted all the best commercial videos, clickable and ready to watch, in order of popularity on this page, or you can view the whole list here.
My Soapbox
Let’s be honest. Watching TV is becoming a struggle for many parents today, regardless of religious belief, because when you sit down to watch a show as a family, you hope to not have to leap across the couch and cover little Josh’s eyes.
Yesterday was probably a pleasant experience overall for parents, but they definitely grew nervous a few times, like when the GoDaddy ad featuring gorgeous model Bar Refaeli began. But unlike previous years, where GoDaddy admittedly used eye-candy, this year they just used… awkward?
CBS definitely aired a few ads that made parents squirm in their seats: the racy Carls Jr. ad—sexy girl eating a burger, or perhaps the Gildan shirts ad where the guy wakes up Hangover-style in furry handcuffs and wants his shirt back from the girl lying in the bed. Maybe we should celebrate that ads like this ad for PornHub didn’t make the cut this year.
I think one of the most obvious ploys used by television networks over the years is the attempt to lure viewers to watch the program immediately following the Super Bowl. Often, networks use low hanging fruit like eye-candy or raunchy humor to entice viewers. (Did you notice the commercial for CBS shows where they advertised, “irresponsible”? I guess that’s a marketing draw now.) This year, CBS showed a special episode of their new show Elementary, usually airing on Thursday nights. As the show began, two girls in lingerie seduced Sherlock Holmes and tied him to a chair. I’ve seen this show numerous times and it’s never used this tactic before. I guess CBS had to bet “all in” if they were to try to win those Super Bowl viewers.
INSERTED NOTE:To those who are wondering why I decided not to even cast any opinion about the Super Bowl halftime show this year: Why? Because it was exactly what people should have expected. Beyonce always dresses like that, she always dances like that, and America, in general, embraces her, seeing no problem with her onstage antics. Celebrities who dress modest are actually the exception today. The most innocent of our daughters’ role models dress slutty, and our girls are learning that’s it’s readily acceptable to dress slutty. It’s a wonder why parents are sitting around scratching their heads wondering why our teenagers act the way they do at school dances. Our girls are slowly becoming sexualized; I’ve blogged about this countless times. So if you found the Super Bowl halftime show surprising… my only response is… where have you been? If you found the Super Bowl halftime show sad… my response is… good! You just saw a glimpse of the kind of entertainment media our kids are simmering in daily.
So my simple advice to parents is twofold: co-viewing and dialogue.
Don’t let your kids watch TV by themselves. Do what the AAP recommends and watch TV with them. I would go further and recommend recording shows with a DVR so you can use my three-button approach to watching TV with your kids, opening doors of opportunity for dialogue. Yes, dialogue, not monologue. In other words: don’t lecture, but ask questions. After seeing a guy waking up from a one night stand wearing furry handcuffs, ask your teenagers some questions,
“So what do you think this commercial is saying?”
“Is it telling the whole story?”
If you keep up on youth culture, like when you need my new Youth Culture Window article about teenage binge drinking I’ll be posting this weekend (sign up to receive these articles in your inbox HERE), you can even cite a recent study and ask your kids’ thoughts about the truth on the subject.
David and I finished our annual recap of the songs that went #1 in the past year, just posting Part II of the article on this week’s Youth Culture Window page(if you don’t receive that free Youth Culture Window in your inbox, CLICK HERE).
Thirteen songs made it to the top spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this year, giving teenagers plenty to resonate with…both good and bad. That two-part article provides you with an overview of each of those songs.
Every once in a while someone will ask me, “Why do you care so much about the music teenagers listen to?”
I guess that would be like someone asking me, “Why do you care about what your kids eat?”
Consider the love for cheesecake. If you sauntered into the Cheesecake Factory on a random Friday night and discovered their Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake to be delicious, you might not be aware that you just consumed over 1000 calories, 44 grams of fat, and 91g of carbs in one piece.
I mean… who cares. It just tastes delicious!
Perhaps you begin eating a piece after every meal.
If someone warns you, “Hey, you’re gonna grow three chins if you keep eating all that cheesecake!” you might be tempted to reply, “I just don’t worry about all that stuff. After all, how do we really know that excess calories and carbs are bad for you anyway!”
Ignorance is no excuse.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying all music is bad. Quite the contrary (all food isn’t bad either). But, perhaps we should be aware of what our kids are consuming.
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The rumor is true, the FCC is considering allowing more sex and nudity on televisions. Their website posted a public notice last month proposing an end to “the prohibition of expletives and certain images of nudity on television.” Then clean shows like CBS’s Two and a Half Men could finally let loose and tell racy jokes… uh… oh wait…
