Television tests its taboos

Networks and series creators regularly test boundaries of what is permissible, and the latest examples of this are found in the 25 primetime series scheduled to premiere this fall. Variety reports.

The new battlefronts in the culture wars:

-- Male characters on TV series cavorting with transvestites.

-- Teens musing about deflowering female classmates.

-- Amorous monkeys joining in on human sex play.

Viewing those pilots underscores how subtly the bar this year is being raised (or lowered) in the effort to surprise and titillate viewers in ways that can confound the schemes of federal regulators, pandering legislators, watchdogs and occasionally the networks themselves.

The content in some fall shows will undoubtedly fuel those who claim TV is creating a decline in moral values -- fretting that will surely grow louder the closer we get to the 2008 election.

... Where does this leave cultural warriors? Fed up and frustrated, if a new study from The Culture and Media Institute -- like the aforementioned PTC, a subdivision of the conservative Media Research Center with a neutral-sounding name -- is any indication.

In a survey titled "The Media Assault on American Values," the "institute" quotes findings that claim two-thirds of Americans believe the media not only play an important role in shaping moral values but actively harm them. In fact, the report contends that watching TV fosters more permissive attitudes about extramarital sex, abortion rights and homosexuality, highlighting the attitudinal distinction between "light" and "heavy" TV viewers.

Betraying their own bias, the researchers stress that infrequent TV viewers are far more likely than heavy ones to believe television undermines American morality, which they characterize as a sign of TV's "seductive effect." However, they are ignoring a more intriguing possibility: That people who actually watch TV have a clearer sense of whether its content is genuinely "harmful" than those basing their opinions on an uninformed hunch.

Related:

-- Does Watching TV Damage Character? - The Culture and Media Institute's new Special Report, The Media Assault on American Values, reveals that media messages appear to be undermining the pillars of America’s cultural edifice: strength of character, sexual morality and respect for God.

-- Why TV Addiction Links to Liberalism i - Those who describe themselves as “heavy” TV viewers embrace distinctly liberal attitudes on a range of crucial issues.

emily | 10:46 AM | The impact of TV series on society |
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