After I read this my husband listened while I made some lunch. We chatted over steak and eggs and your article prompted us to ask what is driving this numbness and acceptance.
We believe that it all started with adult's viewing habits which of course now has trickled down to a lowered or deranged idea and threshold of what is ok to show our kids because the images and stories we as adults are taking in are so radically low, violent, sexually explicit and extremely dark of tone.
Since the 1950's adults have voraciously gone lower and lower in the most insatiable manner when it comes to film, tv music videos and print ads.
My husband and I could not watch Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Yellowstone and too many other shows and films to count. We felt we were living in an insane world as everyone loves dearly these shows. They are dark as can be. Munch's The Scream is how we feel while witnessing the media adults consume because everyone insists it's all so great-you just have to watch this or that and applaud to be cool. Our brains are rotted filmically and so now we want parents to be healthy of mind for their kid's viewing habits? Oh please. Not going to happen. Let's all take the blame here 100%.
I know what you mean, although two of the show you mentioned I have seen episodes of, and I do think they had artistic merit -- although I was not able to get through all of the seasons because of the brutality. I think grown-up television at the minute -- for all its sex and gore -- has the upper hand against movies - as at least the writing, acting, and plot are actually very good, at least in some TV shows. I agree with you though, that the darkness becomes exhausting and at a certain point, you just can't consume any more of it. There are things that I just refuse to allow in through my eyeballs.
Even shows like White Lotus and Succession, which are PG compared to GoT and Yellowstone, are just so jaded and cynical -- the characters so unhappy and awful, despite being rich, beautiful and successful. All of culture right now is very bleak.
I was so disturbed by the show Vikings - rape left and right. Another day I came hope from work and asked my husband why he was watching porn, and he told me it was Outlander. It was porn. Now we watch mostly BBC classics.
normalization of aberrant behavior began back with the 1977 TV show SOAP and Billy Crystal's homosexual character. Hollywood kept pushing the envelope over the decades. more and more homosexual characters were included in TV shows, advertisements today regularly show same sex couples, fathers are rarely show in commercials
and we see mixed race couples in advertisement which would lead someone to believe that we dont have racial problems especially when the left keeps crying racism at the drop of a hat
I research these matters. I also have certain experience. I also gave a bizree story. If interested, please email me. I'm also having trouble with my Substack. Believe it or not, I can't figure out how to post. I managed it once. This limits my ability to present to the public.
A very concise and insightful analysis of the show and the reasons why it had to happen. Choices children make at 3, 8, 15, should not have to be irrevocable. To rob children of the ability to dream and experiment is criminal.
What jumped out at me in that documentary was how the groomers sought to separate children from their parents. Driving a wedge between them was the way to get at the children and that is precisely the standard operating procedure of trans ideology. It’s an age old story of predators hiding in plain sight.
Interesting observation. Childhood and adolescents are tough enough on kids without complicating it more by meddling adults. What a sorry state an entire generation appears to be a victim of. Where are these adults now and have they woken up?
Children are very impressionable and vulnerable. Books (no not all books are appropriate for children, and it is an act of love to work to keep the toxic ones out of school libraries), TV shows, movies, etc. influence children more than adults often realize. The parent is or should be in charge. It is essential to feed a child's mind well as well as his stomach. A parent should teach a child biblical truth and an American parent should tell a child about true American history and civics (they are too often being fed junk in too many schools). This can be done even in cases where a parent is unable to homeschool. Don't make it a chore; make it a delight; kids are curious.
I also think beginning in the 90s parents in large numbers abdicated their role of teachers of values, morals and character to the state. At the same time teacher colleges were graduating young adults indoctrinated in this evil and insane social justice and believing this was their role at teachers. So empty headed children show up at the school doors ready to be ensconced in this crap.
I actually have watched the Teletubbies (a friend had a baby sister that age when it was on) and I will say this in its defence: it never - to my knowledge - featured a middle school girl jerking off a potato. (Sorry for my crude language.)
My family and I rarely watch TV or movies, so we have become very sensitive to sex and violence on the screen. On the rare occasions when we try to find something to watch, we usually end up turning the TV off and walking away. It’s nearly impossible to find something that meets the standards of good, true, and beautiful. But because I am so disconnected from sex and violence in media, I can more easily see how those around me have lost all discernment in their viewing habits, having no reservations about explicit sex scenes or a script that punctuates every sentence with foul language. No one seems to notice that we (society) worship at the altar of entertainment. We demand to have 24/7 access from endless streaming services. Walk on any campus today and note how many young people are on their screens and how many are wearing headphones, constantly ingesting music lyrics, reels, and social media content. We deny that media intake impacts how we think and see the world, and this is precisely why we are so vulnerable to it. (I very often think of the last scene in Fahrenheit 451…if you haven’t read this book, put it on your list!)
After I read this my husband listened while I made some lunch. We chatted over steak and eggs and your article prompted us to ask what is driving this numbness and acceptance.
We believe that it all started with adult's viewing habits which of course now has trickled down to a lowered or deranged idea and threshold of what is ok to show our kids because the images and stories we as adults are taking in are so radically low, violent, sexually explicit and extremely dark of tone.
Since the 1950's adults have voraciously gone lower and lower in the most insatiable manner when it comes to film, tv music videos and print ads.
My husband and I could not watch Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Yellowstone and too many other shows and films to count. We felt we were living in an insane world as everyone loves dearly these shows. They are dark as can be. Munch's The Scream is how we feel while witnessing the media adults consume because everyone insists it's all so great-you just have to watch this or that and applaud to be cool. Our brains are rotted filmically and so now we want parents to be healthy of mind for their kid's viewing habits? Oh please. Not going to happen. Let's all take the blame here 100%.
I know what you mean, although two of the show you mentioned I have seen episodes of, and I do think they had artistic merit -- although I was not able to get through all of the seasons because of the brutality. I think grown-up television at the minute -- for all its sex and gore -- has the upper hand against movies - as at least the writing, acting, and plot are actually very good, at least in some TV shows. I agree with you though, that the darkness becomes exhausting and at a certain point, you just can't consume any more of it. There are things that I just refuse to allow in through my eyeballs.
Even shows like White Lotus and Succession, which are PG compared to GoT and Yellowstone, are just so jaded and cynical -- the characters so unhappy and awful, despite being rich, beautiful and successful. All of culture right now is very bleak.
I was so disturbed by the show Vikings - rape left and right. Another day I came hope from work and asked my husband why he was watching porn, and he told me it was Outlander. It was porn. Now we watch mostly BBC classics.
normalization of aberrant behavior began back with the 1977 TV show SOAP and Billy Crystal's homosexual character. Hollywood kept pushing the envelope over the decades. more and more homosexual characters were included in TV shows, advertisements today regularly show same sex couples, fathers are rarely show in commercials
I call it the sexual arms race.
and we see mixed race couples in advertisement which would lead someone to believe that we dont have racial problems especially when the left keeps crying racism at the drop of a hat
You rarticle is profound. It states the obvious which people avoid.
Wow, thank you. That is a very high compliment.
I research these matters. I also have certain experience. I also gave a bizree story. If interested, please email me. I'm also having trouble with my Substack. Believe it or not, I can't figure out how to post. I managed it once. This limits my ability to present to the public.
A very concise and insightful analysis of the show and the reasons why it had to happen. Choices children make at 3, 8, 15, should not have to be irrevocable. To rob children of the ability to dream and experiment is criminal.
Yes. Children should have innocence, not wisdom. Adults should have wisdom, not innocence. Things get very messed up othewise.
What jumped out at me in that documentary was how the groomers sought to separate children from their parents. Driving a wedge between them was the way to get at the children and that is precisely the standard operating procedure of trans ideology. It’s an age old story of predators hiding in plain sight.
Interesting observation. Childhood and adolescents are tough enough on kids without complicating it more by meddling adults. What a sorry state an entire generation appears to be a victim of. Where are these adults now and have they woken up?
That's the million dollar question.
Thank you for writing this, Jenny, and writing every week. I look forward to your articles.
Thank you!
Children are very impressionable and vulnerable. Books (no not all books are appropriate for children, and it is an act of love to work to keep the toxic ones out of school libraries), TV shows, movies, etc. influence children more than adults often realize. The parent is or should be in charge. It is essential to feed a child's mind well as well as his stomach. A parent should teach a child biblical truth and an American parent should tell a child about true American history and civics (they are too often being fed junk in too many schools). This can be done even in cases where a parent is unable to homeschool. Don't make it a chore; make it a delight; kids are curious.
TV today is garbage.
Yup tv is garbage
Better than movies though!
True. Another leisure activity I gave up 30 plus years ago. I would rather read, write, hunt or fish.
I also think beginning in the 90s parents in large numbers abdicated their role of teachers of values, morals and character to the state. At the same time teacher colleges were graduating young adults indoctrinated in this evil and insane social justice and believing this was their role at teachers. So empty headed children show up at the school doors ready to be ensconced in this crap.
True. Brainwashed from the first day of kindergarten through the last day of graduate school.
How about the deadly British “Teletubbies?”
Sheesh 🙄
I actually have watched the Teletubbies (a friend had a baby sister that age when it was on) and I will say this in its defence: it never - to my knowledge - featured a middle school girl jerking off a potato. (Sorry for my crude language.)
Good point!
yeah, seriously-bizarre stuff
My family and I rarely watch TV or movies, so we have become very sensitive to sex and violence on the screen. On the rare occasions when we try to find something to watch, we usually end up turning the TV off and walking away. It’s nearly impossible to find something that meets the standards of good, true, and beautiful. But because I am so disconnected from sex and violence in media, I can more easily see how those around me have lost all discernment in their viewing habits, having no reservations about explicit sex scenes or a script that punctuates every sentence with foul language. No one seems to notice that we (society) worship at the altar of entertainment. We demand to have 24/7 access from endless streaming services. Walk on any campus today and note how many young people are on their screens and how many are wearing headphones, constantly ingesting music lyrics, reels, and social media content. We deny that media intake impacts how we think and see the world, and this is precisely why we are so vulnerable to it. (I very often think of the last scene in Fahrenheit 451…if you haven’t read this book, put it on your list!)