Prime time pornography

 Do ya’ watch “Glee?”  Have you ever seen the show?  Well I do but I’m starting to second guess my judgment on this.  I have to say, I was a reluctant viewer when I started watching at the beginning of this season.  I didn’t want to get hooked into a show that I had to watch week to week to keep up with the goings on.  But watch I did at the request of my daughter.  And that’s when the trouble started.

At first it was all cute singing and dancing.  Yes, there were story lines and the undercurrents of sexual intrigue were there.  But they were undercurrents.  Unfortunately, a couple weeks ago things changed and the show, in my opinion, hit rock bottom.  I know they were trying to make a point with their “in-your-face” sexuality.  In fact, they weren’t promoting sex, they were rather, pushing abstinence and/or taking responsibility for your actions.  But for heaven’s sake, did they really have to push it so far down our, er, collective throats?

From the raunchy Joan Jett song, “Do You Wanna’ Touch Me?” performed by Glee teen Lauren to two adult characters – and teachers – Holly Holliday and Will Shuester performing a titillating dance routine to Prince’s 80’s hit “Kiss” – and it got worse from there – the entire show could be chalked up as prime time porn.  And our kids are watching! 

Have you ever listened to any of these songs?  Do yourself a favor and go to YouTube and watch the original Prince video that goes with the songs “Kiss.”  Do it right now and come back.  See what I mean?  And the dialogue that went along with the singing and dancing was just as bad.  Talking about nooners?  How about the exchange, “My lips are sealed, just like your legs.”  Forget sexual innuendo.  It’s all out there on display for the young, old, sexually knowledgeable or inexperienced to latch onto. 

And therein lies the problem.  Why are our kids being exposed to this during regular viewing hours?  It’s not like it’s on some obscure cable channel in the middle of the night.  Don’t they have enough pressures without one of their favorite shows making sex seem easy and fun to navigate?  A recent Wall Street Journal online story points to pre-teen girls who dress provocatively with the help of their parents. Sky high platforms, eye shadow, dangly earrings and slinky dresses are part of the party wardrobe a la Paris Hilton.  The media is opening the door to sexuality and our children are not walking through it, they’re running as fast as possible and  oftentimes with our blessing, it seems.

Recently a friend’s child got into trouble at school for being overtly provocative with a classmate.  What started as fun turned into a charge of harassment and ended with a stiff penalty (no pun intended).  But think about it.  Where had this student, or any student for that matter, gotten the idea that this sort of behavior was okay, common, the norm.  Why, shows like “Glee” of course.  When actors cross the boundary it’s entertainment and something to blame on the show’s writers.  When kids emulate that, it’s harassment, which leads to trouble.  Well, honestly it all leads to trouble one way or the other. 

I realize this topic has been hashed around by many other writers and critics over the years and my little diatribe will do little to change things.  I just needed to vent.  And personally I do still like “Glee” and would like to continue watching.  I just wish I could watch it with my 14-year-old without each of us feeling like we need to take a shower afterward.