Yeah. Anyone who knows me knows that I am the furthest thing from prudish. I think it ridiculous that someone thinks they have the right to tell me what messages I am supposed to give my kids. Actually this was pretty timely, given the conversation that my daughter and her friend Hannah had just had the day before. I was taking them to a skating party, and Hannah wanted to listen to a rap station. We put it on the radio, and the lyrics immdiately came from a male singer which suggested all the things that this guy was going to do to the "hoes". I used it as a moment to ask the girls how they felt about being described this way. After a few uneasy moments, Hannah said she just liked the beat. I then went on to describe the music of the late 60's and early 70's that I used to listen to that had a great beat but lyrics that were poorly thought out. This made the girls a little less uneasy, because they knew it wasn't just them. We then went on about how music can be used to shape opinion, and my little Ciara came up with this gem; "Da, I guess when you make music you need to make sure you are saying what you mean, instead of just trying to impress people?" Great kid, that one.

I don't have a problem with folks sending messages, but I think I have the right to tailor that to reflect my values. If this were on a pay per view, or a channel like MTV/VH1, where I know that it is going to be, then I can choose to expose my kids. But when it is thrust upon me when I had every reasonable expectation that I not be in a situation of dealing with it as if it were fairly neutral, that crosses a line.

I have spent a great deal of time trying to teach my children that sexuality is a wondrous thing, that body image does not determine worth, and that women are an equal and extremely valuable part of the wonder of creation. To have all this besmirched on public TV by folks that are not raising my children, and who do not share my sensibilities, as if they have the right to do so, is an insult and very sad.

Interesting, isn't it, that the folks that chose to do this are folks that are not raising children?

Mick