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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lane3 who wrote (51320)	6/18/2002 7:48:44 AM
From: Lane3	Respond to of 82486

And a reminder that the show we discussed is being broadcast tonite in case anyone is interested in seeing it. Don't Ask, Don't Televise 'Nick News' to Air Show Despite Protest By Tom Shales Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 18, 2002; Page C01 Seldom has a milder-mannered television program caused a more inappropriate hullabaloo than Linda Ellerbee's "Nick News" special about children who have gay parents. The half-hour report, airing tonight at 9 on Nickelodeon, has been the object of outrage and rebuke ever since its topic was announced -- well before any of the attackers had a chance to see it. They don't really want to see it and, worse, they don't want it seen. Thousands of phone calls and e-mails -- many of the latter identically worded down to the last exclamation point, according to Ellerbee -- have all but overloaded the circuits at Nickelodeon in recent weeks. Members of the fundamentalist Christian right have been mobilized for attack on the grounds that the subject matter is inappropriate for young viewers (Nickelodeon has taken the precautionary step of airing it outside the usual kids' viewing hours). All Ellerbee does on the special -- part of a series of Nick News reports on the theme "My Family Is Different" -- is interview children roughly 10 to 15 years old who have gay parents, let kids and adults vent their opinions on the phenomenon, and show a couple of filmed pieces about families that seem to have made the arrangement work. Only the most alarmist and paranoid could find anything insidious or threatening here. Unfortunately, alarmists and paranoids are rather well organized in this country. They have enough mastery of the Internet to cause thousands and thousands of messages to be sent at the push of a button. Thus the deluge. The show itself is, like most Nick News programs, straightforward and diligent, allowing more than one side of the issue to be examined and mercifully refraining from politically correct preachiness. What's scary about the kind of protest that has been mounted is that it seeks to suppress all debate rather than merely put forth a viewpoint; the protesters are saying that merely by acknowledging the existence of same-sex living arrangements, the producers are automatically encouraging them or advocating acceptance of them. Following her usual format, Ellerbee plays host to a group of ethnically diverse kids in the studio who watch the filmed pieces and comment on matters at hand. Also present is Rosie O'Donnell, who made her lesbianism public this year and has been adopting children ever since she could afford to. Three of the kids on hand have one or more gay parents. Three others identify themselves as devout Christians who believe homosexuality is sinful. There's a Muslim girl, too, who says gayness is a long way from godliness. Also contributing via videotape is Jerry Falwell, the nothing-if-not-opinionated televangelist. Falwell was quoted in news reports as complaining that Ellerbee had only contacted him at the last minute, as a kind of token afterthought. But Ellerbee said last week from her office in New York that she began making calls to Falwell's office six weeks before production of the show and has the phone bills to prove it. She never entertained the notion of omitting anti-gay voices from the chorus. In his taped comments, Falwell says he believes that "gay parenting is not overall a good thing." But he also makes a strong statement against the harassment of children who have gay parents, saying Christian doctrine requires that "we show them the same love and respect that we would expect to be shown to others." "Hatred is wrong, always," Falwell says. The most moving comments on the program are those of Tom Ryan, a New York firefighter who is among the many, many heroes of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He is also a gay man who tries to be a good father to his three kids. One of the reasons hatred is wrong, he says, is that it often leads of violence: "We've got to stop killing each other because of our differences." Do extremists really want to challenge that? This first entry in the "My Family Is Different" series seems well intended and fair-minded. As often happens, the kids are a bit stiff and self-conscious under the studio lights, but they still manage to express themselves with clarity. Ellerbee is doing a public service with the "Nick News" series; it's encouraging that Nickelodeon executives didn't commit the public disservice of letting pressure groups run the network. © 2002 The Washington Post Company

To: Lane3 who wrote (51320)	6/18/2002 8:28:45 AM
From: one_less	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Very meaty article Karen. I'm going to pick on one comment...as usual. It does appear to be in context of the overall issue. "But this is a very different world, and the responsibility for what their kids view on the Internet rests with the parent. We cannot take on that role." There are two pertinant points in this quote. One is that the responsibility (for their kids) rests with the parents. I agree with this and believe we have made some societal moves to undermine the role of parents over the last few decades. It is good that we are being forced to reconsider that but it does give a kind of schizoid feeling to the culture. The other point that was made is that, "we can not take on that role." I agree with this also as it supports the first point. But I think it causes a stopping short, if we are seeking any kind of settlement on the issue. One philosophy that I have always held is that teachers, librarians, coaches, etcetera serve as an extension of the primary parental role in society; as opposed to a substitution or replacement for that role. The Young parents (20s and 30s) were not raised in that kind of atmosphere and so to bring about a collaborative resolution where everyone takes some role (except Chris H) in responsibility for the children of our society, we would need to see something added to the quote, "we can not take on that role."