The Whiteboard Jungle: Younger viewers are the latest target of media-sponsored vulgarity
Last year, we had the #MeToo movement about respecting women and condemning sexual harassment of any kind. Now, it is time for a #KidsToo movement that calls for respecting children.
Adults, especially those whose products permeate our lives, need to be the guardians of little ones. Too much material is inappropriate for children to see and hear.
Recall the five-minute viral video last month where family members were shouting expletives and throwing punches in front of complete strangers at Disneyland? That such barbaric behavior would occur in front of innocent youngsters at a place that is supposed to be a buffer to ugliness demonstrates something deeply troubling about people.
Just last weekend, the film “Good Boys,” assigned an R rating “for strong, crude sexual content, drug and alcohol material, and language throughout — all involving tweens,” opened No. 1 at the box office, proving once again that the bar for raunchiness keeps dropping lower.
Like e-cigarette companies that target young people with colors and scents to get them hooked on vaping, Universal marketed “Good Boys” at 12-year-olds who are the age of the characters. One wonders how many tweens gained access to seeing it.
In his negative review of the film, the Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore said that “you may simply be no-laugh disgusted when a string of used anal beads are given to a 12-year-old girl to wear as a necklace.”
No, thank you. I don’t need to pay money to see that.
Knowing that the filmmakers’ resume includes “Superbad” and “Sausage Party” tells you all you need to know about the craft of these “artists.”
I wish writers would exercise more self-control. Not every repulsive thought that enters one’s mind needs to be aired or shared.
Comedy doesn’t have to be filthy. Jim Gaffigan and Jerry Seinfeld are two comics who have had successful careers without resorting to a tsunami of scatological references.
Personally, I have always been bothered whenever I hear young actors say obscenities. It immediately takes me out of the movie, my mind thinking about the kind of parents who would allow their children to say foul language just for the money and glory of being in a film or TV show.
What’s shocking is when you see a movie that has little to no profanity such as “Yesterday,” one of the best films I’ve seen this year. A fantasy film that depicts life without the music of the Beatles, this sweet-natured and well-acted tale retains its charm without the foul language.
The New York Times recently reported on lewd display ads on the New York Subway trains including one for the “At Home with Amy Sedaris” TV show picturing her holding two piping bags right where her breasts are, squeezing them with an expression of orgasmic delight.
Another ad depicts an erect cactus that promotes, you guessed it, an erectile dysfunction product. Think of the young children riding the subways through the New York City boroughs and having no choice but to see this barrage of inappropriate material.
Parents and teachers have a tough enough time modeling proper language and behavior.
Not all consumers have sophomoric mentalities. If a person chooses to make money in the public marketplace, that individual has a civic responsibility for the material that is published.
People used to be cognizant whenever children were around, toning down their actions and words. Create work that is sublime, not subhuman.
