April 2005 WUGGIE'S MUSIC, MEDIA AND MORE!
Ratings System:
++ Christian - made specifically by Christians for Christians
+ Secular - but contains nothing offensive to most Christians, probably made by Christians trying to exert influence in secular media.
M Mature content. Not necessarily offensive, but parents should be careful before allowing exposure to children and pre-teens.
X Mature content. For mature teens, firm in their convictions and morals, who have received much parental guidance.
XX Contains very mature, problematic content. Parents should seriously consider restricting exposure to teens.
XXX Completely offensive. Not only should teens be restricted, but adults may want to question their own exposure.
Remember, my reviews are strictly my opinion, and no substitute for your good judgment
Please send me an Email (Mwuggazer@RedeemerBirmingham.org) or call me (248-644-4010) with requests for reviews!!
"Oh, that's the best part of my week! My daughter and I get into the most interesting conversations about good and evil, if it's okay to do bad things for the right reasons - deep, philosophical discussions you don't expect to have with your 12-year old."
Joan of Arcadia Writer/producer Barbara Hall, on the conversations about God that the hit show is inspiring.
The OC / TV show / XX
This show is all the rage right now with teens and pre-teens. Pre-teens! Folks, this show is sexually supercharged. I have been telling the high school students that the executives at Fox are not dumb. They very deliberately put images and situations in their show to stimulate our hormones and emotions. It may be low dosages, but they are still addictive. That's why people tune in week after week. When we watch shows like the OC, we are allowing a TV show to stimulate us. If you think about it, that's sick.
Some may argue with me, that a show like the OC is harmless. I guess it's a matter of opinion about how much harm it is to allow a TV show to stimulate you. My opinion is that it is harmful, because it de-sensitizes and re-sets social norms.
50 Cent / The Massacre / XXX
"I'm so gutter" is the hook from the latest single ("Disco Inferno") from this disc. Hey, at least the man is honest. In the first single, "Candy Shop", which, by the way is in super high rotation on 93.1 and 95.5, 50 Cent describes a sexual encounter with such detail, it is highly pornographic. There are two reasons that there is not an outcry from the community. The first is that the music business has very successfully desensitized us. The second is that the music business moves so fast, parents don't have a chance to catch up. Understandably, when parents are disconnected from what their kids are listening to on the radio and in their iPods, kids have the lyrics to this song, and others, burnt into their heads long before parents have any idea that the song exists. My job is to alert you to these songs and artists, but there is significant lag time there too. One parent suggested not long ago that a great bonding activity with her daughter was to sit down and listen to all the songs in her iPod together. Mom said it was very awkward at first for both of them, but by the end, they had gotten into so many discussions about music and life and morals, that they decided to do it again.
Ludacris / Red Light District / XXX
You have to give Ludacris some credit for being honest and upfront with his music too. It says right there on the cover: "Red Light District". True to his word, Ludacris describes a visit to the red light district in the hit single, "Get Back", and he does it with a string of obscenities and graphic detail. And yes, this song blasts out of the radio on stations such as 93.1 and 95.5 constantly. Why is it that the only subjects open to rappers are graphic sex and violence? Oh, wait, that's not true. Check out Grits, KJ-52, and 'Verbs as Christian alternatives.
Mariah Carey / The Emancipation of Mimi / XXX
Once a pretty safe artist, Mariah is venturing into the waters of envelope pushing, probably in an effort to appeal to fans stolen from her by Christina Aguilera, Missy Elliott and the like. The disc doesn't come out until April 12, but the new single, "It's like that" is on the radio now. It's a snappy little ditty, with a really ugly message. Mariah is found singing about her visit to a party or a nightclub. She is quick to start drinking, and then follows it up by doing some ecstasy. Ecstasy is a very popular drug, usually associated with dancing because it came out of the rave scene, which produces a feeling of euphoria, or ecstasy. It has become a drug of choice among teens, especially in the Birmingham Bloomfield community. Since the drug is not physically addictive, it has been branded a 'safe drug' by pushers and users. Many users will tell you they are 'clean', and proud that they don't use drugs. They just don't consider that little purple pill to be a drug. Unfortunately, ecstasy is anything but 'safe', destroying brain cells, accelerating heart rate, and causing death in some individuals. Ecstasy is considered a 'date rape' drug because it greatly lowers inhibitions. Mixed with alcohol, as Mariah is advocating, it's dangers are amplified. Thanks Mariah, but we don't need you celebrating this lifestyle in our community.
Birmingham area substance abuse rates higher than National and County rates!
37.3% of Birmingham area 12th graders have participated in binge drinking in the past two weeks. Compare that to 33.4% of Oakland County 12th graders, and 29.7% nationally. That means an astounding 25% more teens are binge drinking in Birmingham than the national average.
Other stats (all 12th graders):
Drug: Use: Birmingham Oakland Co. USA
Marijuana Past 30 days 31.5% 28.7% 22.4%
Tranquilizers Past 30 days 5.1% 3.5% 3.0%
Ecstasy Past 30 days 2% 3.1% 1.5%
Ten most violent video games according to the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility:
(1) Doom 3; (2) Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; (3) Gunslinger Girls 2; (4) Half Life 2; (5) Halo 2; (6) Hitman: Blood Money; (7) Manhunt; (8) Mortal Kombat: Deception; (9) Postal 2; and (10) Shadow Heart.