February 2004 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.
Blink 182 / Blink 182 / XXX
Yea, I know I reviewed this disk last month. I just want to make sure I'm clear on this one, because it continues to climb the charts and is wildly popular with teenagers. Just so you know, Blink 182 is a champion of public nudity, obscenities, drinking, pornography and rebellion.
Mark Hoppus, Blink-182 band member, is quoted as saying, "It's so weird to me that much younger kids are coming to our shows. We've had wet T-shirt contests, we've run naked in our videos and we had a porn star on the cover of our last record Enema of the State. And then all of a sudden, we had these 8-year-olds showing up at our concerts. I'm like, 'What are your parents thinking?'" pluggedin Magazine, November 2003 Issue
My job isn't to tell you what to do. My job is to make sure you know, and make sure you think. If Mark Hoppus questions the judgment of parents who let their kids listen to his band, to me that's saying something! Check out Reliant K or Pillar as Christian alternatives.
Linkin Park, Live In Texas / M
Linkin Park is one of those bands that give us a really good glimpse into some of the feelings, pains and frustrations of being a teenager. They sing about self doubt, insignificance, purpose, belonging, etc. One of the problems with becoming an adult is that as we find our place in the world, and once we come to terms with our identity and we get married, etc. we forget how frustrating and painful and difficult the process was. Read through Linkin Park's lyrics, and it'll start coming back! Want to really understand this part of your teenager? Study up! Fire up your computer and type 'Linkin Park Lyrics' into your favorite search engine. (This works with any artist, by the way).
Here's my beef with Linkin Park: Um, I happen to know very well that not every teenager has these feelings all the time. While what you write about is common for probably most teens at some time or another, they are not quite this one-dimensional (at least not the teens I know) as your music. Write about something happy once in a while. Sing something that might encourage someone! I'm afraid that someone who listens to Linkin Park too much could become discouraged and depressed, as if there was no way out. The truth is that there is a way out, and while nothing Linkin Park sings about is abnormal, it's extremely limited. Check out Skillet and POD as Christian alternatives.
Linkin Park & P.O.D. / Concert January 27 at the Palace / M & +
Linkin Park is a secular band (reviewed above) while P.O.D. is a Christian band. Why are they playing together? P.O.D. is on a mission to take Christian morals, values and music to the mainstream. So they don't tour with Limp Biscuit, Korn, or Eminem, but Linkin Park is not a bad match. The concert will be pretty clean, nothing to worry about on stage. The crowd might be a little rough around the edges, so parents of younger teens might want to be careful who they go with, or even go with them. Older teens who can take care of themselves will be ok. Since the concert is January 27, it might be after that before you get your issue of the Lamp. Hopefully you are reading this online weeks before the show. Did you know that you can read this column online at www.RedeemerBirmingham.org about 3 weeks before the Lamp arrives in your mailbox?
Lord of the Rings Return of the King / Movie / M
My apologies to everyone who reads this column and has suggested that I review more movies. The problem is that by the time I see a movie and then write a review and wait for it to hit your mailbox, the movie has closed and my review is out of date. This blockbuster is so big, however, that is might still be playing when you read this. It'll certainly be a big hit on DVD. Awesome production value, no bad words, great story (good always triumphs over evil). The only warning is that it is extremely violent. If you were troubled by the violence in the first two movies, you'll really hate the third one. If your kids really love the series and want to see the movie, but you are troubled by the violence, wait until it comes out on DVD and buy the whole set in a year or two when they are old enough to handle it.
Wuggie's ranting:
You have the right! Let's say that you have told your kids that they can't listen to certain music or watch certain TV shows or certain cable music video channels. Then they go over to their friend's house and you're afraid they are indulging in all these things. So you tell them not to listen/watch. Well it's one thing to ask them to develop their own abilities to police their consumption, but it's another thing altogether to overwhelm them with temptation. You have the right to say that they can't go over to a friend's house if that friend's parents don't have the same rules you do. They can still be friends with this person . . . at YOUR house. This way your kids are not handed more temptation than they can handle, you get to police their media consumption, and maybe the friend will benefit too.
Who ever gave us the idea that you as a parent didn't have the right to pick your kids friends and pick where they get to play together? That's not a rhetorical question, by the way. It has a real answer. The media. Specifically, children's media, specifically the Disney channel. Watch for yourself. Look for the themes of children's independence, and see how parents who are restrictive are made out to be 'out of touch' and 'not worthy of their children's love and affection'. Watch how parents who allow anything are made to be 'cool' and 'relatable' and 'loved'. A parent's job is not to be cool, relatable, or easy to love, and kids who are subjected to tough love end up in reality loving their parents far more.
Statistic of the month:
50% of 12 to 20 year olds drink alcohol. - Journal of the American Medical Association