June 2004 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.
Comedy Central / Cable Network / XX
I know you love cable, I love cable. There's a channel for everything, decorating, cooking, animals, history, comedy. Give me one good reason why should I be denied this smorgasbord of entertainment? Well, maybe because there are kids in the house. Maybe you have one of those fancy VCRs or cable boxes with parental controls. Great! Use it! My suggestion for the first channel to block is Comedy Central. Hmm, no, the first would be MTV, . . and then VH-1. The third would be Comedy Central. I once saw a clean stand-up comedy show on Comedy Central. Once.
The most heavily promoted show right now on CC is the Chappelle Show, starring comedian Dave Chappelle. Dave's signature word is the 'B' word. He uses it for emphasis at the end of every joke, and throughout his sketches. After 30 minutes of his show, one is totally desensitized to the use of this word. Is that what you want for your kids?
The top rated show on CC is South Park. It features animated pre-adolescents saying and doing very vulgar and shocking things. Howard Stern can't keep up. At least Howard Stern is an adult delivering vulgarity and shock. South Park conditions the viewer that such things are appropriately delivered by a 12 year old. Is that the kind of conditioning you want for your kids?
Reno 911 is a critically acclaimed 'fake-reality' show about the police force in Reno, Nevada. It makes cops look foolish and utterly corrupt. It demeans women, homosexuals and just about every marginalized group on the planet. Is that what you want fed to your kids?
Around the clock, Comedy Central runs commercials promoting these shows. The commercials are just as shocking as the shows. There is no 'safe' time or show on Comedy Central. Oh, that 'clean' stand-up show I was watching? It was interrupted 3 times by commercials for the Chappelle show, South Park and Reno 911.
I know it's next to impossible to announce to your kids one day that Comedy Central is no longer allowed in your house, especially if your kids already think South Park is their favorite show. In this situation, I have a recommendation. Why not sit down and watch the show with them? With any luck, this act alone will embarrass them so much they won't want to watch the show, in which case you've made your point. Most likely, they will be undeterred. Fine. Take the opportunity to question their decision to watch the show. Ask them questions like, "Do you think that's appropriate?", "Do you think that people actually act that way in real life?", "Why is making fun of someone like that funny to you?", and "would you want your little cousin, ______, watching this show?". I've found that questions such as these can get most teens thinking for themselves and making wise decisions for themselves. In other cases, especially with younger teens, you may want to enforce restricted viewing. That's why God invented parental controls.
Jet / Get Born / RETRACTION
Even Wuggies make mistakes. I reviewed this band last month, and gave it a triple X. I did so based on the hit single, "Cold Hearted B****". I even said, "I didn't really dig any deeper on this disc. Did I really need to?" Yea, I guess I did need to. Ok, I'm not making any excuses for the hit single. I guess I am really revolted by the "B" word. My mother taught me that it was the worst cuss word there is because it is so demeaning to women. And since I have such great respect for women, including my mom, and my wife, and my step-mom, that word is just the worst for me. Then I heard the next single, "Are you gonna be my girl" on the radio. I had to go back and actually check out the rest of this disc. It is completely clean. No more bad words, no envelope pushing, no really questionable subjects. I am very intrigued by the fact that the "B" word apparently is considered ok on a 'clean' disc. In 2004 a band with a clean image can use the word with no problem. There is no parental warning sticker on the disc. I'm sorry, but I reject that idea. So, I'm not retracting the XXX, since I don't think the song is appropriate. I'm apologizing for not doing more research. If your kid really has to have the disc, here's an idea: Buy it. Bring it home. Burn a copy on your computer SANS the particular song in question. (This is completely legal for your own use). Destroy the original. Put the modified copy in the jewel case. Give to kid. Very important! - Tell kid what you did and why.
Interestingly, to do my research, I went to Media Play and asked if I could listen to the disc before I bought it to see if the disc contained the word in question. The manager was very nice, and let me open and listen to the CD. When I heard the word in question, I didn't have to buy the disc. It's a great way to be a pro-active parent.
By the way, this retraction was posted on www.RedeemerBirmingham.org before last month's review came to your house in the mail. Since the Lamp runs about a month behind, you may find it convenient to read my reviews in a more timely way on the web site. Just go to www.RedeemerBirmingham.org and click on "Wuggie's Music, Media and More" in the center column, about half way down. Who knows? Maybe I've already posted a retraction to my retraction?
Mercy Me / Undone / ++
This is the amazing new disc from this red hot Christian band. Makes a great gift for anyone.
D12 / D12 World / XXX
D12 is the name of Eminem's band. The disc is laced with obscenities, and graphic descriptions of sexual acts. It promotes materialism, pompousness, greed, selfishness, and personal pleasure over responsibility. Try Grits as a Christian alternative. They are the #1 Christian rap group, and their new disc, Dichotomy A, drops June 29. There's a lot of hype, and it should be great!