March 2003 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.
Justin Timberlake / Justified X Say your teenager is very mature, and secure in his/her morals. You've had many honest and blunt conversations with your teen over the years in which you've successfully passed on your morals and values. Great! Justin Timberlake isn't going to mess that up. Unfortunately, I don't know many mature teens that like Justin Timberlake. The phenomenon seems to be dominated by younger teens and pre-teens, even children. It is astounding, but many parents of small children don't see anything wrong with Timberlake. True, some of his songs, such as "Cry Me A River" are pretty clean. But Foul language and lyrics like: "Are you feeling me? / Let's do something / Let's make a bet / Cause I, gotta have you naked by the end of this song" pepper Timberlake's music. I like Denise McDonald's analogy: If I made brownies, and stirred in just a little bit of dog #2, (just a little bit!) would you eat the brownies? So then why should we accept just a little bit of vulgarity and immorality from Timberlake? If you're raising a pre-teen who is infatuated with Timberlake and trying hard to develop that secure, mature teen that I pictured earlier, Timberlake may be working against you not for you. Now is a great time to sit down and discuss with your pre-teen why you don't like him or her listening to JT. Try Plus One as a great Christian alternative.
Avril Lavigne / Let Go M Avril sings about false assumptions, loneliness, security, judging, and a host of other things that teens care about. She is honest, open and unashamed to sing about touchy subjects. She doesn't use foul language (except for the 'D' word on "I'm With You") or explicit lyrics. She doesn't push the envelope, although occasionally her use of innuendo is mature. The song 'Naked' is about being transparent in thoughts and emotions, it has nothing to do with clothing. Her music bristles with emotional melodies and cool rhythms. Her simple singing style draws her fans in and builds trust and believability. Her feelings are ultimately relatable. Here's the question: Is Avril Lavigne doing a better job caring about our teens that we are? Is Avril working harder to relate to them and understand their emotions? Parents can learn a lot from how Avril approaches these topics that matter so much to teens.
P. Diddy / Bump Bump Bump XX Reviewed here is just the song: Bump Bump Bump. I love it (I'm being sarcastic) when artists write a song with no "bad words", include all sorts of plain word descriptions of sex and physical desire and then just shrug their shoulders and say, "Hey the song is about dancin'. If you hear something else, that's your problem." Do they think we're stupid? No. But they do think we're lazy. Too lazy to read the lyrics, too lazy to screen their music before letting our kids give them our money. This song makes light of sexual desire and promiscuity. It desensitizes and normalizes. And it's in high rotation on 3 or 4 radio stations in our area. That means it gets played about every 15 minutes. For about 3-4 months. And we wonder why we have to work so hard to convince teens that sexual purity is important. You may decide you want to make a point with your pre-teen or teenager: songs like this are at the beginning of the slippery slope of sexual impurity. Why even start?
Nivea / Nivea XXX Nivea's music glorifies materialism, selfishness, pride, and is laced with sexual innuendo and raunchy lyrics. Unfortunately, the music is catchy, trendy and very accessible. Tough to resist, but bad news if you don't. Try Christian alternatives Out Of Eden or Zoe Girl.
Wuggie's Email Inbox--------------------------
Steven and Susan Volk wrote: Kristyn got a new CD player with a am/fm radio and was wondering what are some good Christian music stations?
Thanks
Dear Steven and Susan, Good question. Unfortunately, there are no GOOD Christian radio stations in Detroit. There is one Christian radio station, 103.5, and they are ok, but I wouldn't say good. WMUZ is targeted at adults, not kids. There are several good ones on the other side of the state, you'd have to move to Grand Rapids, or Holland, or even Lansing. I'd recommend that 93.1 and 95.5 be restricted for a girl Kristyn's age. Her listening should be supervised, at least. They play and say some very questionable stuff on those stations. Explain to her your morals and explain to her the morals you find presented on these stations. The music and the DJs present an attitude that encourages boys and girls to grow up very fast, to be sexually active or open to sexual activity before marriage, to find reasons to be angry with their parents and other authority figures, and to be self centered. You may want to encourage her to stick to CDs, because there are hundreds of GREAT Christian CDs she would LOVE. My suggestions to start with: Joy Williams Rachael Lampa Rebecca St. James Jars of Clay Out of Eden Third Day Plus One Lifehouse Good Charlotte Thanks for asking!!!! God Bless you! Mark
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