by Allie Martin and Jody Brown
Recent studies show that Americans are watching more television in the aftermath of the September terrorist attacks. That is disturbing news to one entertainment critic.
According to several studies, Americans are staying at home more and watching more TV since September 11. Michael Medved, an entertainment critic who is heard on a daily, coast-to-coast radio talk show, has monitored the entertainment industry for more than 20 years. He says more television will not speed the nation's healing process.
“The problem with TV is it does draw you away from reality, but it draws you into an alternate reality which is uglier, more dysfunctional, more smutty certainly, less responsible, less wholesome than the actual world in which most of us conduct our lives,” Medved says.
In an interview with Assist News Service, Medved says that concerns about values in American entertainment go far beyond the religious community. He contends filmmakers no longer reflect or even respect the values of ordinary Americans. “Christians in particular have been very outspoken about criticizing some of the absence of suitable family entertainment in American media choices,” he says, “but now that concern has been taken up by many others.”
On the subject of the content of films coming out of Hollywood, Medved says the movie industry refuses to turn out better films — despite the fact family-friendly movies have consistently been the biggest draw at box offices around the nation. He says it appears Hollywood studios have not taken notice that movies with a positive moral message have proven the most popular.
“A funny thing about Hollywood is that even though for twenty years, family movies have been doing better business at the box office, Hollywood's been making fewer and fewer of them,” he says. “That began to change in 2001, and let's only hope that it can continue to change and develop in 2002.”
Medved, a frequent guest on network news programs, hosted a television special in December on the Pax TV network that looked at current movies and television shows to help concerned parents navigate the glut of movie and entertainment choices available today.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
