Is the American public offended by network violence, sex and profanity, or is it apathetic about it? The answer is yes.
In its August 2 issue, TV Guide ran a seven-page article on the growing trend of network television to air anything and everything, from mind-numbing sexual banter to blatant nudity and stomach-churning gore. The problem seems to be that viewers are ambivalent.
“American network TV has changed dramatically over the past decade — and so, it seems, has viewers' tolerance,” said Steven Daly, who penned the article for the magazine.
A national polling firm, Opinion Research Corp., conducted a survey for TV Guide in an attempt to capture the viewing public's feelings on these network trends. The poll revealed a nation that appears to be regularly offended by what airs on the tube.
When asked if they recently had noticed an increase in offensive material on TV, 57% answered yes — and 48% said they found offensive all of the following: “graphic violence and gore,” “bodily functions,” “foul language,” and “nudity or sexual innuendo.”
Nevertheless, viewers also appear to be too frustrated to do anything but change the channel. The study found that, while 71% had switched channels to avoid objectionable content, only 8% had ever bothered to call a network to complain about programming content.
Fenton Bailey, whose World of Wonder Productions spews out edgy “reality” fare for cable networks like HBO, Showtime, and Bravo, seemed to predict further television debauchery.
“Television will not rest until it has shown us everything,” he said. “With every year, as the shock of the new becomes the yawn of the old, television shows us more and more, like a rising tide.”
Or, in the opinion of some, low tide.
(This article courtesy of Agape Press.)
