Love is a battlefield, and so is TV. The latest skirmish features the CW network’s hit show “Gossip Girl” against the Parents Television Council, a conservative media watchdog.
The council has objected to an episode scheduled to air Monday that reportedly includes a sexual threesome featuring key characters in the series. The council has argued that the show’s promotion of this particular scene amounts to little more than cheap smut that has no business on mainstream television.
Part of the controversy over the scene stems from the nature of the show itself. “Gossip Girl” is a teen drama set in a prestigious private school in New York’s Upper East side.
The show initially focused on the anonymous “gossip girl,” a blogger who commented on the school’s social dealings but remained veiled to the rest of the characters (juicycampus.com, anyone?). Much like other teen soap operas such as “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “The O.C.,” “Gossip Girl” revolves around the romantic endeavors of high school drama queens as they vie for social supremacy — in this case, against the backdrop of upper-crust New York City life. The themes and conflicts are similar to the teenage angst played out in high schools across the heartland, except in this case the queen bees are competing to be the future Mrs. Bernie Madoff.
In their letter to the CW, the council outlines its problem with the yet-to-air episode, namely the corrosive effect that television can have on the morals of American youths.
They argue that painting sexual promiscuity in such glamorous light encourages teenagers to recklessly engage in this type of behavior and leads to peer pressure. The same letter also warns of possible Federal Communications Commission fines should the program violate federal decency laws.
Aside from the FCC reference, the council’s letter exemplifies the best type of censorship — indeed, the only justifiable variety. The council has asked the CW to self-regulate and pull the offensive content of its own accord. This type of free-market censorship allows networks to make the call themselves as to what type of content is considered offensive or tasteful.
As with any other capitalistic entity, a television network can view a broadcast in terms of a cost-benefit analysis, analyzing how much additional revenue a racy episode would generate versus how much existing revenue would be lost should parental groups like the Parents Television Council choose to boycott the show or network. Television viewers, like any other group of consumers, can be counted on to financially support a good product just as they can be sure to let an inferior product fail. Market self-regulation among broadcasters can be relied on to protect the public interest just as adequately as any government entity, like the FCC, and can do so without taking a subjective big brother approach to what is deemed appropriate.
In the networks’ response to the council, a spokesman argued that the show is targeted at adult audiences. As evidence, the network points out a median viewership of 27 years old and a weekly time slot of 9 p.m. EST. The same study shows that 88 percent of the show’s viewers are over the age of 18. The fact that the target demographic for a teen soap opera is women in their late 20s provokes as many questions about the audience as it does about the content of the show.
Most of the characters in the show, at least in the introductory seasons, are high school students. While the actors themselves are not legally underage, the characters they are portraying would be. With the show entering its third season, the characters are now mostly 18 years or older, but the content and subject matter has remained mostly the same as previous seasons.
As much as “Gossip Girl” is a drama, there is no question the show’s producers are trying to sell sex. Promotional ads for the show have featured semi-clad characters lying in bed with captions like “Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate” and “Every Parent’s Nightmare.” Using sex as a selling device is a common advertising tactic, but the promoters of “Gossip Girl” have taken an extremely brazen approach for a show on mainstream television about
teenage students.
In its letter, the Parents Television Council tries to argue that its opposition to the episode doesn’t arise out of prudishness but rather its concern for the social implications associated with promiscuous sex. The letter cites issues such as teen pregnancy and other activities that are “emotionally and physiologically damaging to participants.” Yet the show’s target audience is not at-risk teens but rather adults who presumably are fully knowledgeable as to any risks associated with sexual activity.
Adult viewers obsessing over the sexual adventures of teens seems almost voyeuristic.
When it’s real, it’s a social issue. When it’s fake, it’s entertaining.
Player is a Plan II junior.
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