More than a year after Janet Jackson's "Nipplegate," the nation's television producers still haven't learned their lesson. NBC is planning a new television drama for next fall called "The American King." In the show's first scene, the president of the United States voyeuristically watches as the wife of his secretary of defense undresses. The president's obsession only grows and before the episode is over, the president secretly arranges for the secretary to be murdered, and he makes the whole thing look like a normal act of war. After killing off the competition, the president moves in and marries the new widow.
A show dubiously titled "Love Song" is even worse. The entire function of the show seems to be the presentation of unrelenting sexual content. The main character begins by secretly hoping that "the wine will go straight to my lover." He then goes on to describe his sexual desire for her legs, waist, navel, neck and breasts. However, we later learn that this apparently genuine man actually has many wives and several mistresses to boot. Suddenly, "Desperate Housewives" doesn't seem so racy.
All right, to be honest, neither "The American King" nor "Love Song" is actually coming to television near you. Instead, the only place to find these characters is in a book. And not just any book: The Big Book. The story of the voyeuristic, murdering King David can be found in 2 Samuel 11-12, and Solomon's sex talk is all throughout Song of Solomon.
That's right, the holy Bible is filled with the same sex and violence that many people have increasingly criticized in television programming. Does this mean it is time to start hiding the Bible from our children? Of course not. However, it is time to be honest about the "ever-decreasing" morality of popular culture.
The biblical examples demonstrate that the important question is not whether sex and violence occur within a story, but instead, whether the story carries a negative message about sex and violence. Biblical scholars explain that without King David's act of murder, we could not learn from his subsequent quest for redemption. Likewise, Song of Solomon is intended to show the joy that can come with a positive sexual relationship. In the same way, we should evaluate our modern stories based on the lessons they teach, not simply whether sex and violence are part of the story.
When we use these same criteria, today's programs do fairly well. Good generally beats evil, and criminals are caught and prosecuted. Students who cheat on tests wind up paying the price, as do husbands who cheat on their wives. Of course, there are always exceptions, but for the most part our society still likes it when the person who does the right thing comes out on top.
Take "The OC" for example. It took Fox several years to create a rightful heir to the "Beverly Hills: 90210" throne, but apparently this is it. The show is wildly popular, but it has run afoul with many organizations that watch out for our moral health. Common Sense Media urges viewers, "don't think the plot is anything more than interstitial tissue holding together sex scenes, drug scenes and fashion obsessions." Focus on the Family adds that "the series also exults in teenage sensuality and alcohol abuse. ... Every gathering - from a late-night beach party to a formal debutante cotillion - ended in a brawl."
Yet, if we extend the Cohen family the same courtesy as kings David and Solomon, the message of "The OC" is almost universally positive. Mischa Barton's character does abuse alcohol, drugs and her family, but this behavior is treated as just that: abuse. There was nothing exultant about the way the show portrayed her overdose in a dirty alley. Likewise, the same character chose to lose her virginity during high school, but that turned out to be the wrong decision. She caught her boyfriend cheating on her shortly thereafter and openly regretted having slept with him.
Moreover, the show's heroes are the sensitive comic-book nerds, while the popular kids who solve their problems through violence are the villains. In fact, the only lead character that started out by throwing punches has since changed his ways (not entirely unlike King David).
In short, if every story that contains sex, drugs and violence is deplorable, then we need to toss out Shakespeare along with "The Simpsons." However, it's probably a better idea to treat popular culture the same way we treat the classics by considering the message and not just the content.
Matt Gray is a second-year law student. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.