How much immorality is too much?

[edwest2]

I agree with Rascalking. We have never had more clean, decent, quality movies than we do today. “Secretariat”? Has anybody seen this clean, family-oriented horse racing movie? It’s still showing in theaters. Most of these decent films have to go straight-to-video because they tank at the box office because nobody goes to see them in theaters. Sad.

We’ve never had it so good as we have it today. I’d hate to live in the 1950’s and 1960’s, with the constant fear of “duck and cover” and people dying earlier because there were no vaccines. I’d hate to live in a society where “patriotic” groups like the DAR discriminated against legendary artists. I’d hate to live in a society that had not yet added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance (it wasn’t always part of the pledge.) Don’t be deceived by the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia: the ‘good old days’ are today, in 2010.

I lived through the late 1950s and 1960s. I never feared “duck and cover.” That is a nonsense stereotype. We went out and played. Nobody was constantly afraid. I watched the Cuban Missile Crisis unfold.

We are currently living in Ancient Rome circa 2010, with people gleefully advocating homosexuality, orgies and all kinds of perversions. Where TV shows give us serial killers as lead characters and people who have ‘just sex.’ 2010 is awful and fortunately, thanks to Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II, the Catholic community is gradually turning around.

Please stop with the nonsense stereotypes. As a person who actually lived through the time period in question, your comments make no sense.

Peace,
Ed

 

[Rascalking]

I lived through the late 1950s and 1960s. I never feared “duck and cover.” That is a nonsense stereotype. We went out and played. Nobody was constantly afraid. I watched the Cuban Missile Crisis unfold.

We are currently living in Ancient Rome circa 2010, with people gleefully advocating homosexuality, orgies and all kinds of perversions. Where TV shows give us serial killers as lead characters and people who have ‘just sex.’ 2010 is awful and fortunately, thanks to Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II, the Catholic community is gradually turning around.

Please stop with the nonsense stereotypes. As a person who actually lived through the time period in question, your comments make no sense.

Peace,
Ed

Actually, they are on to something. While the 50’s might have been goovy to people who lived through them, today we have the internet (which your on right now), immediate contact with our famlies (through email, texting, etc) a huge variety of stuff on television (if you don’t like it, there are great other things on as well) and an amazing variety of stuff to do all the time.

There is not better time to be alive than today.

 

[edwest2]

When there were only four channels on our TV, my mother told us to go out and play in the Summer. When perverts and sex addicts decided to open Adult Bookstores in our neighborhoods, along with Topless Bars and Strip Clubs, I was appalled. When I saw a grown woman drinking liquor straight out of the bottle while driving in the 1980s (Sue Ellen on Dallas), I was appalled. Rap or Hip-Hop disrespecting women, violent and profanity filled, with scantily clad girls in rap videos. Uh, uh. Things kept getting worse and worse, raunchier and raunchier.

Comedians that can’t stop saying *uck every five seconds. Talking about graphic sex. I encourage my fellow Catholics to reject most movies and most television programs.

The internet is filled with porn and porn should be censored. Most file sharing sites should be closed. By file sharing, I’m referring to those that offer music, book scans, TV programs, movies and other material that has been illegally copied.

That is why living in the present is far more problematic.

Speaking as a media professional, I know that content management is coming. Billions of dollars are being lost and legislation is in the works. And on a practical level, media companies understand the concept of content overload. There is simply too much for the average consumer to choose from. This will drive financial decisions in the future.

Immorality must be rejected for the good of our souls, our country and our fellow human beings.

God bless,
Ed

 

[StrawberryJam]

When there were only four channels on our TV, my mother told us to go out and play in the Summer. When perverts and sex addicts decided to open Adult Bookstores in our neighborhoods, along with Topless Bars and Strip Clubs, I was appalled. When I saw a grown woman drinking liquor straight out of the bottle while driving in the 1980s (Sue Ellen on Dallas), I was appalled. Rap or Hip-Hop disrespecting women, violent and profanity filled, with scantily clad girls in rap videos. Uh, uh. Things kept getting worse and worse, raunchier and raunchier.

Comedians that can’t stop saying *uck every five seconds. Talking about graphic sex. I encourage my fellow Catholics to reject most movies and most television programs.

The internet is filled with porn and porn should be censored. Most file sharing sites should be closed. By file sharing, I’m referring to those that offer music, book scans, TV programs, movies and other material that has been illegally copied.

That is why living in the present is far more problematic.

Speaking as a media professional, I know that content management is coming. Billions of dollars are being lost and legislation is in the works. And on a practical level, media companies understand the concept of content overload. There is simply too much for the average consumer to choose from. This will drive financial decisions in the future.

Immorality must be rejected for the good of our souls, our country and our fellow human beings.

God bless,
Ed

No topless bars, strip clubs or adult bookstores in my little neighborhood Ed. We have these things called local meetings that concerned residents attend and voice their opinions to their alderman, sometimes in a civil manner even. Find out when and where you can get to one and change the status quo right now!

 

[Rascalking]

When there were only four channels on our TV, my mother told us to go out and play in the Summer. When perverts and sex addicts decided to open Adult Bookstores in our neighborhoods, along with Topless Bars and Strip Clubs, I was appalled. When I saw a grown woman drinking liquor straight out of the bottle while driving in the 1980s (Sue Ellen on Dallas), I was appalled. Rap or Hip-Hop disrespecting women, violent and profanity filled, with scantily clad girls in rap videos. Uh, uh. Things kept getting worse and worse, raunchier and raunchier.

Comedians that can’t stop saying *uck every five seconds. Talking about graphic sex. I encourage my fellow Catholics to reject most movies and most television programs.

The internet is filled with porn and porn should be censored. Most file sharing sites should be closed. By file sharing, I’m referring to those that offer music, book scans, TV programs, movies and other material that has been illegally copied.

That is why living in the present is far more problematic.

Speaking as a media professional, I know that content management is coming. Billions of dollars are being lost and legislation is in the works. And on a practical level, media companies understand the concept of content overload. There is simply too much for the average consumer to choose from. This will drive financial decisions in the future.

Immorality must be rejected for the good of our souls, our country and our fellow human beings.

God bless,
Ed

So Ed, just so that were clear, your going to be renewing your substitution Cinemax and Showtime? Okay. Good to know.

 

[livnlern]

I lived through the late 1950s and 1960s. I never feared “duck and cover.” That is a nonsense stereotype. We went out and played. Nobody was constantly afraid. I watched the Cuban Missile Crisis unfold.

We are currently living in Ancient Rome circa 2010, with people gleefully advocating homosexuality, orgies and all kinds of perversions. Where TV shows give us serial killers as lead characters and people who have ‘just sex.’ 2010 is awful and fortunately, thanks to Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II, the Catholic community is gradually turning around.

Please stop with the nonsense stereotypes. As a person who actually lived through the time period in question, your comments make no sense.

Peace,
Ed

I grew up in the 60s and 70s. And times have really changed since then. When I was a girl there weren’t even any commercials on TV for women’s sanitary pads (tampons came in sometime in the 70s). Now there are detailed ads for Cialis and they practically have photos to explain what it’s used for. And TV shows like Two and a Half Men where every kind of sexual situation is talked about and made to seem almost acceptable is pretty much the norm.
There are good, quality shows out there like Planet Earth and interesting ones like Mythbusters, but you have to look for them.
As for the “duck and cover” that was mentioned above, I remember playing outside for hours and hours as a little girl. As long as I stayed in our neighborhood, my mom didn’t have to worry about me. My kids are older now, but even in the 90s, I felt like I couldn’t let them out of my sight for fear something could happen to them.

 

[LeeLeeMoo]

I grew up in the 60s and 70s. And times have really changed since then. When I was a girl there weren’t even any commercials on TV for women’s sanitary pads (tampons came in sometime in the 70s). Now there are detailed ads for Cialis and they practically have photos to explain what it’s used for. And TV shows like Two and a Half Men where every kind of sexual situation is talked about and made to seem almost acceptable is pretty much the norm.
There are good, quality shows out there like Planet Earth and interesting ones like Mythbusters, but you have to look for them.
As for the “duck and cover” that was mentioned above, I remember playing outside for hours and hours as a little girl. As long as I stayed in our neighborhood, my mom didn’t have to worry about me. My kids are older now, but even in the 90s, I felt like I couldn’t let them out of my sight for fear something could happen to them.

Just to be clear, whats wrong with ads for sanitary pads? Are women supposed to be ashamed of menstruation?

 

[StrawberryJam]

Just to be clear, whats wrong with ads for sanitary pads? Are women supposed to be ashamed of menstruation?

They may not want to explain to their children what they are and what their purpose is.
I can’t understand that part either.

 

[Suni_Moon]

You know, I’m not going to name names, but there are* certain people* who frequent this site that frustrate me beyond belief… I mean, really… I tried to turn off the computer and walk away on this, but my knees felt shaky just thinking about certain people here.

How much immorality is too much, OP? Simple. If you get that gut feeling that it’s wrong, then turn it off.

Buuuut, now for some more specific things…

“I think a reasonable person can get a gut feeling whether a classic good-versus-evil story is glamourizing the evil. And that includes an awful lot of what’s out there these days.”

From what I have read of Sailor Kenshins other posts, I’d say their views on what counts as “glamorizing” evil are very… off. So, to address them on something… Just because something puts any focus on the villain, just because something makes you care about the villain, does NOT mean it’s saying the said villains actions are righteous.
Whatever happened to “love the sinner, hate the sin”? Why can we not apply this to fiction and such aswell?

1950s and 1960s. There were words that could not be said on television.

Words are words. While I’m not too big a fan of using the Lords name in vain, everything else is not as horrible and vile as the world makes it.
Go back far enough in the english language and most profanity is common place. It only became profanity later in history, only because it was viewed as the vulgar language of peasants.

1. Keep your radio tuned to a Catholic station.

Now that’s just silly.

If they are going to make TV shows about lovable serial killers…

So, on this note…
My favorite fictional character is a murderer who keeps his deceased mothers and sisters organs in jars, talks to said organs, has an unhealthy fixation on his father, and his half brother, and hates pretty much everyone.

I like him because if he hadn’t been crushed, psychologically abused, and convinced from a young age that nobody could ever love him, then he wouldn’t be such a monster.

See… I don’t condone this characters behavior… I pity them.
The person who wrote this character didn’t say “Hey, what he’s doing is great, everyone be like him”… The writer showed him to be tortured, unstable, and in horrible emotional pain.

Once again, what is so wrong with applying “love the sinner, hate the sin” to fictional media?

I’d rather have a three dimensional human being, than a one dimensional monster.

1. Computer games? I was recently shown one where a character pauses to have an off-screen sexual encounter with a woman he just passed. And the purpose of this is what?

Yes, of course, ban those two, because all computer games are obviously of a pornographic nature.

1. Magazines? Anything with a woman wearing next to nothing on the cover. Anything.

Well, ****, there goes National Geographic…

1. The internet? Hoo boy. Where to start?

You realize how hypocritical this sounds, correct?

1. Books? Sad to say, I’ve had to throw a few in the trash recently, and I’m a big reader. It seems that it’s OK now to add pointless sexual references to historical books. In one case, about half the book.

Now, by sexual references to you mean… Acknowledging that sex existed way back when as it does now… Or by sexual reference do you mean porn?
Because there’s a large difference between the two, and I do with you’d clarify.

But anyway, quoting aside… I’m surprised you two have leave your houses each day.
Okay, I gotta say… I feel terrible right now… I don’t like fueling these same old ridiculous debates, but really now…

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

27 years of age.

It may surprise people to know that they have NO right to dirty, immoral, disgusting ‘entertainment.’

Nor do its purveyors have the right to pump it into our homes, computers, and mailboxes 24/7.

 

[edwest2]

It may surprise people to know that they have NO right to dirty, immoral, disgusting ‘entertainment.’

Nor do its purveyors have the right to pump it into our homes, computers, and mailboxes 24/7.

Amen!

fcc.gov/eb/oip/Welcome.html

God bless,
Ed

 

[TurboVW]

In the 1950s and 1960s, Catholics were taught to be modest in speech and dress, to avoid lewd magazines, and to shun divorce. Today, we have the 180 degree opposite. Pornographers who sold their wares in seedy places and literally person to person decided to open adult bookstore, topless bars and strip clubs in our neighborhoods in the 1970s to convince us to roll in the same mud they did. Oh we complained alright. And what did we get? “Shut up! Mind your own business! We have the First Amendment right and we’ve got high priced lawyers to fight you people!”

Peace,
Ed

We were also taught to not let people who weren’t white in color to get access to better housing and jobs in those days.

However, there is a point: people everywhere held higher standards for behavior. There’s a direct correlation with the increase of violence, abuse and murder with the decrease in standards for what’s acceptable to be seen in media and in our personal behavior.

 

[edwest2]

We were also taught to not let people who weren’t white in color to get access to better housing and jobs in those days.

However, there is a point: people everywhere held higher standards for behavior. There’s a direct correlation with the increase of violence, abuse and murder with the decrease in standards for what’s acceptable to be seen in media and in our personal behavior.

I must disagree with that first statement. I was never taught such a thing although I heard it was practiced in another community. In Detroit, our non-white neighbors were our neighbors in the 1960s. When President Kennedy was killed in 1963, there was a great outpouring of grief from the black community.

Your second statement is exactly right. Instead of wanting higher standards, too many of us either want lower standards or are indifferent. I lost all interest in John Lennon and Yoko Ono when they sang:

"Whatever gets you through the night
"It’s alright, alright
"Be it wrong or be it right
“It’s alright, alright”

He became one of the anti-role models. Another excuse for people to act poorly or simply indulge in bad choices. Too bad. What changed him?

God bless,
Ed

 

[livnlern]

Just to be clear, whats wrong with ads for sanitary pads? Are women supposed to be ashamed of menstruation?

My point was that back in the 1960s people didn’t talk about those things on TV. Whether that was good or bad, I don’t know. I was using that as a comparison to TV as it is now where anything and everything is broadcast without consideration for who might be watching. I can somewhat monitor what kind of show is on but have no control over when the station decides to air a Victoria Secret or a KY Jelly commercial. It’s like there’s no room for shame anymore. Children are subjected to all kinds of ideas and suggestions just by flipping through the TV channels.

 

[havana1]

My point was that back in the 1960s people didn’t talk about those things on TV. Whether that was good or bad, I don’t know. I was using that as a comparison to TV as it is now where anything and everything is broadcast without consideration for who might be watching. I can somewhat monitor what kind of show is on but have no control over when the station decides to air a Victoria Secret or a KY Jelly commercial. It’s like there’s no room for shame anymore. Children are subjected to all kinds of ideas and suggestions just by flipping through the TV channels.

Children are also “subjected to all kinds of ideas and suggestions” just by browsing the CAF forums, specifically all the “Family Life” threads about sex and sex and more sex. You’d think that section of CAF was about “Family Life” at the Playboy Mansion with all the sex talk. Pretty easy to prevent kids’ access to TV commercials. Not so easy to prevent kids’ access to a CATHOLIC message board.

 

[smswife]

Thanks who all who took the trouble to reply.

I guess I do know where to draw the line for myself. I was interested in the opinions of others, how much you all are willing to tolerate for the sake of what you enjoy about a specific show/book/magazine/web site, etc.

I find myself rejecting more and more of what I would have tolerated in the not too distant past. For example, I used to enjoy watching “The Sopranos” but I wouldn’t want to watch it now.

The issue about what children have access to is also a big concern to me. I have two DS’s age 8 and 10. They have no internet access and rare TV access, but it seems that even what should be “safe” channels such as Animal Planet and Discovery Channel have commercials or shows that I wouldn’t want them to watch. Yes, we are vigilant about what they watch but I think it’s harder than it should be, and certainly harder than it used to be when I was a child.

 

[bri89]

EWTN Radio is awesome.

I’ll have to tune in. I’m only 21, was not raised Catholic, and I’m an EWTN junkie! “Journey Home”, “LIfe is worth Living”, “For God so loved the world”, “Life is worth living”, “Father Corapi”. These programs occupy most of my DVR recording space. My non-Catholic siblings and non-Catholic mother find it amusing and somewhat strange.

E-veryone
W-atch
T-his
N-etwork

 

[StrawberryJam]

Children are also “subjected to all kinds of ideas and suggestions” just by browsing the CAF forums, specifically all the “Family Life” threads about sex and sex and more sex. You’d think that section of CAF was about “Family Life” at the Playboy Mansion with all the sex talk. Pretty easy to prevent kids’ access to TV commercials. Not so easy to prevent kids’ access to a CATHOLIC message board.

But it is catholic sex, so that is okay!
Maybe catholic feminine products should be on the market for the good of the children so they can embrace rather than abhor their normal bodily functions.
Then their parents can talk to them about that part of life.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

We were also taught to not let people who weren’t white in color to get access to better housing and jobs in those days.

An outright lie.

I lived through it.

But more to the point: “Satan wants your children dead in a dumpster.” – Father John Corapi.

Satan is in control of your children now, in the form of pure evil ‘entertainment,’ that teaches nothing but lies. The older generation has been tossed aside as useless. Caesar knows he can’t fool us, but he’s after our kids, and he won’t stop.

But go ahead and toss in the revisionist history that they shove down your throats at what passes for school these days. It doesn’t change the fact that the father of lies has not only gained free access to your home, but also your minds and hearts.

 

[livnlern]

But it is catholic sex, so that is okay!
Maybe catholic feminine products should be on the market for the good of the children so they can embrace rather than abhor their normal bodily functions.
Then their parents can talk to them about that part of life.

You’re obviously confused.
As I said in my post above, (if you’ll read it CLOSELY), I only mentioned feminine products as an example of how strict programming was back in the 1960s and 70s as opposed to what is acceptable now. I never said those things or bodily functions are unnatural.