Monday, November 17, 2014

SOA Too Racy for the PTC

So, the Parents Television Council is up in arms about the opening sequence in last week's Sons of Anarchy episode, as it featured a variety of characters coupled in the act of (I believe the technical term is) "gettin' it on".

I have three issues with this:
  1. It was not pornographic, and actually did serve the story.  But actual content aside...
  2. There is a rating of TV-MA in big letters before the show and at the return from every commercial break, telling you exactly what "mature" content you're getting.  Seriously.  There's a list.  Violence.  Nudity.  Adult situations. Language.  It's all laid out for you so that you can decide as a viewer, "maybe I don't want to see this content, and I sure don't want my kids watching it."
  3. There exists magical technology called "parental controls" and your "remote control" (note the key word in both: CONTROL), both of which allow you to a) decide what your kids can and cannot view, and b) what you want to view, at a moment's notice.  Exercise this technology.
The PTC's complaint, as I understand it, is that the content on the FX network pushes the boundaries between basic cable and premium networks like HBO, and that they don't feel they should have to pay for content they find objectionable.

Sounds reasonable on the surface.  I mean, I'd rather not pay for the content coming from, say, Fox News (as it's far more damaging to the national psyche than any scripted drama), but we don't have an a la carte cable system, so there are a limited number of remedies to the situation.  First and foremost, use that remote and change the channel if it bothers you that much.  And if you're still up in arms about the content in a certain media outlet, boycott the show's sponsors.

But don't act shocked when a Kurt Sutter show depicts sex and violence.  That's like acting shocked that water is wet.