Because I Said So: The entertainment generation gap

Kids seem to be stuck between two viewing worlds

By Kathryn Manning, staff writer
Posted on October 25, 2007

Most of us have had a conversation about the “good ol’ days” of our childhood. I can’t count the number of times I’ve talked with people about the cheesy music on “Full House” or the adrenaline rush of watching “Legends of the Hidden Temple.” Unfortunately, our experience can’t be shared by the younger generation of TV watchers. Today’s TV programming is leaving kids lacking decent entertainment and allowing them to lose their innocence too soon.

Most of us who grew up in the ’90s had plenty of TV shows presenting us with wholesome images of becoming young adults. Shows like “Full House,” “Boy Meets World,” “Saved by the Bell” and “Family Matters” depicted relatable characters who overcame conflicts and stood by their morals. They were faced with problems that teenagers still encounter today: sex, drugs, drinking, gossip and so on. But characters on the ’90s sitcoms managed to rise above peer pressure or temptation in most cases, and we, the audience, cheered them on.

While the shows we grew up watching may have presented rosy and unrealistic pictures of life (because most of us didn’t have a heart-to-heart with dad every night), they at least addressed real issues with the hope of reinforcing moral values for the viewers, and they did it in an entertaining way. 

Today’s kids are simply out of luck when it comes to decent TV programming. With the exception of “old school” re-runs, they have the option of watching adult humor or mind-numbing, goofy programs. Kids on the verge of young adulthood are learning life lessons from Spongebob or Peter Griffin. Talk about a scary concept.

In hopes of gaining an accurate picture of this situation, I interviewed my 12-year-old brother before writing this article. I asked him what shows are popular around the sixth grade and what shows were popular around his elementary school. The list he gave me was expected, but still depressing: “Family Guy,” “King of the Hill,” “That 70’s Show,” “Degrassi,” “My Super Sweet Sixteen” and MTV reality shows. Disney Channel shows are “annoying,” he said his classmates say, and “Full House” is acceptable but not on the “cool” list.

What a pity. Elementary-aged kids are watching shows where using marijuana is hilarious, having sex with multiple partners is awesome, and talking about your best friends behind their back makes for great television. I’d hate to hear the conversations in school cafeterias these days.

Turning on these shows is second nature to many of us, so we don’t understand the harm in letting 10-year-olds enjoy some of Peter Griffin’s antics. However, with shows like “Family Guy,” kids don’t understand half of the adult-minded references that give the show its appeal. If they try to understand the jokes, we must explain such references to them—which means kids are being exposed to adult concepts before they even reach puberty. What happened to letting kids be kids?

Of course, there was “unwholesome” entertainment available to youth during the ’90s, like “Beverly Hills, 90210.” But the difference is that in the ’90s, we had the option of watching more decent programming that wasn’t babyish or stupid. There was plenty of teenage drama floating around on the WB, but we could easily switch to TGIF and watch Cory and Topanga learn to solve their problems through words rather than alcohol. Today’s kids flip through channels and either find immature cartoons or adult material that does nothing but strip them of their innocence.  

It isn’t the job of television to instill morals in viewers, but we must understand that what children see on TV does affect how they view themselves and the world. Even if they opt for “Fairly OddParents” over “The Real World,” children experience no moral reinforcement or intellectual stimulation from today’s TV programming. 

While our generation can reminisce about Danny Tanner’s life lessons, the next generation will sit down in 10 years and talk about how happy they were when that spoiled brat on “Super Sweet Sixteen” got the Beamer instead of the Benz. If we think we live in a morally bankrupt society today, just wait another decade. By that point we will probably appreciate the cheesy music and rosy worldview more than we ever imagined.

Kathryn Manning is a senior history and political science major.