When to take a stand

It should come as no surprise that there is a lot of stuff on TV that is less than edifying. Sometimes I just get so weighed down by the world that we live in and the images that are being broadcast on national television. I could let it bother me to the point that I shield myself from all of it and possibly go live in an Amish community, but I don’t believe this is the answer. What I can do though, what we all can do, is take a stand.

Sometimes taking a stand simply means standing up and walking away. If you are wondering whether or not you need to turn the TV off consider this, what do you have to loose? An hour of entertainment that will enrich your life beyond comprehension? Probably not, in fact you will probably just be able to spend that hour doing something more productive, inspiring, or even relaxing.

The next opportunity you have to take a stand is to actually say something. I am a big proponent for speaking your mind when you feel that change is needed. I have written multiple letters/emails when I have felt like something needed to be said. For example when NBC was blatantly blasting Christianity on the short lived show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, I let them know what I thought about it. Things really got heated with NBC when an episode of ER aired with the obvious intentions of demeaning Christians who are pro choice. It went so far as to twist scripture to back abortion and called it "a way of helping God out." This was about the time that they were going to air a Madonna concert where she would mock the crucifixion by hanging on a cross. By this time I had had it with NBC and chose to boycott until the Madonna concert was pulled off the air. Choosing to boycott is hardly effective unless someone knows you are doing it. So I wrote to NBC and told them about my choice to discontinue watching any NBC programming. So I didn’t watch NBC for several months until the Madonna concert was cancelled and I feel that in some small way I had a part in that.

I am not expecting the media to follow suit with my beliefs, but when they start to blaspheme my savior or air images that are nowhere near acceptable for public programming I am going to have to put my foot down. I have also written a letter of appreciation to the administration that enforces censorship and ratings to keep inappropriate content out of family programming. So I try not to be negative or rude, but I do have the right to voice my opinion. This is my way of taking a stand to keep the entertainment industry something that can be enjoyable for my family personally and hopefully the generations to come.