I am always one to fight for a good cause... especially in regards to the media. Perhaps it's because this is often the easiest (most obvious) way to take a stand against sliding values in society. This is such an opportunity.
On September 25, 2007 Oprah aired a show called "237 reasons to have sex." I didn't actually see the show, but I did read the archives of the show as found on http://www.oprah.com/. I will not describe all the sickening details of what was discussed, but I will say that such topics as "open marriages" "friends with benefits" and "erotica" (a "nicer" word for pornography) were all discussed in positive, healthy ways. Oprah, of course, never said whether she personally supports these ideas or not (at least in the printed archive) and I understand that she just tries to cover "what's out there" but the mere fact that she dedicated an entire show to such ideas speaks volumes. With no opposing view expressed. There was a brief (very brief) line that stated that only 1/3 of marriages survive an affair but that was all. Many of us would agree that Oprah is one of the most influential women in our time. Influential with her money but especially influential as a "respected" source. Millions tune into her show each day (I used to and still would if we had tv) and I'm sure we've all been in conversations with people that refer to what they saw on Oprah (we've even mentioned it on this blog). So it baffles (ok, maybe I'm not that surprised... sadly, nothing is too shocking anymore) me that someone with so much power and influence would air a show completely contrary to all that we as members of the church believe. There were statements made in the show directly opposite to what the prophet and apostles have told us.
http://www.lightedcandle.org/oprah.asp is an online petition asking Oprah not to air the show again and to voice our disappointment with her choosing such topics. I also would like to add that I am going to write Oprah directly to express my disappointment. If this is something that you feel strongly about, I encourage you to do the same.
I'd love to hear your thoughts about this matter. And know if you actually watched the show and what you thought.
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8 comments:
The show was not my favorite. I did not love the pornography talk, but it was interesting to see it spoken of in the context of women's addiction to/use of it. That is something that isn't discussed very much. It was also discussed as a tool to make marriages, less sexless...also interesting.
The couple with an open marriage was really out there. I think most people (not just Mormons) would agree that their's was not the model marriage, and no one was lining up to join the movement.
To your comment:
"So it baffles (ok, maybe I'm not that surprised... sadly, nothing is too shocking anymore) me that someone with so much power and influence would air a show completely contrary to all that we as members of the church believe."
Well, Oprah is not a member of the LDS church, nor is she even married or pro-marriage. So, why should she be held to that standard?
She is given the freedom of speech and we are given freedom to turn the power off of our television. No petition for me.
I was happy to sign the petition. I agree that people have the freedom of speech, but as you said-Oprah's show is one that I generally really respect and feel it usually reflects good values. So I'm happy to make the statement that if she wants to continue to appeal to audiences like ME, she shouldn't play stuff like that! Thanks for the info Jen!
I didn't watch the show but I received an email from my cousin about it the week before, asking me to petition it to not air. There have been topics that hers and other talk shows have aired before that I don't agree with and I choose not to watch. I agree that I don't like having all this presented without the opposing facts also aired about addiction and the destruction of marriages due to pornography. I think it should be well-rounded and I heard that it wasn't. That said, I protest by giving them one less viewer and smaller ratings (even if they don't notice their one viewer sitting out for that day-I doubt Victoria's Secret has noticed I now boycott them for their horrible commercials even if their bras are the best-I feel better knowing I'm not supporting that) Okay, I'm done.
The last thing I want to do is make a debate of this, because that wasn't my intention nor is it my intention in this follow up comment. My intention was to let everyone know of just one way that we can follow the counsel and advice of the brethern to take a stand against the media, something that the brethern have spoken quite bluntly about. If you don't agree, that's fine, but whether you agree with this particular topic or not, we have been told over and over to get involved. And so I thought I'd pass this along since it was something I felt strongly about.
But with that, I do want to clear any misunderstanding about my comment about being baffled that Oprah aired something directly opposing what the brethern have said. That comment was about the adversary, not Oprah. I do not expect her to follow our standards (however ever person IS given the light of Christ). But I found it amusing how some statements made were DIRECTLY opposite to statements made by the prophet. It just shows how much power the adversary has and how he has influenced the media in such a way that people call "evil good and good evil." And such a topic being aired on such an influential TV show proves this prophecy correct.
We know things are just going to get continuosly worse from here, but the least I can do is "go down" fighting (and steadfastly look to the second coming).
jen l. yes, that was very interesting...about the good evil evil good part....that was pretty creepy on the show...but interesting...too.
I remember seeing the commercial and seeing words like "open marriage" and chose not to watch. Interesting, or not interesting, I don't need that filth in my life.
Interesting. I haven't heard about this until now. My first reaction is to say that I don't care either way because I boycotted (sp?) Oprah a couple years ago...it's political.
She certainly has an opinion about everything, and she is in a very powerful position to influence the opinions of others. From that point of view I would support the petition. On the other hand I feel that the best petition is to not watch that kind of thing at all.
I hope I'm not coming off as a goody-goody. Heaven knows I cuss like a sailor and sit in church wishing I were taking a nap. But for me the easiest thing is to not watch at all. I find that even the smallest mindless chatter desensitizes me.
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