Source: Family Research Council
By: Company Press Release
(WASHINGTON, DC) — On the eve of Senate hearings on a new Federal Trade Commission report on the marketing of violent entertainment to children, Family Research Council Executive Vice President Chuck Donovan called for bipartisan action “to protect America’s families from the depredations of a Hollywood culture that shows no regard for the physical and emotional well-being of our children.
“The merchants of mindless violence and graphic sex have had free rein for more than a decade,” Donovan noted, “and their relentless marketing of their amoral wares to innocent young people makes Joe Camel look like an amateur.
“This issue is too important for partisan temporizing,” Donovan said. “The truth is that neither major political party has been effective in countering the onslaught of sleaze in video games, movies, and music. The Democratic Party has been woefully inconsistent. When elections approach, Democratic leaders wax wonderfully pro-parent, only to rush, as Vice President Al Gore did last year, to the side of the Hollywood CEOs to assure them that they do not intend to take action to stem the tide.
“The new stance of the Gore-Lieberman ticket on entertainment may only be a repeat of this ‘veering on violence,’ but this much can be said for it: it recognizes the rightful role of the government in protecting the well-being of youth from campaigns of deceit. The response of the Bush-Cheney ticket to this challenge has been disappointing: rather than hail the FTC report and demand credible action, the ticket has talked about ‘working with’ Hollywood CEOs and reminding parents to turn off the television. But parents need help. They cannot patrol their neighbors’ TVs or stalk the mulitplexes where garbage that used to be X-rated fare is readily available to our kids.
“On these issues, the laissez-faire answer is no answer at all. The Family Research Council welcomes a six-month warning to the entertainment industry. They have had years to clean up their act and failed to do so. We call on the Democrats to follow through and the Republicans to wise up. A united, bipartisan call for citizenship is just what the family doctor ordered. We will do everything we can as this issue unfolds to hold both parties to account and refuse to let our families continue to suffer at the hands of an industry that aims cultural pollution at the hearts and minds of our kids.”
