I have a soft spot for family sitcoms, the more absurd the better. I’m not talking about living-room-set canned laughter, but the outrageousness of a Simpsons episode that starts with a disagreement in a grocery store and ends with a misguided mission trip to Africa. Nothing quite tickles me like witty dialogue that helps me laugh at myself and the silliness around me. We all take ourselves, our politics, and our childrearing so seriously, sometimes a little Homer Simpson can lighten the mood.

I’m not arguing that such shows are family entertainment. On the contrary, children (young and old alike) should be kept very far away from such shows. South Park, for example, showcases some of the most honest
social commentary on TV today. (No really!) You just have to get past the constant barrage of George Carlinesque obscenities and potty humor—not an easy task—to get at it. A case in point is the “South Park inspired” kick a Ginger day at local middle schools. If you didn’t hear, kids decided to harass redheads at school because they’d seen it on TV. Ironically, only the relatively highbrow National Public Radio (NPR) seemed able to accurately report the event. The South Park episode concluded with a moral lesson: don’t pick on people because they’re different. Not surprisingly, NPR observed, such lessons can be lost on the average middle schooler.

So should we ban South Park and the like from TV? No more than we should ban books with uncomfortable content. Parents get to determine age-appropriate content for their families, have a responsibility to their
kids and the larger community to do so. With websites like www.kids-in-mind.com, www.parentpreviews.com, and www.commonsensemedia.org, this has become easier than ever with just a little forethought and effort.
If I’ve learned nothing from tasteless family comedies, it’s that we all deserve a good laugh, but everything can be taken out of context. We all know how easily kids focus on details and miss the larger picture. My
kids get mentally accosted enough in everyday life—by casually cursing uncles, poor playground behavior, our dog constantly humping canine visitors—we certainly don’t need to heap on more examples with digital media.
I’m still going to watch and enjoy The Simpsons, but not with my kids. Yet another reason I rejoice in the invention of the DVR!

Cheryl Baltes