We've Come A Long Way - Sex on TV

"Ellen," "Will and Grace," MTV's "Undressed," only to name a few, are an example of some of the shows that many people think go against the morals of the American society. These shows have topics such as gay and lesbian relationships, people talking about sex openly, and basically, how the people around them react. Topics of this sort have not been allowed to be apart of primetime entertainment only until a couple of years ago because they are said to be immoral and a threat to people's values. It is about time that these topics are allowed to air on television because they show what is really going on in the world. It has been known for quite sometime that not everybody is intimate only with people of the opposite sex, and not everyone waits until marriage to lose their virginity. So, why try to pretend as if these values are still important and practiced by all? The question that crosses many is, "Why have these issues not been accepted yet?" Is the answer that some people have been taught that these things are wrong and immoral? These topics are not a threat to society; they are merely reality. It is time that that individuals are allowed to express their way of life without anyone putting them down and making them ashamed of who they are.

One of the issues that has to be accepted as a society is homosexuality. Gays and lesbians have participated in marches and in rallies, and some have even come out on TV asking our society to be more open-minded. These sorts of actions show that homosexuals don't want to be in the closet anymore. This is not the past where people felt ashamed of what they were, and would commit suicide for being gay. They are not the problem; it is society as a whole for not accepting their beliefs. As American citizens, everyone has a Constitutional right to do and act as they please as long as they don't infringe on the rights of others. Being homosexual does not hurting anyone. People who are homophobic discriminate them because they are afraid of what they don't know. Usually what happens, is that when we see homosexuals, people automatically think of what they do in bed instead of the person that they are. This isn't right, and this is where television comes to play. On television, actors portray the way gays and lesbians are in a more realistic way. Situations are brought to life on television by acts as a link to their way of life. Because of this, people are able to see that they are just like us. They have a heart full of feelings, and when it comes to love it is a universal feeling. Love cannot be degraded because of the type of relationship it is. Making this kind of connection with television is possible because it is something that I experienced. Not too long ago, I saw a movie that consisted of three different stories about lesbians called, "If These Walls Could Talk." They were all very touching, but it was the first story that really brought tears to my eyes. It was a story about two ladies that were lovers and had grown old with each other without ever telling their families. One of them died one morning out of old age, and her lover quickly separated their belongings into two different rooms in fear that the family would find out that they shared a room in a three-bedroom house. The lady was crying as if it was her husband that had passed away. Despite the reason that the relationship consisted of two people of the same sex, it was the same kind of feeling, love. It was only until then that I saw that feelings don't have restrictions on which they can love. Also, only because some do not accept something, it doesn't change the fact the people of the same sex do indeed fall in love. As I was watching this movie, one of my good friends called me and asked me what I was doing. Without thinking about it, I said I was watching a game show. I had lied to my friend without even thinking about it because deep down inside of me, I thought it was wrong to see such a movie. It wasn't like I was watching pornographic material: it was just a movie, and I felt ashamed. I guess my fear was that maybe someone would make a comment that I wouldn't be able to handle, like for example saying I was a lesbian. It should have felt okay saying what I was watching, but how can I do such a thing when our society finds it wrong? Even though I have learned to accept homosexuality, I can't be so open about it because not everyone accepts it. All people should be allowed to do as they please, but there is just so much opposition. Everyone can see how much the world has changed, but there is so much denial, that society is living a lie. The consequence is even worse because people are not allowed to be themselves freely because they fear the consequences.

Sex is also an issue that many people haven't learned to talk about. We hear about and see a lot of sex on television these days. Take MTV's "Undressed," for example; it is a teenage soap opera about young adults having casual sex. They have different story lines, but the main subject is sex. This show being on MTV says that a big step has been taken on what comes out on television. It is a show very popular with the audience, but not the critics. The audience loves it because it consists of young adults that have grown up being more open about sex. Young adults grew up in a different time than the critics. The critics were young in a time where sex came as a shock, but people finally got tired of fighting the world and its changes and learned to be more accepting. We now have hotlines to call, condoms that are given out at school, and people around that are very understanding and want to help us out. The critics grew up in the past when waiting to have sex until marriage was expected, and one-night stands were rare. This show is shocking to them because they don't know how to handle it. They feel as if they have to oppose it because that is what they grew up thinking. They had parents who would very rarely have sexual discussions, and would watch television shows like the Brady Bunch. Our generation is more laid back and not as naпve about what our world has turned into. Shows of this sort are not lying about what goes on in the world, but are merely trying to show that people should be more careful and take sex more seriously. It also helps clear up any myths that young adolescents might have because of rumors they heard at school. There are fewer myths that circulate in schools of adolescents such as getting pregnant by having oral sex or kissing a boy. Television clears up many of these questions, and there isn't any more confusion. Sometimes, parents find talking about sex difficult, so television helps. These issues are important and need to be brought forth, but many people think that children are to young to know about sex. Sex is everywhere, and if the parent doesn't do the job, they will get the wrong information from their peers. This is why adolescents are not as naпve because they put what they hear from their friends along with what they see on television, and they put together some kind of truth. There is nothing wrong with knowing about sex. In reality it is one of the main reasons why God put us into this world. Be able to talk about sex shows maturity and that we are comfortable with ourselves. Sex on television is far more graphic now than ever before, and it goes to show how times have changed. Children are no longer just taking home report cards for their parents to sign; they now take permission slips asking if they can be apart of sex education in the classroom. Many parents oppose the subject being discussed in school, but they are learning the facts and are told when things should not be done along with the consequences.

As a country, people are more accepting than they were in the past. Many laws were passed against discrimination, and people can get in trouble if they break these laws. Even though at first a show may be controversial, after a while, things die down and the show just stays on air. We have more of a variety of what to watch, and that is why we have so many choices. There is no need for anyone to complain about what is on television because there is around two hundred channels that are accessible to us if you have a good cable plan. Many dream of the day that people will stop complaining about a content of a show, and be willing to accept non-traditional things. We should all learn to love each other, and there are far more important things that need to be discussed and dealt with.