RTaylor.9993iLONS@RADC-MULTICS.ARPA (01/01/86)
From: " Roz " <RTaylor@RADC-MULTICS.ARPA> From previous SF-LOVERS issue: > From: fluke!moriarty@caip.rutgers.edu (Jeff Meyer) > Subject: Re: Harlan Ellison quits TWILIGHT ZONE > Date: 19 Dec 85 17:22:51 GMT > > tom@utcsri.UUCP (Tom Nadas) writes: > >As a professional writer, I abhorcensorship. However, there is a > >great difference between censorship and maintaining some level of > >good taste, especially in a collaborative medium like television. > >True, Harlan was the writer in question, but producer De Guere, > >actor Asner, whoever they selected as director, and the programming > >mavens at CBS all would have had to live with the fact that the > >terrifying thought that Santa did not like black and hispanic > >children would have been put in some children's minds. Even if the > >resolution of the episode had proved otherwise, the mere asking of > >the question may have been inappropriate to ask in prime time. > > Do you believe that kids believe every single > thing that someone says on TV? I don't think so -- they watch the > story, see what happens to (and with) the characters, and make > judgements from there; the story usually directs them in their > conclusions, My observations are that *most* children up through age 5-6 believe everything they see on TV unless they are specifically told that something is not real. (That includes cartoons, news, movies, etc.) Even at age 7-8, *many* children have trouble relating what they have been told about one program to another similar (but different) program. (i.e. they have trouble drawing analogies.) There are exceptions to the ages (in both directions, of course!) because the extremely bright pick up on somethings faster than others, just as the slower children might not (or at least differently). But, of course you *knew* I would respond to your comment when you wrote it...right? Of course I believe parents should watch TV and talk to their children, which allows me to be more liberal in my censorship attitudes. But, *we* the public have allowed and/or encouraged the FCC, DOD, Government (what-ever-you-want-to-call-it) to takeover our parental (pet peeve number XXX!) responsibilities, instead of us (parents) saying no to our children! Roz