MTV has ripped off yet another show, one that here would be even more controversial, from the UK, but apparently wasn't so controversial IN Great Britain. But we've been going through that for years. America is over the top Puritan about issues and you can see the reality of that by just looking around and seeing our culture. If we had more real reality and supplied realistic options to current and possible behaviors, we just might see a more functional country.
I watched one episode, "Tony" where a friends is trying to get his friend "laid" (to no longer be a virgin). It wasn't that bad. Is it content for teens? Before you ask that, ask yourself this: "Do you really know what your teens do, say, think, when they are not around you?" You may think so, but you'd be surprised if you could visit their brains for a minute. Apparently, "skins" are rolling papers.
A Clever TV Report on MTVs Skins show.
One viewer of this video said this:
The Young Turks report on Skins.
Gives you a little better idea of what's going on.
I can see a value to showing kids what kids really go through, for a change. But I think when you get into underage kids doing questionable activities for kids their ages, you need to put more into it than less. For adults, its one thing to show questionable behavior, but once you touch on minors, you need to not just show reality but also not to push questionably useful religious attitudes, but better, down to earth, reasonable, rational, and actually useful orientations to the kids.
By showing some useful scenarios in the context of the show, turns it from a voyeuristic teen show, to one that can be educational and save a lot of kids the pain and anguish they really don't need to be experiencing at these not so young anymore ages.
Yes, kids are going to do stupid things. Should other kids see what kids actually do out there in the real world away from their parents? I suppose if the producer's have the parent's consent, after all, a lot of money is involved here and greed nearly always wins out, then the issue isn't for the show to exist but for who's kids to watch it. But even if you just filmed whatever happened without a script, you could still use editing to make a point. Still, this is a scripted show. Teens need quality shows, if this will turn out to be that, then cool, but to scream about it at this stage, is premature.
A new millennium "Ferris Bueller" was bound to hit TV sooner or later (yes, I know it WAS a TV show for a while, but it didn't last long for a reason: the producers, the studio, completely missed the point), the fact that it took this long for a more interesting version, is amazing. That point, may have been understood by the producers of Skin.
So, will kids want to imitate what they see on this show? Probably, but
not for the most part. We also need to see how MTV will take on this
responsibility and adjust to the needs of their teen community. Yes,
that is dangerous. But really, MTV has not yet, killed all of our kids
or driven them all to drugs or prostitution. By the way, I couldn't really see where they were glorifying the behaviors most would object to. The question perhaps is not so much should they be doing a show like this, or should they be allowed to, but at what age should this not be allowed to happen at?
Would you let your kid be on this show? Would you let your kid watch this show? Before you comment, WATCH the show; don't go on a tirade like so many Christian groups did to "The Last Temptation of Christ", or many other films, shows, records and books. If you haven't actually seen what you want to complain about, shut up, you have no right to speak out, until you actually know what it is you are talking about.
Otherwise, you may just put yourself in the position of acting dumber than the kids in the show you are complaining about.
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Which I think, pretty much sums it up. And exemplifies the same thing I've complained about for years. The US media industry is too fearful to take chances on their own idea; rather, going for tried and true shows from other countries, frequently, Japan and the UK.