Should the TV Program Modern Family Have Run the Cussing Episode?

This morning on radio station CKOM in Saskatoon. John Himpe interviewed me. The issue, a cussing two-year-old. She dropped the f-bomb.

For those who missed the episode the challenge was that one of her parents laughed and the other was concerned. For the record, she actually said ‘fudge’ and it was not only bleeped out, her mouth was covered.

Okay, so is this a topic for mainstream, comedy television?

Of course it is. It’s an issue all parents face at some point. And as Himpe, the interviewer of the radio show today noted, it has created good discussion among parents in all sorts of places.

My problem was the resolution of the problem which showed the little girl cussing, during a wedding and it became hilarious. It’s funny. And it’s true; it can be cute when a charming two-year-old drops a cuss word she doesn’t understand into the conversation. And the more laughs she gets, the more she will swear.

It becomes less cute when she’s four and creates problems when she’s six.

Television has a problem balancing humour and reality and responsibility. Is making swearing cute and funny a good role for family sit-coms to be taking?

Of course, the other obvious question is where did she learn the word? Two-year-olds learn language by mimicking what they hear from those around them. Just wondering.

So the questions are:

Should the show have been more responsible in the resolution of the issue?

Should they have abandoned the cussing episode all together?

What do you think?

 

Posted in News | 1 Comment

One Response to Should the TV Program Modern Family Have Run the Cussing Episode?

  1. Leah Davies says:

    Should the show have been more responsible in the resolution of the issue?
    Yes. That would never have happened on the Cosby Show, Waltons, or other quality family shows. I’m afraid that TV programs have corrupted our values so much that sex, violence, drug use, cussing, etc. are all “funny” instead of inappropriate for family viewing. For an article on “Children and TV” that helps children be discriminating viewers, see:
    http://www.kellybear.com/TeacherArticles/TeacherTip8.html

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