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SHAME ON MTV FOR SHOW THAT DEMEANS WOMEN
Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel 12/22/2007

It could be that 50 years from now, someone will read this short editorial and say, "What Puritans."

We hope not. In case you haven't heard, the hit show on cable television this season is MTV's "A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila."

Tequila (real name Tila Nguyen) is a bisexual Internet porn star recruited to do a show for MTV. It's sort of a lust-filled ripoff of "Survivor," the network show where people one by one get voted off an island (usually) after doing things like eating bugs.

In Tequila's case, the cast of 32 people, half men and half women, all allegedly wanted to fall in love with her. If you've seen the show for a few minutes, you know they really talk about having sex with her. The 4-foot, 11-inch, tattoo-laden, thong-wearing Tequila puts them through hot tub tests, rap-singing contests and asks intimate questions. Then she rejects their advances one by one. Sophisticated, huh?

Last week, Tequila "found love." She narrowed the list of suitors to one, a man. We know that writing about this gives MTV and its parent company, Viacom Corp., a little more "exposure." That may be what they want.

But it's too important and gross to ignore. Shows like this demean women. They give casual, calculated, profit-driven sex legitimacy. They undermine loving, nurturing relationships -- the kind that make for good families and healthy children.

Here's a voice in Maine saying shame on MTV and its corporate parent. We anticipate one day being able to select cable television channels a la carte, and few of us picking MTV.

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Reader comments

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John of Camden, ME
Dec 25, 2007 4:28 PM
Good editorial.report abuse
VivaBusho of Waterville, ME
Dec 25, 2007 3:13 PM
Cecil,

I'm sorry to say I've seen this show a few times. What a waste of time! But anyway, sure, you could look at it as demeaning of women ... or men .. or both... The entire thing is just more mindless entertainment. Clearly, when you're featuring a show with a "bi-sexual" as the star seeking love, only not knowing if it's going to be male or female, the premise is inflammatory. I see these kinds of shows as similar to the right-wing garbage on the radio, only without the worthless, counter-productive, pandering Republican politics. The thing is that right-wing talk radio deliberately misinforms people about issues of war and peace, things that matter, and a show like this is just eye candy at best, or a complete, utter waste of time as worst. Right-wing talk radio is a MUCH greater danger to American democracy because it promotes divisive, exclusionary, ant-Democratic Republican policies.report abuse
fishin of Waterville, ME
Dec 22, 2007 8:11 PM
It may be ok to say it demeans women, but a bit of proof would make your argument more saleable. I haven't seen the show, (it's nothing I would be interested in) but exactly HOW does it deman women and not just the women on the show who are there by choice. As for casual, calculated, profit-drived sex, that is already legitimate and for many they only sex they want. As for undermining loving, nuturing relationhips, one would almost think that "loving, nuturing relationships" are the norm. We all know better. If they were, we wouldn't have divorce, abuse, alcohol and drug problem that we have.
.report abuse
Bjorn of Waterville, ME
Dec 22, 2007 11:57 AM
I agree ... "TILA" is no worse than "The Bachelor," and if you really think it is, then you need to check your own sexism.

Furthermore - anyone looking to vapid entertainment mediums for instruction on 'good family' life and 'healthy children' needs to learn how to select a channel and why. The whole world need not be G-rated.

Don't hold your breath for a la carte cable TV, either. And for every puritan that forgoes MTV, 1,000 normal folks will opt FOR it. Of course, you do have the freedom NOW not to watch or to program MTV our of your television ... but then you wouldn't have petty nonsense to complain about, would you?report abuse

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