Transformers Transforming Our Kids?

There are some amazing things they pull off in today’s movies. I love the animation and the camera work. I really enjoy some of the creative ideas and even the remakes of a lot of the classic films and books, great stuff. My wife is really the movie buff at our home, she remembers the names of the stars and the movies they played in. She also knows who is dating who. I know John Wayne when I see him, Steve Martin, maybe a few others. I know John Wayne is dead but no clue who Steve is dating.

Recently I took my 11-year-old son to see the new blockbuster Transformers. There was a lot of cool animation and special effects. There was also a lot of offensive language and sexual references that just made no sense to me at all. The bad language came from all sides and I could not once, not once, accept it as part of the plot line or as a necessary part of the action. The sexual connotations were also unwarranted and could have been left out without affecting the story line.

I have written scripts for television, radio and other video media, the last client did 2.5 billion a year in sales and their TV scripts were very important to them. I never once found the need to include anything even close to what the movie Transformers had as what seemed to be a staple by the writers. As a writer I wonder how they could be that hard up for a story line or just lacking an educated vocabulary.

Now you take this movie and the offensive parts and feed that to kids through the mega meal deals at the fast food restaurants and soft drinks, you feed it to them every 15 minutes on the kid’s channels on TV and you have everyone convinced it is OK and kid friendly.

This movie is only a small part the transforming of the American culture to a lewd, selfish, uneducated and all me society. Take ABC Family channel, who made that up? That channel has some of the worst shows you would ever want to expose your children to, namely promiscuous teenager’s alamode. Is that really how people want their kids to act, really?

I have a friend who home schools his family and they don’t have TV or any of the internet or video things in their home that transport this type of information. I really thought he was off his rocker when I first met him. I am not so sure he is not making the right decisions now. He feeds his kids at a slower more deliberate pace. It makes a lot more sense to me the more I think about it.

This is not unusual or new. Society as a whole has hungered and accepted the next perverted or dangerous act for years. We have allowed the content to permeate our families, the schools, politics and it goes on and on.

Hey, I am no perfect angel. I catch myself being drawn into these shows and I slip and use language I am not proud of. I don’t hold folks up who get caught up in the heat of the moment. I do however dislike the planning and executing of language and sex in places where kids will be exposed to it. Yes, I know, so don’t take your kids to that stuff then you hypocrite, I can hear it and it is true. Maybe next time I will prepare myself better, be a better parent and guardian. I pray for Gods wisdom and strength for that every day.