Next week, a new television series called "The Book of Daniel" is premiering on NBC. Being the TiVo loving, commercial-skipping person I am, I have not seen one ad for this program. I actually knew nothing about it whatsoever, until I heard this week that the American Family Association is protesting the show and trying to get it canceled.
Here's their call to arms. It's the beginning of the second paragraph that really annoys me (the following emphasis is mine):
While the public has not seen the program, NBC is promoting "The Book of Daniel" as a serious drama about Christian people and the Christian faith.
They basically acknowledge in their own damn protest that they have not seen the show yet, but then go on to condemn it anyway and call for its cancellation.
This show could be the next great drama on network television. It could be a total piece of crap. God forbid we should evaluate it in its actual context.
Hmm... apparently, the AFA's God does forbid it.
As a footnote on all this: GLAAD, as you might expect, has praised the show in public statements. And I have to say, I'm not really any happier with them, as it seems unlikely that people in their organization have seen the show yet, either.
6 comments:
Sorry to leave this in your comments, but I can't find an email address for you.
I found your blog the other day, and I've been reading some of the archives. I see that you like trivia, and you've played the KVSC trivia game.
If you don't have a team, I would like to talk to you about joining our team, Worried About The Beaver.
I hope to hear from you!
If this show's content is as "controversial" as that of Desperate Housewives, no one should be worried. No one should be worried to begin with because, you know, each of us can choose what we watch.
I wouldn't have known about his potential gem either had my wife not stumbled upon it on the Live TV buffer. TV without commercials is sometimes a bit jarring.
mike sawin -- I appreciate the trivia offer, but I've been with Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women for several years, and plan to be sticking with them. Wow, it is just a few weeks away, isn't it? Good times! Good luck to you!
Dr. Heimlich:
Studios and networks frequently distribute "screeners" -- advanced copies of shows for viewing by critics and other interested parties well before those shows are available for viewing by the general public. As a matter of professional practice, GLAAD spokespeople derive their assessments firsthand, from shows they themselves have previewed. With regard to the "Book of Daniel", the show which has prompted your initial post, the first two episodes have been screened by several staffers in the last couple of weeks.
Should you have any further questions/concerns about this or any other aspect of our work, you can determine the validity of your assumptions with a quick email to me at bugbee@glaad.org
I can't say I'm surprised. I saw the ads for the show and thought, "Wow, that's gonna get some press," and it certainly seems to have.
If GLAAD likes it and AFA doesn't (I automatically dislike any organization that equates family=Christian as though there's no other moral way to be a family) then that makes me want to watch the show right there.
I'm happy it appears that GLAAD has done their homework, although it's unclear how much the AFA did. Considering how contrary to their message the show appears to be, I'm not sure how much of it they needed to see before condemning it. But that's what they do. When you're a group of people formed almost exclusively for the purpose of whining that the rest of the world doesn't want to remake itself in the image of the religion you happen to subsribe to, I'm not sure you're all that interested in fairness or diversity.
But that's just me and my opinion. I could be wrong.
Hey, maybe I should try trivia recruitment by blog!
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