Paradise Lost
My sons and I turned on the tele this afternoon to watch the swimming competitions. Its a family tradition, you know, watching the Olympics with your parents. Seemed like good quality entertainment. Not to mention, you can incorporate lessons about perseverance and teamwork. But things have changed since I watched the Olympics with my parents. Lucky for me, my boys had run out of the room to retrieve some crayons when the commercial for Hawaii came on. It begins with an idyllic beach scene, apparently from the view of a woman resting on a beach towel. The camera pulls back and the woman is really a cadaver. Then the fast, pulsating music begins and we are assaulted with 4 images per second of gruesome death and destruction. Then two "cops" look over another dead body. The first said, "His head is chopped off." The second says, "That's Homicide!" with all the gusto of, "That's Amore!" Sick. Here's part of NBC's description of the show:

Murder. Drug-running. Organized cartels. The stories are as gritty as any urban
center, despite the idyllic surroundings. Where else would cops discover a
smoldering torso at the base of an active volcano?

Lovely. How many young children saw that this morning because they neglected to leave the room during commercials? This is how the media cares for your children, friends. Let's throw our TVs out the window, what do you say?

Oh, and if you want to let NBC know what you think of its advertising during the Olympics, use this address: nbcolympicsfeedback@nbcuni.com