Controversy Over "Gossip Girl" Threesome

(AP)  On-air promos for a sexual threesome on an upcoming episode of "Gossip Girl" have spurred the Parents Television Council to ask affiliates of the CW network to pre-empt the show.

Airing the teen tryst, which is being teased in an ad as a "3SOME," is "reckless and irresponsible," said PTC president Tim Winter in a statement Wednesday. The threesome involves three main characters in the show but they are not identified in the promos.

The PTC has urged CW affiliate stations not to air the episode, scheduled for Nov. 9.

In a letter to the affiliates, Winter asked: "Will you now be complicit in establishing a precedent and expectation that teenagers should engage in behaviors heretofore associated primarily with adult films?"

This is not the first time the PTC has complained about the sexy prep-school soap, which Winter said is "expressly targeted to impressionable teenagers."

In July 2008, the organization spoke out against a racy marketing campaign for its new season. Ads showed intimate moments between the show's characters (on a couch, in the sack or apparently skinny-dipping), accompanied by headlines like "A Nasty Piece of Work" and "Mind-Blowingly Inappropriate."

"CW has been defending graphic content on 'Gossip Girl' by asserting that they don't target teenagers," Winters said Wednesday. "Such a claim doesn't even pass the 'laugh test."'

CW spokesman Paul McGuire said the target audience for "Gossip Girl" is 18- to 34-year-old women, with a median viewer age of 27 years old. The network had no comment on PTC's complaint, he said.

The Parents Television Council describes itself as a nonpartisan education group advocating responsible entertainment.

[jjreding-2009]

This is just more hypocrisy on behalf of the CW network.

I have complained to our local affiliate for years now about how they censor their syndicated programmes to excise words like 'hell' and 'damn' from shows like 'Stargate Atlantis', yet they'll air stuff like this.

Once, at 4 am, our affiliate aired the Nicolas Cage film '8mm', which is about the hyperviolent world of sexual snuff films - yet, despite the time and the content of the film, every time someone uttered a mild expletive like 'damn', there was a second of silence where the word was edited out. Yet this is the same network (basically) that gave us the world of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and 'Smallville', both of which feature high school kids who swear. And now, a '3SOME' on 'Gossip Girl'?

CW had better get their priorities straight. If you're going to air things like this during PRIME TIME, you have to STOP censoring shows and films that air during the early morning hours when there are no children present.

[AttentionDeficit]

"It is NOT GOOD for kids to be sexually active from middle school onward, but if you take ANY action to try to teach your girl to have a little self-respect, and not be the boy's playtoy - or heaven forbid you actually refuse to let them watch what "everyone" is watching - then you are a horrible person who will be attacked by not just the kids but the liberal schoolteachers for being "controlling", and your kid will be pressured to renounce you or else the kid will be bullied and tormented for refusing to bow to peer pressure...."

I guess this is what they call "parenting". Try it rather than looking to censor stuff you don't like. Did you actually want to be a parent, or did you just drop those knickers?

[displeased]

I didn't realize sex was so evil. I guess violence is acceptable? I don't even know what they play on tv anymore so who am I to talk. I had my cable disconnected 4 years ago. Certainly much better things to do with my time.

And those who don't think sex is a reality for teenagers are very unaware. What's the average age to lose virginity? 16?

[AttentionDeficit]

displeased: in my case, it was 15...19 if you limit it to times when there was actually someone else participating

[AttentionDeficit]

"it's the libruls, it's the libruls" cidaia

[hungry1968-17]

by cidaia November 5, 2009 7:16 AM EST

It is NOT GOOD for kids to be sexually active from middle school onward, but if you take ANY action to try to teach your girl to have a little self-respect, and not be the boy's playtoy - or heaven forbid you actually refuse to let them watch what "everyone" is watching - then you are a horrible person who will be attacked by not just the kids but the liberal schoolteachers for being "controlling", and your kid will be pressured to renounce you or else the kid will be bullied and tormented for refusing to bow to peer pressure....







Hey everyone!

There's going to be a "Book and Constitution Burning Party" at cidaia's house tonight!

Bring smores!

[hungry1968-17]

by cidaia November 5, 2009 7:16 AM EST

Why do we have to have our airwaves full of smut aimed at kids? Why do liberals fight to defend this?







Why do liberals fight to defend the First Amendment to the Constitution, and OPPOSE censorship?!?!?!

Seriously?!?!

[AttentionDeficit]

"But the reality of promiscuity is not fun"

Sounds like you were doing it wrong. If it weren't fun, why do people do it?

[hungry1968-17]

ROFLMAO!!!!

[AttentionDeficit]

Seriously. If it so frigging horrible, why are people doing it? Did The Liberals talk them into it over the objections of their pious alterboy boinking clerics?

[hungry1968-17]

by cidaia November 5, 2009 1:17 PM EST
And the left wing is still promoting censorship, and trying to inflict their morality on everyone.

Sex is good, sex is appropriate for kids, kids should watch sexually explicit shows, kids are going to know about/do threesomes anyway (if they hang out in liberal circles anyway) so why bother hiding the truth? Those are liberal values, and you want to inflict them on everyone.







Who said any of that?

Why don't you stand up and be a responsible parent and monitor what your kids are watching, instead of trying to censor television for EVERYONE?

Why should MY television choices be limited, because your parenting skills suck?

[AttentionDeficit]

"Seems to me the PTC is just fighting back against people who want to force THEIR morals on everyone else"

Cidaia: It seems that the PTC is the group looking to censor that show. How are liberals looking to "force" morals on anyone? If you don't like the TV show, turn it off, or better yet, don't turn it on.


You sure have a burr up your bum about liberals

[mtcolquitt]

Trash. It's a sad day that we live in. I feel sorry for young folks trying to raise decent kids these days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[displeased]

It's not a sad day for the folks capable of raising decent kids.

[bobkat258]

This sexually explicit stuff does not belong on television. I am often appalled at what I hear and see on TV - AND GUESS WHAT _ I'm NOT a right-winger. It contributes to the demise of our country and the degradation of civilization.