The Scene staff
By Sky Tucker
The Scene staff
All kinds of media content can be strange and scary, whether television shows, films or internet videos, especially for parents of young children who lack safety knowledge or parental controls.
Remember my column on Elsagate? That’s the scandal surrounding disturbing online videos that target children.
Despite pushback against harmful media in recent years, some people focus on non-issues for clout or due to a misunderstanding of the rating system. That ultimately drowns out meaningful efforts.
While some media explicitly targets children for grooming purposes (again, Elsagate), others claim that all content does. Therefore, I will explore the meaning of “family entertainment,” the rating system and its current implications.
First, we must define “grooming” accurately.
“Grooming is a method used by offenders that involves building trust with a child and the adults around a child in an effort to gain access to and time alone with her/him,” according to a definition on the American Bar Association website.
“In extreme cases, offenders may use threats and physical force to sexually assault or abuse a c
hild. More common, though, are subtle approaches designed to build relationships with families.”
Dismissing everything as dangerous and stating that all forms of media aim to groom children is ill-informed and detrimental. It stunts the valid attempts to protect children, undermining those doing research and finding pedophile rings.
To clarify, I’m discussing adult jokes in the media. Other content like that from “Disney’s Fantasia” and “The Censored Eleven,” is off-topic. They feature racist caricatures that are harmful and unacceptable. In other words, they should remain in the past, serving as lessons in how not to behave.
So, what does family entertainment mean? In the simplest of terms, it applies to a television show or film that’s fun and appropriate for the whole family.
That includes Disney films such as “Beauty and the Beast” (1991 and 2017), “The Lion King” (1994 and 2019) and “Lilo and Stitch” (2002). The first versions of “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King” were rated G (suitable for all ages) and the second versions were rated PG (parental guidance suggested). “Lilo and Stich” was rated PG.
The PG rating permits a certain level of violence, crude humor and other questionable images. Sometimes these features are added so that movies also appeal to adults watching along with their children.
Some people think these films and cartoons have aged poorly, but kids alone were never the intended audience. After all, it’s called family entertainment for a reason.
Despite problematic themes and situations with older animations, keep in mind that we’re still learning. The same themes can be found in modern cinema and animation, some of it much worse, pushing even harder on boundaries.
For instance, Cartoon Network’s “Teen Titans Go!” (2013 to present), a parody spin-off of the 2000s hit “Teen Titans” (2003- 2006), has included many controversial episodes. I want to bring one in particular to light: Season 4 episode 37, “Justice League’s Next Top Talent Idol Star — Part 2.”
Shortly after the six-minute mark, Beast Boy, a green, shapeshifting Titan, greets the judges and transforms into a cow, stating he’s the “Milkman.” He finishes his introduction by telling them that they “are going to drink milk.”
Beast Boy then spews a white liquid onto the faces of Aquaman and Superman and shoots a stream into Batman’s mouth, promptly causing the hero, also known as the Dark Knight, to feel sick and vomit.
Once finished with Batman, Beast Boy proceeds to projectile spray Wonder Woman with the “milk” not once or twice, but three times. All the while she is screaming for him to quit.
Finally, Beast Boy’s “act” comes to its conclusion. The judges, looking beyond pissed and nauseated, quickly give him his score: Four angry-faced emojis. Instead of leaving, Beast Boy ends his skit by saying, “Moo. Milk, it does the body good, fool.”
Ultimately, it’s up to parents to filter what their children watch, as studios may take advantage of ratings for profit.