Neighbourhood reality TV show ignites religious ire
-01/06/05
While the new ëBig Brotherí fails to excite British TV audiences and viewers seek ever more ingenious ways of avoiding ëCelebrity Love Islandí, a right-wing religious lobby group is encouraging pre-emptive protests against one of a large summer crop of new US reality shows, ABCís ëWelcome to the Neighbourhoodí.
James Dobsonís influential group Focus on the Family claims that the programme, which has not been aired yet, will portray Christians as ìbigoted, self-righteous and judgmental.î
ëWelcome to the Neighbourhoodí brings prospective new families into a suburban cul-de-sac. The white families who already live there have their prejudices tested with potential neighbours who include gay, minority and heavily tattooed couples. The winning family gets to move in.
The ABC series is one of nineteen new-launch US television shows that claim to highlight aspects of ëreal lifeí ranging from the mundane to the bizarre.
Although ëWelcome to the Neighbourhoodí has no premiere date, Focus on the Family is giving out the contact details of ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne on the web so that people can pressurise her.
Meanwhile the president of the American Family Association wants supporters to target sponsors of the programme. “Find out who the advertisers are and contact [them]”, he declares.
But Mr Tim Wildmon nervously cautions correspondents to ìbe careful that in your calls to ABC and its sponsors you don’t become the stereotype you’re protesting.î
In the US broadcasters are regularly braced for vitriolic feedback from conservative Christian groups. As with the recent campaign against ëJerry Springer – The Operaí in the UK, many protestors do not see the show they are complaining about.
Focus on the Family leader James Dobson famously remarked a number of years ago that ì[w]hat … I have called a ëcivil war of valuesí continues to rage.î
In Britain some cultural critics of the reality TV craze have tried more positive ways of highlighting its defects.
The broadcaster and feminist academic Germaine Greer (who said of ëBig Brotherí, ìit isnít the end of civilization ñ it is civilizationî) decided to go on the celebrity version of the series herself in 2004. But she later quit in disgust.
As reported previously on Ekklesia, the international development agency Christian Aid ñ which works with 40 churches and 600 partners in 50 countries ñ has offered young people an alternative world view to ëBig Brotherí through its Global Gang website.
The release of the Citizen Ship game for 8-12 year olds was timed coincide with the new ‘Big Brother’ series that began last week. It is about cooperation and justice rather than competition and hedonism.
Two years ago Christian contestant Cameron Stout, a fish trader from the Orkneys, actually won the UK Channel 4 series. He charmed viewers but was denounced by one critic as ëterminally boringí.
A 2003 poll revealed that more people in the UK knew the name of the winner of ëBig Brotherí that year than recognised the name of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Neighbourhood reality TV show ignites religious ire
-01/06/05
While the new ëBig Brother’ fails to excite British TV audiences and viewers seek ever more ingenious ways of avoiding ëCelebrity Love Island’, a right-wing religious lobby group is encouraging pre-emptive protests against one of a large summer crop of new US reality shows, ABC’s ëWelcome to the Neighbourhood’.
James Dobson’s influential group Focus on the Family claims that the programme, which has not been aired yet, will portray Christians as ‘bigoted, self-righteous and judgmental.’
ëWelcome to the Neighbourhood’ brings prospective new families into a suburban cul-de-sac. The white families who already live there have their prejudices tested with potential neighbours who include gay, minority and heavily tattooed couples. The winning family gets to move in.
The ABC series is one of nineteen new-launch US television shows that claim to highlight aspects of ëreal life’ ranging from the mundane to the bizarre.
Although ëWelcome to the Neighbourhood’ has no premiere date, Focus on the Family is giving out the contact details of ABC Entertainment President Susan Lyne on the web so that people can pressurise her.
Meanwhile the president of the American Family Association wants supporters to target sponsors of the programme. “Find out who the advertisers are and contact [them]”, he declares.
But Mr Tim Wildmon nervously cautions correspondents to ‘be careful that in your calls to ABC and its sponsors you don’t become the stereotype you’re protesting.’
In the US broadcasters are regularly braced for vitriolic feedback from conservative Christian groups. As with the recent campaign against ëJerry Springer – The Opera’ in the UK, many protestors do not see the show they are complaining about.
Focus on the Family leader James Dobson famously remarked a number of years ago that ‘[w]hat … I have called a ëcivil war of values’ continues to rage.’
In Britain some cultural critics of the reality TV craze have tried more positive ways of highlighting its defects.
The broadcaster and feminist academic Germaine Greer (who said of ëBig Brother’, ‘it isn’t the end of civilization – it is civilization’) decided to go on the celebrity version of the series herself in 2004. But she later quit in disgust.
As reported previously on Ekklesia, the international development agency Christian Aid – which works with 40 churches and 600 partners in 50 countries – has offered young people an alternative world view to ëBig Brother’ through its Global Gang website.
The release of the Citizen Ship game for 8-12 year olds was timed coincide with the new ‘Big Brother’ series that began last week. It is about cooperation and justice rather than competition and hedonism.
Two years ago Christian contestant Cameron Stout, a fish trader from the Orkneys, actually won the UK Channel 4 series. He charmed viewers but was denounced by one critic as ëterminally boring’.
A 2003 poll revealed that more people in the UK knew the name of the winner of ëBig Brother’ that year than recognised the name of the Archbishop of Canterbury.