"MITM is foul"

Kratos

New member
:D :eek: :p I just read this article about MITM and it just cracks me up;


Malcolm in the Middle follows a brilliant young student, through his insanely chaotic home life (with the stigma of being identified as “gifted.”) The series also portrays Malcolm's extremely dysfunctional family, which is strong enough to withstand adversity in the end. Malcolm can be witty and even charming, especially when focusing on the exploits of Malcolm and his brothers, Dewey and Reese. Unfortunately the series is often plagued by anatomical references and scatological humor. In one episode, Malcolm’s friend said, “My strangulated testicle got me a week at Disneyland.” Storylines featuring Francis, Malcolm’s oldest and favorite brother who is in Alaska, also introduce adult-themed content, including references to homosexuality, pornography, and teen sex. Foul language, including “damn,” “ass,” and “screw,” is very common on this family-hour show.

I cant believe some people can be so uptight?! Do you think the PTC have a point or are they just being absurd?
 

ReMoss85

New member
Is there a primetime Fox show that doesn't say "damn" "ass" or "screw"? Anybody who thinks that the show is anywhere near being more foul than the other shows it is shown with (I don't know what shows air with it outside of America but I assume it is similar) is a idiot.
 

yardgames

Retired Administrator
I live in the liberal and politically correct nation that's America and even I have never heard of "screw" as a swear word. It's not anymore intense than what you'd hear in a normal family, anyhow. And they took that classic quote completely out of context!
 

tony_montana

Semper Fidelis
This is the most retarded article I have ever read. Compared to most crap on tv today, Malcolm is actually very tame. Plus it's just damn funny, so who cares what these people say.:)
 

reese35

New member
Stupid critics! As if it ain't enough that MitM isn't getting enough recognition! See me create a thread on this.
 

Kratos

New member
The site is a proper site, here ; http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/all.asp

It lists all the different American shows and basically states if they are suitable for children or not. But my problem (and confusion) is that some of the shows are clearly aimed at adults anyway, i.e Sex and the City so why would they be saying it should be taken off the air? :confused:


They seem way over the top if you ask me, and MITM is a great programe for all the family. :p
 

Malcoholic

New member
I think it's an OK review because it states very specifically what material it considers unsuitable for children according to this organization's defined standards. This enables individual parents to decide for themselves whether they think it's suitable for their own children. It does not tell parents, "don't let your children watch this show." It tells them, "if you object to exposing your children to the following words, or to the following adult themes, be aware that this show contains these words and these themes." It's an evaluation that informs, not dictates. It also points out the positive fact that the family sticks together through thick and thin. I can live with this!
 

han_keep_smilin

New member
I cant agrre. It is true in some aspects andit is not suitable for younger children maybe. but it is criticising the whole show if it is that bad why do so many people watch it? it is competely wrong!:)
 

tjpeople

Site Administrator
Staff member
Its the way its written. It could just list content and then parents decided. Wheere as its written in a style that its basically says its bad. SOme parents may feel 'homosexuality, pornography, and teen sex' are not suitable others wont. But the way its writtens suggest they are bad whatever.

However that site is unbeleiveable

8 Simple Rules.

Cate Hennessey has her hands full raising three high school age children: daughters Bridget and Kerry and son Rory. After her husband’s death, Cate’s father, Jim, moved in with the family. Not long after Jim’s arrival, Cate’s nephew, CJ moved in, also to help Cate with the kids, despite his own childish tendencies.

8 Simple Rules has received green light ratings for language and violence, and a yellow light for sexual content. The show often depicts strong adult authority, although the messages are sometimes mixed. In an early episode this season, Kerry revealed that she had lost her virginity to a boy she met in Europe over the summer. However, she came to realize that the boy did not care for her and she regretted her decision. This provided a good example of the negative consequences of sexual activity amongst teenagers, consequences not often shown on television. Unfortunately, the series also contains a fair amount of other sexual references, such as to Rory’s slow development or to the sexual lives of other family members.


OOOOh and it just gets better.

http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=2145

I love the last line.(Sarcasum is hard to show)

Its beyond me why Family Guys gets http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=504

2 yellow for language and violance the same as MITM.
 

han_keep_smilin

New member
Family guy is way worse then MITM! Mitm is on at 7.30pm and family guy is on at 12.30 at night!! doest they have those wrong if family guy isnt that bad on there why is it on so late at night?!:)
 

Reese Feltspar

New member
MITM is one of only a few US shows that I actually watch religiously. The show is on perfection level, there are not many shows that can keep up the same quality of laughs and entertainment in a seven year life span. I mean the Buffy show died in season 4 but they kept dragging it on and on and on and...you get the point. This show is pure class and there isn't a show around today that comes close to even equaling the greatness of MITM. The content of the show is perfect, I would let kids see it, kids of any age. There is nothing wrong with it and those that say there is..well you need your head examined!.
 

Kratos

New member
Malcoholic said:
I think it's an OK review because it states very specifically what material it considers unsuitable for children according to this organization's defined standards. This enables individual parents to decide for themselves whether they think it's suitable for their own children. It does not tell parents, "don't let your children watch this show." It tells them, "if you object to exposing your children to the following words, or to the following adult themes, be aware that this show contains these words and these themes." It's an evaluation that informs, not dictates. It also points out the positive fact that the family sticks together through thick and thin. I can live with this!


I have to agree with tjpeople the site doesnt just list content in a unbiased way, it suggests that any "normal caring parent wouldnt let their children watch this filth". There are loads of other things on the site which are clearly biased towards "good old family values", i.e not talking about reality.

IMO it ingnores the postive facts of some of these shows, MITM is a good family show, it address important issues and doesnt coat them up in this pool of lies. Teenagers want and do have sex, Malcolm has shown this loads of times, but its never shown in 18 rated ways, in "Thanksgiving" Malcolm didnt take advantage of that girl = good postive value etc Hal and Lois love one another, both express it often and are always faithful = good postive value, Malcolm thinks Reese is gay and other way around but are kind and understanding about it = good postive value.

(clearly my idea of a good postive value might differ lol)
 

Wildcat

Retired Moderator
I think it depends on what age child you're talking about. Some things parents' may consider unsuitable for young children (i.e. the mild sexual content)--even though I'm sure it's nothing worse than they hear about on a daily basis at school. I think it's perfectly fine for anyone 12 and up (probably even younger, depending on the child's maturity level). I don't see how it's much different than any of the other sitcoms out there as far as language and sexual references. And like Kratos mentioned, while there are some things that may be midly inappropriate, much of it is about promoting a sense of family and positive values. Even when the boys do something bad, they usually end up getting "taught a lesson" for it before the ep is over.

This website is very harsh on it's reviews of all shows, as TJ pointed out, so it's not just MITM. I guess they're just being extreme for parents that are very strict on what their child watches. I think it's silly, but then again, I'm not a parent so maybe I just don't understand. :D

BTW, welcome to the forums Reese Feltspar. I hope you enjoy your time here. :)
 

Reese Feltspar

New member
Wildcat said:
I think it depends on what age child you're talking about. Some things parents' may consider unsuitable for young children (i.e. the mild sexual content)--even though I'm sure it's nothing worse than they hear about on a daily basis at school. I think it's perfectly fine for anyone 12 and up (probably even younger, depending on the child's maturity level). I don't see how it's much different than any of the other sitcoms out there as far as language and sexual references. And like Kratos mentioned, while there are some things that may be midly inappropriate, much of it is about promoting a sense of family and positive values. Even when the boys do something bad, they usually end up getting "taught a lesson" for it before the ep is over.

This website is very harsh on it's reviews of all shows, as TJ pointed out, so it's not just MITM. I guess they're just being extreme for parents that are very strict on what their child watches. I think it's silly, but then again, I'm not a parent so maybe I just don't understand. :D

BTW, welcome to the forums Reese Feltspar. I hope you enjoy your time here. :)

In regards to the part near the end of your post. I dont see why not being a parent would make you view, or mine for that matter on this topic an invalid one. I hate it when people say things like - you dont have kids, so you dont know what it is like. That deserves a punch in the face, if anything. We have a right to voice our views as much as anyone else, on anything we like. As long as we can make decent comments with valid points, nothing can be said. It is arrogance if something is said to try and counter attack a nicely put across view from someone with no kids, from someone with kids. If some dont like it, stop us, or keep quiet.

I agree with what you said above for the most part. You do seem to understand it rather well, even though you dont have kids.;) I dont have kids either, but I am more than able and mature enough to look after them. I babysitted my cousin George for the first 8 years of his life. I mean if I wasn't responsible would my reign at the best babysitter he has had, would it have lasted as long. I know what I am doing and a few people have said that if I had kids, I would make a great dad. I'd let my kids watch MITM and I'd be watching it with them.

Sorry for the rant above LOL and thanx for the welcome Wildcat :cool:

PS
I was originally going to call myself: Francis Otto Feltspar or Otto In The Grotto but Reese Feltspar has just as good a sound to it too I think lol
 

Malcoholic

New member
Nice thread with some very thoughtful posts. Let me add that I am skeptical that television has much power to corrupt kids. My experience has been that the dismantling of kids' innocence is mostly a collaborative effort carried out by kids themselves--the 13-year olds work on the 12-year olds, and the 12-year olds work on the 11-year olds. It's a process that antedates TV by several millenia, and has the benefit of person-to-person immediacy that the mass media lack. The fact remains, many parents, perhaps millions, believe TV can corrupt their children's characters, they have been advised to exercise parental discretion, and they want to know what's in these shows so they can exercise discretion. What they want to know, sensibly or not, boils down to this: vulgar words and sex. This site tells them. The word "unfortunately" clearly shows this site is maintained by and for people who don't want children exposed to certain vulgar words, or to sexual themes. I don't know whether they should have their heads examined. The fact I have no children does not deprive me of the right to have an opinion on how they should be raised, but it does free my opinion of any consequences. I can be wrong, and it doesn't matter. But if a parent gets it wrong, the consequences can be painful. My view is, it's their call.
 

Wildcat

Retired Moderator
Reese Feltspar said:
In regards to the part near the end of your post. I dont see why not being a parent would make you view, or mine for that matter on this topic an invalid one. I hate it when people say things like - you dont have kids, so you dont know what it is like. That deserves a punch in the face, if anything. We have a right to voice our views as much as anyone else, on anything we like. As long as we can make decent comments with valid points, nothing can be said. It is arrogance if something is said to try and counter attack a nicely put across view from someone with no kids, from someone with kids. If some dont like it, stop us, or keep quiet.

Excellent points! I didn't mean that we don't have the right to voice our opinions because we don't have children. I meant that our views may very well be different if we did have children. I say this because I've seen how my sister has changed over the past 5 years since she had kids. Things that she used to think nothing of all of a sudden seem to be a big deal now. She and my nieces were visiting a few months ago and they were watching "Lost" with me and she made them leave the room because one of the characters said "ass" or something. Plus she said it was too scary for them. Whatever, it's not scary at all. :rolleyes: But the point is that people's views may be completely different when they do have children (even though they may not even realize it.)
 

Reese Feltspar

New member
Wildcat said:
Excellent points! I didn't mean that we don't have the right to voice our opinions because we don't have children. I meant that our views may very well be different if we did have children. I say this because I've seen how my sister has changed over the past 5 years since she had kids. Things that she used to think nothing of all of a sudden seem to be a big deal now. She and my nieces were visiting a few months ago and they were watching "Lost" with me and she made them leave the room because one of the characters said "ass" or something. Plus she said it was too scary for them. Whatever, it's not scary at all. :rolleyes: But the point is that people's views may be completely different when they do have children (even though they may not even realize it.)

They might be different, but then it just depends on who the parent is and how they themselves were raised. I mean I was raised as best as my parents could do. Thankfully I didn't have Lois as my mum or Hal as my dad. But My parents didn't mind that I watch movies or TV shows or anything. As long as it wasn't too bad. None of the F's or B's or even C's being used constantly.
I used to watch an old British TV sitcom called Benny Hill years back. One time I said to a friend who was a year or two younger than me the following morning after seeing it. I said "Did you see Benny Hill last night, it was excellent" and John responded with "No, my mum wouldn't let me. She says it is not suitable for me". Benny Hill is not adult material, it is harmless fun. John's mum didn't think so which deprived him of some good old harmless entertainment. We were about 11/12 or so at the time. Trying to sheild the kid from typical family TV content like MITM is useless. They are going to hear ten times worse stuff in the playground, and there is not a thing the parent or anyone can do to stop that from happening.

Buffy - this has more disturbing images and scenes than anything MITM can throw at us. Yet it is viewed by kids of all ages and even adults yet nothing is really said about it. It has killings, beheadings, fighting constantly (punching, kicking, head-butting, stabbings, etc).

I would let my kids see the likes of Futurama and MITM they are excellent.:cool:
 

Alfista Junior

New member
Whatever.:cool: Mitm is crude and though but that's the way life is.. You know what, Mitm's staff has already responded to those people who critized them. In the first season, in Malcolm Babysits, they already shut the mouth of those people whom life seems so neat: nothing goes wrong, everything is fine, they speak with a perfect language, everybody seem to be nice and respecful of laws, family and all the stuffs 'god' gave them.. But the episode showed us that the familily where Malcolm worked was nothing a but a hogwash (eyewash,(UK)) which hid betrayals, lacks of confidence, and everything like that.
So, I hate those people who gave you advices and make you believe their life is clean. Look behind the shiny wrapper, there is crap. You know in Mitm love and family values are not maybe visible at the first sight, but they are there and they're strong.. What is moral is not where some people could think..;)

"This family maybe rude, loud and gross and have no shame whatsoever. Anyway with them you know where you stand and when I've a problem they're always there." - Malcolm, 'Malcolm Babysits', 2000
 

Ryebeach

Moderator
Alfista Junior said:
You know in Mitm love and family values are not maybe visible at the first sight, but they are there and they're strong.. What is moral is not where some people could think..;)

"This family maybe rude, loud and gross and have no shame whatsoever. Anyway with them you know where you stand and when I've a problem they're always there." - Malcolm, 'Malcolm Babysits', 2000
Very well said, Alfista Junior!
 

Reesegurl

New member
I can't believe some critics actually think mitm is foul! 'Ass' and 'screw' are barely even swear words!(where I come from anyway!) The same with 8 simple rules! Thats hardly foul!

If the critics had their way, all the shows would be reted 'U' or 'G' and they'd be dead boring! It would be like the cheesy disney shows!(they are so tame its boring!)

And anyway most younger kiddies(hehe) don't even take in whats adult content! Like when my little neighbour was watching mitm with me, and Lois and Hal were kissing or something and I was expecting her to ask questions but she did'nt really care! I mean mitm has something 4 every1, little ones usually only care about what Dewewy is doing, where as Parents and adults are probably more interested in Lois and Hal.
 
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