ABC Family – A New Kind of Family?
I was minding my own business tonight watching “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” when I saw a commercial for a new ABC Family series called “Greek.” It’s a comedy about college fraternities.
In the 2- minute preview I saw college students drinking in a bar, students in an implied sex scene, and various other scenes familiar from movies like “Animal House” and other great films from American cinematic history. I was pretty surprised to see it on the ABC “Family” channel, so I went to their website to see what was going on.
Sure enough, it premieres this coming Monday night at 8:00 PM Central, 9:00 PM Eastern & Pacific. If I remember my television viewing times, that’s prime time – family hour – shows you can watch with your whole family. And ABC Family’s tagline for their website is “A New Kind of Family.” I guess so!
What’s their definition of that new kind of family? And what does that family watch? Is it the same family that’s looking for faith and family movies? Or is it another example of the media doing what they can to reach a market they really don’t know?
Is ABC Family supposed to be a Christian network?
July 4th, 2007 at 6:37 am
ABC Family doesn’t claim to be a Christian network. But they’re claiming to be a “family” network with family shows. Their family values are really skewed.
July 4th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Overall the norm/mean family values in our culture are becoming more distant from Biblical values
July 4th, 2007 at 11:27 am
“ABC Family doesn’t claim to be a Christian network. But they’re claiming to be a “family” network with family shows. Their family values are really skewed.”
I’m not condoning the drinking and sex they’re featuring in this show, but do “family values” always have to equal Christian values? Isn’t there some validity to what others view as family, or family values?
July 4th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
RE: ABC Family doesn’t claim to be a Christian network. But they’re claiming to be a “family” network with family shows. Their family values are really skewed.
Response: I’m not condoning the drinking and sex they’re featuring in this show, but do “family values” always have to equal Christian values? Isn’t there some validity to what others view as family, or family values?
Well, what is your idea of “family values”? Teens drinking? Abusing drugs? Having indiscriminate sez? I’m curious — do you know anyone who would see these as positive, life-building activities for young people? Do you? I found it very interesting that a secular movie reviewer who has a regular column in our newspaper expressed dismay with this show, though he has never made any statements remotely concerned with Christianity. He simply wanted parents to know that this show did not portray “family values” as most people think them to be. Would you agree or disagree with his assessment?
What bothers me about this show is that so many parents don’t take the time to check out programs, don’t take time to screen TV shows, but just allow their kids to watch whatever, as long as it’s on a channel which has the name and/or reputatation for being family-friendly. I think the ABC Family Channel should air some sort of disclaimer, letting parents know their values are a-changin’. Then at least parents would be forewarned. JMHO
July 5th, 2007 at 12:47 am
Knowing the sorts of shows that ABC “Family” broadcasts, I’m filled with anger and frustration every time I hear them promoting themselves. As far as I’m concerned, family-friendly programming should be something that you can watch with your children of all ages any time of the day. If you are going to call yourself a family channel, your programming must be appropriate to be viewed by a young child. This is not about Christian values being perpetuated through network programming. It’s about producing shows that are positive and that uplift the family support dynamic. Sex, violence, alcoholism, drug-use and disrespect for oneself and others should never be on the channel at all. There is enough of that for children to dread later in life, why not ingrain positivity into our youth now? We may improve our future.
July 9th, 2007 at 2:15 pm
first time on a blog so lets keep it simple ABC isnt putting out FAMILY VALUE programing just added em to your channel blocklist take a min or so out Write ABC and let them know how you feel use your American right NOT to watch dont tune in
most Main stream meida is FAR LEFT LIBERALISM that is the way America is heading UNTILL the CHRISTAINS and people OF family values stand up and be heard .OH ya and i dont watch ABC nor my teens
July 11th, 2007 at 1:16 am
I went to a movie theater with my wife since we have long discontinued cable (and have no antenna either) at our house. I saw this “Family” Channel flier on the counter at the movies and put it in my pocket to look up. Yes, this is utter foolishness and a perfect example of our society’s sliding values. Many people in my family are not Christian and have fallen horribly into drug and alchohol abuse, it doesn’t take a Christian to see the negatives of this – a family member with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Mental Retardation from the teen-aged pregnant mother not being able to stop drinking, smoking or taking massive amounts of alcohol (and some drugs) during the pregnancy. This along with the great Girl’s Gone Wild commercials and the other very sexual advertisements on channels like Spike TV made me decide that I didn’t want it in my home. Christians really should boycott Cable and then we’d see a new market come up where there is good TV – not just Andy Griffith but shows that attempt to be family friendly – I hate the show Full House myself but and really hate Seventh Heaven but I am disgusted that a channel that claims to be a family channel would create a show called greek. They’re thinking is all greek to me. Oh, that’s right they’re letting their hormones do the thinking and they want us to do the same – we’re probably easier to market products to when our brains are out of gear but our hedonistic impulses are on full-throttle. Let alone any social agenda they may have. After all ABC/Family Channel is owned by the ever decent Disney corporation.
July 11th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I could definitely do without all of the sex and drugs in television programming, but ABC Family doesn’t even make a lesson out of it. They claim to broadcast shows that deal with “real issues,” but they don’t show how to correct those situations. People need shows that have a positive message, even if it exposes the real issues. ABC Family’s target age group (18-34) definitely have those issues in their lives, so why can’t they at least watch people helping each other and learning from their mistakes and reaching in the end a positive solution? Instead, the broadcasting company is portraying the only virgins at a college as a group of nerdy kids sitting in a dorm room having a bible study or something. Not only is that horribly wrong but it is offensive to me! They are making a mockery of my values. A new kind of family indeed….
July 27th, 2007 at 11:44 pm
Wow people here are upset that some shows depict more realistic characters being less than perfect, yet growing and learning from their experiences and NOT being shunned by their loved ones? I thought it was the Supreme Being’s role to judge, no? I was impressed to see how diverse and uplifting the stories on GREEK have been. Bad behavior in the long run is not rewarded nor is ignorance nor are “phobics” of any kind. I wonder about those whose values feel mocked. Jesus was welcoming of all and used parables to teach. What a shame many so called ‘christians’ here seem to forget the majority of the New Testament, but seem only to want to apply Old Testament punishments.
August 1st, 2007 at 2:53 pm
Russ: you are obviously not listining to what people are saying. No one is trying to punish anyone. I like the show greek my husband and I think its really funny, but it does not belong on the “family” channel.
August 8th, 2007 at 6:38 am
ABC family …. yea right …
Family in 2007 is in poor shape if this a our reflection …
Does the media really think all red neck SUV drivers are our role modles.
JESUS SAVES ….
August 13th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
My daughter was watching Adventures of an American Teenager tonight and when I saw the rebellious facial expressions of the young people looking at their parents, heard the secrets kept from them, listened to all the sex talk I knew I had to stop her from watching it. I told her I forbid her from recording it too and she is mad. It’s ok. These areas are focused on our young people to break down their godly defenses over time. They are marketing godlessness to our children and I continue to resent it. “Garbage in, garbage out”.There are not absolutes=abortion is a choice, parents in the show are separated, and ABC-a different kind of family is a liberal line from special interests groups who want to destroy our traditional Christian heritage. We aren’t falling for it. My job is to raise a virtuous young lady who has self respect. Watching this trash is an abomination. Shame on ABC, but then again, they own Disney who has gay pride days and use millions of dollars to bankroll disgusting rappers who write hateful lyrics about women. God bless the child. God bless America.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
What world do y’all live in? You all seem to want an Andy Griffith’s Mayberry in real life. There was NEVER a time in human history that was the idyllic utopia you all seem to believe or crave to re-visit or restore. Ask all them battered wives from them fabulous 50’s, or the lynchings and white’s only restaurants. You all seem to think that abortion was created in the 1960’s by them crazy godless hippies. It’s been around a LOOOOOOONG time folks. You keep burying your heads in the sand you’ll be very young grandmothers. Why not use the(se) show(s) as a foundation for DISCUSSION with your teens or is that too much for you to handle?
And gay people have been here forever as well, why shouldn’t they get to have a day or 2 at Disney (btw, they are there EVERY day, you just can’t pick ‘em out cuz they look (and are) just like y’all).
All you are marketing is intolerance and calling it god’s word as if you have cornered the market on the ‘truth’. There are very few absolutes other than birth, death, and that those who display and shout their piety so publically usually are biggest hypocrites in private.
August 5th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I guess this is a hot-button topic for many people. The point here is to discuss it without condemning anyone for what they think or feel about it.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
Rucka,
I’m sorry that you don’t see what we’re talking about. A few years ago I would have hedged around this issue in an attempt to be more politically correct but since then, my kids have gotten older, I’ve seen my brother in-laws succumb to the crap of the world and I began speaking the truth of my and my wife’s abortion from the pre-marrital sex we engaged in in our first year of college. This crap on TV doesn’t promote good things. My wife and I came from messed up families but laying down in the mud and rolling around in it doesn’t help anyone and that’s what supporting crap TV helps us all to do – it tells us all that we’re all crap so we may as well act like it. Also,k like someone said, they shouldn’t call it “ABC Family” unless it’s supposed to be like the family my friends four adopted kids came from where all the boys were raped periodically by their biological father … and mother and aunts and uncles. Or like the family my three foster kids came from.
I found a great article form the famous anthropologist Margaret Meade where – if you don’t know anything about her – she’s as liberal as you are for her her time – regarding Kinsey she said, “Quite a good deal of our virtue has depended upon people not knowing what other people were doing – if they had known, they would have gone and done likewise; and when they weren’t quite sure, sometimes they didn’t.” My children know a lot about the world, I’ve told them about my sins and they’ve been with me in various pro-life causes, which are only necessary because people think they’re going to find love, wholeness, inner happiness from various things such as sex. Sex gives none of those things and neither does perversion of God’s ordained purpose for man. In my church we get many men and women who’ve come out of homosexuality and they’re not happy.
Here’s the Margaret Mead quote if you want to read it:
“http://books.google.com/books?id=B4yoAs5MYacC&pg=PA280&lpg=PA280&dq=%22Quite+a+good+deal+of+our+virtue+has+depended+upon+people+not+knowing%22&source=web&ots=3KO5DJSQzM&sig=Mu7IepEuwv1jR7SERIMHpcgFY1Q&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA279,M1
I don’t live in an idyllic world – in fact I’m always telling my children it is the ultimate in vanity to think that we’ll have any good from Government or society – I’m against Humanism in all forms – you’re the humanist if you look. I told my 10 year old son and 12 year old daughter this year that I talked their mother into killing their oldest sibling through abortion – a child that was most likely four months old and fully formed in her mother’s womb (she had changed her mind and the doctor strapped her down anyway forcing her to go through the procedure but that’s for another discussion board) we now do counseling at the local women’s center and other places and there is great pain in the world as a result of wallowing in the mire rather than picking yourself up out of it. In the words of Carl Schurz (I should quote Bible:Proverbs) “Ideals are like the stars, we never reach them, but like the mariners of the sea we chart our course by them” – what course do you chart your life by? I look to ideals, not the lowest that man has to offer leading to infant murder, AIDS – in short death. And I teach that to my children. I have five of them and will be adopting more soon. And they won’t be watching garbage on TV unless it has some explanation. One of my favorite movies is Citizen X – about the Russian serial killer who killed and molested (often in that order) 56 children and young people – but you see that has a purpose because it’s true and doesn’t glorify evil. So who’s hiding here, I’ve seen what immorality leads to and the broken lives it leaves behind and thank God I go to a church where my pastor speaks of these things clearly – I spent 12 years in a church where these truths weren’t spoken but now I’m home.
By the way, I wasn’t a Christian until I was 21 years old, after murdering my child engaging in various sexual perversion, not just fornication, and beginning to be swallowed up by the mire that you seem to enjoy. I will spare my children that – I never told anyone that ABC Family shouldn’t be allowed to broadcast just that we should boycott it – if their stupid product doesn’t sell then they won’t make it. You buy what you want, but don’t expect us to.
August 11th, 2008 at 6:27 am
To clarify my points here, I didn’t specify, all the people I’ve known who have come out of homosexuality and other things haven’t been happy while engaging in them – they were only happy after coming away from them. The people my wife and I counsel who have been in destructive lifestyles aren’t happy in those lives, they’re full of anger and hate and they cover it by partying all the more. Many Christians do hide their unhappiness to but this is not the way – Christians make mistakes too and many people who say they are Christians are not – people who are afraid pretend that the horrors of the world don’t exist, the non-Christians pretend that child molestation is not the great horror that it is and that it results from pornography and other unGodliness – The Christians often pretend we live in a happy little fake world – I’ll give that to you, Rucka, but not all of us do there are tons of us who are not afraid to look into the darkness and call it darkness – even if that darkness is in our own souls. Christ is the answer. If Christians don’t see the darkness within them as well they are deceiving themselves.
The only huge difference between Christians in the world and non-Christians is that we can see our own darkness – often we don’t but non-Christians only know that they are unhappy and feel guilty but have no way out.
People who seek to satisfy themselves with sex, and other hedonism are like a thirsty man drinking salt-water, it only makes him thirstier.
August 11th, 2008 at 6:36 am
And my life experience is completely different than yours. I personally do not have any close friends or family members that I known to have had an abortion (unlike your murderous-self, your term not mine, and btw is that a forgive-able sin?).
I do know people who have not carried a fetus to term due to true medical emergencies or as you would call it God-will abortions or were they his mistakes since they were not able to be carried to term and what would be the point of that? Pretty grisly way to teach a lesson doncha think?
I know many gay and happy homosexuals, and I know some pretty misersable straight people. The only truly unhappy people are the one who don’t know themselves honestly and try to contort themselves into pretzels trying to conform to other people’s (im)moral code(s)
You appear to wear your failings as a shield or badge of honor. Seemingly you believe that this life is a dress rehearsal and you’ll get a ‘do-over’ if you somehow play by a flawed rulebook. The deity in your world view is a petty tyrant. And you are a very small person who might as well be trying to whistle with a mouthful of saltine crackers your song is so distorted.
No one is making you watch any show, no one is making you go to Disney or MacDonald’s or buy a Ford. You have free will, remember? So do I and mine is telling me to stop wasting time with YOUR petty self-loathing self.
I hope you find happiness, never seen someone in more need of peace than your tortured self.
August 11th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Rucka,
Why are you even on this board? I’m not suggesting that you leave or have no venue to voice your opinions but this is the “Christians in Cinema Blog.” The point always was that Christians should be offended, no one was telling you what to think, you came here to a Blog that was against you from the start. But unlike liberal “open-minded” blogs I’ve seen, no one kicked you off.
I wouldn’t expect anyone who isn’t a Christian to understand my point here. There are few churches today who understand this, which is why we’ve gotten to this miserable state in our nation and world.
If you are a Christian there is either trust in God or lack of trust in God. If you trust Him then you know His ways are best, the hard part is just figuring out what those ways are. God doesn’t give us all the answers in a quick rule-book but you have to search after them all your life (in the thick rule book). However, there are some things that a person learns are true from their life, from other people’s lives, from the Holy Spirit.
C.S. Lewis described the gateway to hell as being a barred from the inside, with the people inside choosing to be there because it seems wonderful. To you, the Christian’s world looks like a prison. All I can say is, “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to those who are being saved it is the power of God” 1 Corinthians 1:18. Also, notice it says “being saved” – no Christian on Earth is saved/good yet, we will all be hypocrites up to our dying day, it’s a lifelong process, but we endeavor to be better and by God’s grace we do improve.
If you were a Christian you’d understand how I’m describing my hardships, there was great pain but this is not a badge of honor for me. I have done nothing good in my life, this is my joy at the grace God has shown in my life. That even though my wife and I came from families where we should have been suicidal drug addicts engaged in every sort of perversion, He spared us even through our horrible evil. All sins, including murder, are forgivable through Christ but only if the person truly repents and trusts Christ. If abortion was illegal and seen as it should be seen, I would be in prison right now, but I’m not but I speak as a murderer. I don’t claim to be anything like him, but even Paul talked about his murder of Stephen to speak of God’s kindness to him, a murderer. And as Christ said on the sermon on the mount, we’re all murderers in our hearts.
Rucka, honestly, I get frustrated with these discussions because there’s never enough time to address people on these things. A great Christian theologian once described what he would do if he had an hour to talk to a non-believer on a train, he said he would spend 50 minutes attempting to convince the man of his sin and then ten minutes explaining how Christ died for anyone’s sins. I can’t make you see all of this unless God wills is but living life contrary to God’s will for his creation is misery. I’m glad you haven’t seen a lot of pain but I’m have recently been thankful I’ve seen it because it’s what drove me to Christ and it enables me to understand the human condition better and to help people who are hurting. If you are able look around and within yourself and truly see your and the world’s need for a savior in Christ.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Angela,
I found this blog on Google and didn’t even notice until today that it’s moderated.
Thanks for having an open-forum. People should be able to disagree and still have a good discussion.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
You are right, I will never understand. Which is why I no longer consider myself a christian (tho raised as one) or a part of any organized religious philosphy.
I came to this board to find out how ABC Family came to be in it’s current form and content. I found it mystifying to see how Greek could be followed by the (now-disclaimered) religious shows and how oddly right it felt to be that way. Shows that show the true human condition should be more plentiful as Greek does, and the harmful and divisive ones should be warned against.
You’re right, as a reformed christian, we’ll probably never see eye to eye, but know this– sinner that I may be, I love my husband probably as much as you love your wife (possibly more, cuz I don’t really know you that well), and he loves me. There is something spiritual in the fact that we found each other in this very crowded and chaotic world. We are not blind to our faults, but as my favorite line in a new show I saw recently, we love each other not in spite of our faults, but because of the men that they made us to be.
Peace be with you and thanks for chatting…
August 11th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Reformed? Were you assuming I’m “Reformed” because I am – as in Reformed Theology – or were you saying you were?
Are you male married to a male or female? I wasn’t sure what you meant. I think that there definitely are those people who have never known any fulfilling love except homosexual love, I just hold that a person will never be blessed in that situation, that they will only be truly happy as God intended (heterosexual/marriage/monogamous) but that in our hateful world sometimes the only people a person has found who’s shown them anything like love is of the same sex. A woman I go to church with lived as a lesbian for 15 years – now she has three children with a man in the church – has been happily married for 7 years. Her testimony is that she was happy for many years but ultimately she knew it wasn’t what God wanted when one day she was visiting a church and the pastor did a very convicting sermon. She’s never turned back. Many people have been scared by all sorts of things and so react away from one thing toward another.
I’m sorry you don’t consider yourself a Christian anymore. I think I can understand people who are X-Christians. My father became a “Christian” after cheating on my mother in three incidents with three different women over the course of several years. Magically he became a Christian two years after harassing my mom into divorce, then he became a minister in a non-mainstream church. I thought Christians were mostly hypocrites, well we are (and my Dad didn’t help my impressions) I don’t know if my dad really understands anything about Christianity – he rarely shows that he does.
God is faithful even though God’s people aren’t (as is illustrated well by the Israelites as they left Egypt). We can get hurt but God’s people because they (We/I) make mistakes and are blinded like everyone else at times.
Don’t let whatever happened in your life make you turn away from God, that only hurts you.
Thanks for your friendly message.
August 11th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I was referring to myself as a “reformed christian” as in a “reformed alcoholic” — as I now view all religions as intoxicants that impair rational thought and absolve one of any true responsibility for one’s actions. I’ve never been addicted to anything (except perhaps boston cream donuts).
I am male and so is my husband. For some, sexuality is fluid, for me it is not. It as much a god-given genetic trait as my being 5′7″ and right-handed. I may do certain things with my left hand, but that doesn’t and won’t make me left handed….
Okay I’ll stay unblessed and happy, and when its all over one of us will know the actual truth… till then..
be well…
August 11th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Clint,
As a Christian I have to agree with Rucka. You seem to be a very troubled soul, and may need some counseling. I will pray that you and your family find some peace, and hopefully you will learn that Jesus taught love for all. Once you accept that message than hopefully your world can turn to light.
Remember, those without sin throw the first stone.
August 1st, 2009 at 5:26 am
As much as well all like to tell our tales, there is only 1 truth. There has always been 1 truth. When every knee bows, every tongue confesses every thing done against the creator, woe is the one who would walk in his own wisdom. God be with us all.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Why is there all this uproar about “Greek”? Has anybody been watching “Pretty Little Sluts”? or “The Secret Life of the Slutty Teenager?” A lot of the shows allude to teenage sex, homosexuality, motherhood etc, etc. not just Greek. Just today I saw 2 girls making out on this “Family” channel. I gotta figure out how to contact ABC family so I can give them a piece of my mind.
July 27th, 2010 at 6:04 pm