by JJ Francesco

Created on: August 20, 2010

Television can prove to be a source of thought provoking or adrenaline pumping entertainment, or even a source of comedy. But it seems lately, a lot of the best television has to offer is being given a back seat to a demand for a specific type of entertainment: sex. Oh sure, television off of premium cable isn’t cranking out hardcore pornography, but how far away from that are they? Whether you believe sex is something sacred or not, surely you can see that the industry is at minimum, taken sex too far and upset the balance in their entertainment.

While a few shows have been surprisingly clean, it’s very difficult to find a show that doesn’t feature two characters having sex on a weekly basis at minimum, often multiple sex scenes per episode. These couples typically are not married, and the sex is often cheapened as a mere outlet for pleasure. Often characters who don’t know each other well hook up, or they do it because they’re upset or want payback. Sex is used as a tool to hurt people instead of as a way to bring a couple closer. It’s also cheapened by outrageous locations and pacing that emphasizes sensuality instead of romance. These erotic scenes aren’t there to further the plot; they are there to arouse the audience, hence the careful attention to the sexual details made that could’ve at least been implied. People don’t need to see the detail this greatly on sex to get the point of two characters hooking up. It doesn’t further the plot any beyond merely how knowing what they did would’ve done. Hence, it’s easy to consider it unnecessary and too much.

Matters get worse when we see that even teenagers are being subjected to this. It’s rare for a show to have a teenage character complete their teenage years without losing their virginity, let alone allowing them to keep it for marriage. Even if you don’t agree with saving oneself for marriage, I cannot understand how one could not be concerned with shows almost outright advocating that teens have sex as much as they want, with the only warning being to use protection. Television portrays sex as cheap and makes it look cheap in the process, which is a great disrespect to what sex is. It’s bad enough to see adult characters subjected to it, but to subject teenage characters so frequently to it, it’s definitely troubling.

It’s not even limited to the television shows anymore. If one is lucky enough to find

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