Another competitor in the race to the bottom

By: American Decency Staff

You’ve heard a lot lately about the new ABC show “GCBâ€Â garnering much criticism for its bigoted portrayal of Christianity – as well as its crude sexual themes.  However, “GCBâ€Â isn’t the only offensive TV show on our radar and “GCBâ€Â has some stiff competition for the label of “worstâ€Â show on network television. Sadly, that race to the bottom has a full field of competitors.   Running nearly neck and neck with GCB in the raunchy NBC show, “Are You There, Chelsea?.â€Â While “Chelseaâ€Â has taken its own pot shots at mocking Christianity, its main focus is the relentless, vulgar, sexual dialog and the positive depiction of drunkenness. USA Today hit the nail on the head when describing “Are You There, Chelsea?â€Â – “… Almost every joke that's not about Chelsea's desire to drink is about her desire to have sex…â€Â Take Action! Click here to contact the advertisers who are empowering this raunchy show. Last night’s episode began with Chelsea picking up a random guy who she immediately took to bed, stating, “I feel it’s important to have sex soon after meeting someone to find out what they’re really in to.â€Â Most of the ensuing dialog is filled with lewd, explicit sexual connotations which are completely unprintable. When Chelsea’s latest sexual conquest turns out to be a fabulous chef, she focuses on food rather than drinking and sex.  Her friends and family, including her father and “Christianâ€Â sister, stage an intervention, worried about her because she’s not getting drunk!  Telling her:  “I’m concerned about your drinking.  … Do you get drunk?  No! … And when’s the last time you had sex?â€Â Chelsea replies:  “Maybe having sex and getting drunk isn’t everything.â€Â To which her family and friends gasp in horror at such a thought. And so as the episode began with the promotion of irresponsible, illicit sex, the episode ends with the other major theme of the show – the encouragement of irresponsible drinking. Chelsea goes back to getting drunk (also asking a friend for marijuana) while her friend tells her: “It’s good to have you drunk again.â€Â And she says, “I missed being hung over.â€Â We all know that people in general, and especially young people, are often impacted by what they view and hear.  If not, advertisers would not spend millions of dollars to influence buying habits. The viewers of “Are You There, Chelsea?â€Â are being influenced as well – however what they are being sold is a portrayal of a lifestyle that falsely tells them that it’s great to have meaningless sexual encounters and that drunkenness is a good thing.  What “Chelseaâ€Â doesn’t tell its viewers, however, is that being under the influence of these lies will not bring happiness, but will only damage and destroy. Thankfully, the ratings for “Are You There, Chelsea?â€Â are tanking, dropping lower and lower each week, with last night’s ratings being the worst yet, losing one-third of its audience in the coveted 18-49 age demographic.  So while the silver lining is that fewer are being impacted by the damaging themes of “Chelsea,â€Â one viewer is one too many for this raunchy show. Help us send a message to the corporations empowering “Are You There, Chelsea?â€Â by clicking on the link below. Take Action! Click here to contact the advertisers whose support is keeping this raunchy show on the air. ========================================================== To support our efforts please click here or mail your gift to American Decency Association (ADA), PO Box 202, Fremont, MI 49412. American Decency Association is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

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