S&M, Family-Style

Did you see the Billboard Music Awards this year? Aired last month on ABC, it was light on talent and heavy on scuz. Rihanna, whose talent is surpassed by her need to shock the hell out of people (her latest video shows her murdering an accused rapist in cold blood) performed with America's favorite mommy, Britney Spears, dressed in S&M garb to a wildly creative, er, S&M themed song. Brilliant. The thing that gets me most  is ABC airing this crap at 8 PM Central Standard Time. Do you have any idea how many kids are up at 8 PM? The advertisers do. So the show is aired at 8:00, and the icing on top of that seedy cringe-inducing strip show called 'music' is none other than McDonald's, proudly blazing their name during a commercial break.

McDonald’s. As in Ronald, Happy Meals…the freakin’ Ronald McDonald house! Come on, are you kidding me?



I call this blog Watchdog Mom because I’ve come to think of the media as an intruder into my home, with the first line of defense being the TV set permanently to ‘off’. The second line of defense is where it gets dicey. I guess I could claim I do whatever it takes to keep smut out of our homes and away from our kids, but the truth is, I don’t.

I can’t. The advertisers simply won’t allow it.

I spend a good deal of my time contacting corporations and demanding they remove their brand associated with certain shows. I do this because I hate liars. And outside of no greater evil, there is no greater liar than an advertiser.  But frankly, I’m tired. There are so many retailers out there who fail to uphold their social and moral obligation to consumer families, I’m about one letter away from not having a place to get a pizza (Pizza Hut), a sub sandwich (Quiznos), hand lotion (Unilever) or a cute tee-shirt (Old Navy).

This blog is a bit raw in appearance and resources, as it's a new creation. But stay with me, people. There's lots of good stuff on the horizon, I promise. In the meantime, get active, and most of all, don't let a bunch of rich guys in stiff ties assume you're a mindless consumer who's not paying attention.