Desperate Values Voters

The battle is on. As conservative activists set forth the case that what the voters meant by moral values was their chosen object of attack—abortion, same-sex marriage, Internet porn, etc.—the liberal activists are demeaning the evangelicals as ignorant, or defining moral values as issues such as peace and environmentalism, etc.



The critique of those who voted for moral values continues to show that it is a complex and diverse group. And before we beatify these voters, the research also shows that they enjoy their own sins of choice. Particularly when it comes to entertainment.



This article by Bill Carter at the NY Times points out that “in interviews, representatives of the four big broadcast networks as well as Hollywood production studios said the nightly television ratings bore little relation to the message apparently sent by a significant percentage of voters.

The choices of viewers, whether in Los Angeles or Salt Lake City, New York or Birmingham, Ala., are remarkably similar. And that means the election will have little impact on which shows they decide to put on television, these executives say."



One measurement used in this analysis is the acceptance of the raunchy new TV series Desperate Housewives on ABC.



Since I live in Atlanta, deep in Red America the following from the article was interesting to me:



"Desperate Housewives" on ABC is the big new hit of the television season, ranked second over all in the country, behind only "C.S.I." on CBS. This satire of suburbia and modern relationships features, among other morally challenged characters, a married woman in her 30's having an affair with a high-school-age gardener, and has prompted several advertisers, including Lowe's, to pull their advertisements. In the greater Atlanta market, reaching more than two million households, Desperate Housewives is the top-rated show. Nearly 58 percent of the voters in those counties voted for President Bush. And in the Salt Lake City market, which takes in the whole state of Utah and parts of Nevada, Idaho and Wyoming, "Desperate Housewives" is fourth, after two editions of "C.S.I." and NBC's "E.R."; Mr. Bush rolled up 72.6 percent of the vote there.”



"We say one thing and do another," said Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment. That sounds like message from the Apostle Paul, and it is great fodder for our church pulpits. It’s clear, though, that the message from the values voters to politicians is another old saying: “Do as I say, not as I do.”

--James Jewell