Dear American Family Association,
I haven’t seen the pilot for NBC’s new drama, The Book of Daniel, about a drug-addicted minister who talks to Jesus and has a gay Republican son and a bisexual sister-in-law, but I read about your campaign asking NBC affiliates not to air the program. (In your information, you mention that the show is being written by "a practicing homosexual" — what a shocker! I didn’t think the gays worked in Hollywood!)
Any-hoo, I thought I should tell you that a screening copy of The Book of Daniel pilot arrived at PopWatch HQ last week, and oddly enough, everyone who’s viewed it has been acting very, very GAY. Do you think it’s like that documentary, The Ring, where folks who watched the freaky-deaky VHS tape got a phone call and then died a mysterious death? If I watch The Book of Daniel, is Chastity Bono going to dial me up and make me visit gay.com? Will it all end with me taking a trip to Brokeback Mountain? Please advise. I need to know if I’m somehow at risk.
Then again, I guess if the show’s subject matter offends me, I can always pick up my remote and change the channel, or simply shut the TV off. Hey, that’s a pretty good idea I just came up with! What do you think?
Cordially,
Michael Slezak
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I couldn’t agree more. There is plenty of programming that I as a white, middle class female find objectionable, but you know what I do? I watch reruns of Alias or put in my new Serenity DVD. It has always astonished me that groups like this will go to such extremes to attack programming, when all they are doing is helping to promote it. Before I’d heard of this campaign, I’d never even heard of the show. And I know others like me will tune in (or at least DVR it) just to see what all the fuss is about.
Just so. What a ridiculous waste of time — why aren’t they trying to do something useful like end wars or eradicate world poverty or something??
Actually, AFA is demonstrating their rights of free speech. If you target AFA for mockery, you are actually impeding on their first amendment rights. Nobody forced you to read AFA’s campaign. If you don’t like it, there are plenty of other campaigns to read.
BTW, in case you haven’t noticed, the issue isn’t whether or not people who work on a project is gay or not (otherwise The Little Mermaid and The Lion King would be off-limits). It’s more for the benefits of Christian believers (including those who are helping eradicate poverty) to know the extent of idiocy that NBC is painting itself in a corner with. Mark my words, this project will sink faster than you can say “NBC presents ‘Revelations’ and ‘Noah’s Ark’”.
It’s awesome when people claim a first amendment protection and then not have any idea how it is invoked. Isn’t it great that (a.) ew.com isn’t a state/federal institution so it’s not under any free speech obligation and (b.) mockery itself is a form of protected speech and not a form of suppression?
Oh, wait, but that’s not the issue. Right? Because AFA is only informing their constituents of what’s occurring; they’re not conducting a write-in campaign against airing the program. Oh, wait…
I’ll go fight poverty now.
I used to be straight. Then I accidentally clicked on an AFA website and was so mortified, I changed spontaneously. I now prefer man-on-man action and avoid religios hypocrisy whenever possible…
The world is supply and demand. If people don’t want this show on the air…. Then don’t watch it. It will disappear. Failed ratings are the answer, not protest campaigns.
I work at an NBC affiliate and our emails have just been flooded. Honestly, I didn’t know this show was coming on until I started reading the emails. Now I’m intrigued to see what its about. So I thank the AFA for promoting this show better than NBC has. Now more people are likely to watch it. (except that its on a Friday…and who the heck is home Friday nights?)
why does the AFA have to be hatin’ on Aidan Quinn.
People need to lighten up. We’re one of the only countries in the world that gets this worked up about gays on TV.
I had seen commercials for this show and was planning to watch it. Now after hearing about the campaign I will most definitely watch it.
This show reminds me of “Lamb” by Christopher Moore. A comedy that on the surface pokes fun at religion and sacrificial lambs, but once you watch/read it you realize that it is embracing religion and all the little lambs. Unfortunately too many people don’t look beyond the words into the metaphor.
Yes, AFA is demonstrating their rights of free speech. But they have no business dictating what a network should or should not air. If they find programming objectionable, too bad. Don’t watch, but don’t tell me that I can’t!
Let’s get a little perspective here. I don’t mind NBC airing the show, but I have a couple of suggestions… Instead of the main character being a Christian minister, let’s make him an Islamic minister. And instead of “Jesus” talking to him, let’s make it Mohammed. Air that and see what happens.
although i’m against such groups as well, the show itself looks pretty stupid…
What baffles me about the American Family Association is the way they cherry-pick which shows to demonize. Picking on gay-oriented material is much easier than going after shows that are equally as “sinful” but wildly popular. Take “Friends”, for instance: did you ever read about the A.F.A. boycotting that series? Last time I checked my Christianity handbook, promiscuity, premarital sex, adultery, and masturbation were all in the same boat as homosexuality. And how often were Chandler and Joey fantasizing out loud about “hot, girl-on-girl action”? So why was “Friends” left alone? Simple: it was very popular and embraced by the masses. The hypocrisy of the A.F.A. (and most Christians, in general) is nauseating to me.
I think what everyone seems to be overlooking is that this is entertainment. As a Christian, there are many shows on television that I don’t agree with, but that doesn’t mean that I am forced to watch them. If the AFA was truly concerned about what is aired, there wouldn’t be much on at all. I love Family Guy (despite the fact that Stewie…the one year old with the British accent…is “gay”)…I enjoy Desperate Houswives on occasion (even though two men could be the father of Gabrielle’s child)…even 7th Heaven is dealing with unwed mothers and pre-marital sex. It’s about entertainment…thats why most people watch these shows. I certainly didn’t come to know Jesus thru TV…
I want to thank the AFA for informing me of this new show. And because they are against it, I am already for it!
Whenever a group sanctimoniously inserts the word “FAMILY” into its title, you just know it’s going to be infested by right-wing Christian douchebags. Even if I hate the show, I’m going to Tivo it every Friday, just to add to the ratings (since Nielsen is now looking at Tivo viewings, too).
Religious organizations have some new important issues to deal with today. What’s so bad about a show that shows clergy dealing with today’s issues? Is this protest really just about the existence of gay and bisexual characters in a show that also features Jesus? Is it about the possibility of Jesus being depicted as loving and forgiving?
What people keep forgetting is that the writer and creator of the show has stated that he is a “recovering Catholic.” *That* is the problem, folks. A person who is openly contemptuous about a denomination should not be taken seriously when he creates a show about Christianity, especially one who is brazen enough to include Jesus as a character. Would you want a “recovering homosexual” to write for “Queer As Folk”? Would you want an openly bigotted person to write the screenplay for a Martin Luther King Jr biopic? C’mon people, you’re much smarter than this.
Chesnut – a lot of Christian groups were actually very down on Friends. It just didn’t catch on as much since it was such a popular show.
Oh, and Nick, that’s an interesting perspective. Hadn’t thought about it that way. Don’t know if I agree or disagree with you yet.
The AFA has way too much time on their hands. Why don’t they just stop bitching about shows that they find offensive (but haven’t even watched yet) and go out into the real world and do something useful, like end wars, end poverty, help Tsunami and Katrina victims?
Nick – WELL SAID. Thank you. That is exactly the point.
And think about it people – if an openly anti-semetic person was doing a tv show about a Jewish family that basically insults and mocks the Jewish faith, the Jewish community would be outraged and do the same thing the AFA is doing – and rightly so.
So how about we all respect EVERY religion, ok?
I think there are greater things to worry about in this world than this one show. If people are so crazy to worry about some show that airs on Friday nights that will probably not be watched, then they need to have their heads examined.
On the other hand, I know that Aidan’s character is only a character, but I am feeling very Rachel Ward in the “Thorn Birds.” I may need some of Aidan’s priestly lovin’! hehehe
I’ll watch it, and like any other new show give it a chance. If it sucks, I won’t watch it again.
Oh yeah, sorry this is late but I was taking down my Holiday Tree.
Belated Seasons Greetings
Thank you for writing what I too was feeling. Hasn’t the AFA ever heard of turning the channel… if they really don’t like the show and enough people don’t watch the show then what they want (cancellation) will happen anyway. If a lot of people do want the show, it’ll stick around and annoy the AFA who apparently has nothing better to do than watch TV and decide for others what should and shouldn’t be allowed to air.
Last time I checked this was still a free country and I was still allowed to decide for myself what to watch and what not to watch… the only thing the AFA managed to do was peak my interest in a show that I wasn’t sure I was going to watch, but am now definitely going to!
See here is where the whole “if you don’t like it you can change the channel” argument fails. Let’s say I make a degrading TV show about your mother, father, sister, brother, etc. and then air it nationally. You object and I tell you that you are free to change the channel. Does that work for you? Whether you choose to believe in Jesus or not, Christians feel about him like you feel about your closest relative or even stronger. So consider that when you give the argument that what goes on behind someone’s back shouldn’t bother them.
Jesus is your mom? Boy is your family screwed up!
I’m secretly ignoring that whole “turn the other cheek” thing.
JB–strong points indeed. BTW (EW.com), Chris’ post constitutes as anti-religious bias, if you ask me.
The Book of Daniel show:
I find the premise of the show both degrading and disgusting, not fit to be watched by anyone, especially children of any age. It is a flagrant attack of my personal beliefs, upon Christianity. Shame on NBC for planning to air such a show! Shame on its producers! Shame on its sponsors! Shame on Aidian Quinn for stating “I think it’s a pretty down-the-middle, wholesome show.” Needless to say, none of my family will be watching anything on NBC, if “The Book of Daniel” is broadcast as planned. Nor will my family or I patronize any businesses who advertise on NBC.
Roy Denton
This show really offends the Christians in my neck of the woods. Afterall, Jesus did die for our sins so that we could have eternal life. While he was being crucified the Jews mocked him. And now you’re gonna mock him?!!! What a shame. I’ve recieved countless numbes of petitions online that are against the airing of this show!!! Why would you wanna go through all the trouble of making the film, just for people not to watch it??