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09/10/2007
The Devil's in Johnston's details
MTV has announced that they will soon begin airing a program called "A Shot of Love With Tila Tequila," wherein 16 straight men and 16 lesbian/bisexual women will compete for the affections of the show's namesake (seen here on the cover of Stuff magazine). And while MTV may not be regular viewing on our conservative opposition's boob tubes, they of course take notice whenever something LGBT is seen as somehow being foisted onto the impressionable children, the likes of whom they'd much rather see indoctrinated with homophobia and one-sided world views. So that being the case, Focus on the Family's Jeff Johnston today says the following about Tequila's forthcoming series:
"Men and women are made in the image of God, and our masculinity and femininity reflect something of his wonder and glory. So it’s no wonder the enemy attacks this area and works to create confusion, brokenness and lust," ... "It’s sad that MTV is cooperating so readily with our adversary. Especially since they just learned that what makes young men and women happy is time with their families and with God, not sexual brokenness and confusion."
Okay. So first off, let us just say that we are not expecting Tequila's show to be Emmy-winning high art. The whole "competing to date a 'celebrity'" genre would seem to have run its course many moons ago, and a bisexual twist wouldn't seem to be enough to increase watchability.
Secondly, let us also say that yes, in a recently released MTV study, teens were seen as placing an emphasis on family, religion and spirituality. So yes, Mr. Johnston's comment about families and God being high on teens' priority list is at least partially true.
But those two caveats aside, we have to ask: This show is somehow a sign of "the enemy" attacking?!?!?! And by airing this program, MTV will be cooperating with "our adversary"?! Call us grounded in the sort of reality that doesn't pretend there's a little red man poking his pitchfork into everyday affairs, but we find Mr. Johnston's Devilish assessment to be both conveniently simplistic and slightly nutty! That's because: (a) homosexuality in no way mucks with the concepts of masculinity or femininity, with it being logical to assume that such celebrates and explores what those concepts truly mean; (b) it's not outside the purview of any sort of creator, as regardless of what our opposition so militantly insists, it's far more logical to assume that some sort of chemical/mental/ non-changeable internal processes are at play within the LGBT individual; and (c) it in no way runs contrary to the suggestion that teens value family and spirituality, as the LGBT contingent are quite capable of embracing either (with it oftentimes being familial and religious persecution of LGBT people that drives them away from both). While it is easy for Mr. Johnston to just say "the Devil made them do it" and go about his day of hijacking the moral high ground from anyone that does not fit within FOF's spectrum of acceptance, such unreasoned stone-casting is what is far more readily endangering the well-being of society.
Again, judging by MTV's other slate of dating shows, the likes of which usually make us feel like we are ancient due to our incapacity to understand a foreign language that's filled with baby doll voices and unfamiliar ways to voice approval, we are in no way expecting for this show to be appointment television to gay rights proponents. But what's truly sad about all this is that when speaking about a network on which Focus on the Family clearly finds fault with much (Britney's VMA performance likely topping the list), the organization has still singled out a program featuring LGBT people as being the most fiendish of the Devil's programming decisions. And our own viewership (or lack thereof) aside, we will never sit back and let someone like Mr. Johnston get away with attacking even the trashiest of shows on the basis of its participants' sexual orientations rather than its merits!
MTV Will Air Bisexual Dating Show [Citzenlink]
(*if you need background on Tequila, like we did, then here's her Wikipedia page)
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