Ban Breaking Bad? This weekend I met someone, a liberal, who thinks it actually should have been banned. I then watched a TV show on the conservative Fox network which seemed to be calling for the banning of Miley Cyrus. Ironically, both were calling for the bans on similar grounds. What do you think?
As for the Breaking Bad ban, the person felt it glamorized drug use and manufacture. In this person's view, after people see Breaking Bad, they might start tweeking and that was a slippery slope. She talked about how her own son was currently in treatment, and she blamed the media.
The panel discussing Miley Cyrus was also talking about her glamorizing drug use, and they were against her appropriation of African dance styles. In this panel's view, after seeing Miley Cyrus, people might start twerking and that was a slippery slope.
News Flash. I'm against banning both Breaking Bad and Miley Cyrus on first amendment grounds with its freedom of speech. The slippery slopes are indeed there, but people are intelligent enough to grab handrails. These "handrails' are education from family, friends and even clergy. For example, the "faces of meth" campaign is enough to get people to avoid even starting using meth. The faces of Lindsay Lohan blitz in the media, is enough to get people to avoid a lifestyle like Miley Cyrus...
I'm not a first amendment absolutist, I believe in reasonable time place and manner restrictions. I don't necessarily want Miley Cyrus performing at an elementary school. I do have to admit that Breaking Bad is on a little too early for my tastes running against the animated Simpson episode. But then again, we were all scared that by watching the Simpson, we were all going to be Breaking Bart and emulating Bart Simpson.
So when you watch Breaking Bad's finale tonight. Enjoy it, and think. And then crank up the Miley Cyrus...but don't slip on that slope!
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