Well, duh.

[velvetpage]

If you air a religious cartoon on network television, be prepared to have it changed by the network. If that's not to your taste, don't watch it on that network. I especially like the quote at the end of the article about illustrating the disconnect between Hollywood and the real world. If you're "the real world," then I am rather disconnected from you, too.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060923/24763.htm

Comments

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

Apparently, whoever owns VeggieTales isn't morally righteous enough to yank the show. So, they're letting their edited product continue to be aired, and continuing to take the moneys for airing it.

Yeah. They're crying all the way to the bank.

No sympathy from me.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

He says he didn't realize how much would have to be cut, but he decided that a partial message was better than none at all. It looks like the Veggietales people are all right with the compromise - it's a conservative media watch group that's upset.

[snobahr.livejournal.com]

I think they need to stop starching their underwear. It seems to constantly be in a bunch.

[melstra.livejournal.com]

I actually watched Veggie Tales last week and this week and noticed the changes in this week's episode (I'd never seen last week's, but "lyle the kindly viking" is one of my absolute favorites). When I noticed the things they'd left out (aside from the obvious frame story), I did a quick search on it. Here's the LA times article which is similar to the one you posted, but with different quotes:

http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-fi-veggies23sep23,1,5484612.story?coll=la-news-religion

I was a little annoyed with the "sellout" at first, myself...but as I discussed it with Jeff and thought about it (and read Vischer's comments), I realized the following:

1) It's a no brainer that NBC would catch Hell (sadly) for leaving blatant relgious references in, no matter how innocuous. So long as they're consistent, I guess that's their business.
2) Getting kids interested in the moral messages of VT is more important than advocating religion in my opinion, and it would seem for the company as well.
3) If kids are interested in VT, they may ask to get/rent the DVDs, thus allowing BigIdea the opportunity to spread their original word.

I agree with the idea from the article that VT are about more than just moral messages, they are actually about God...but I think I can see their point that getting on TV is worth something-- and it's not like they've truly commercialized...they're just editing a bit. Annoying, but understandable. I have read enough about BigIdea in the past that I suspect if NBC asks too much of them...they will pull out.

And yeah, the Christian Right does tend to get their panties in a bunch way too often.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

I see it that way, too. I hope the parents who don't want that influence have enough sense not to buy the videos, but at least that's straightforward evangelism - it would not be difficult at all to figure out what you're getting if you read the packaging. Evangelism via network television cartoons is a bit more problematic.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Boy, they yell if they think something has hints of OTHER religions (no matter how spurious -- q.v. Harry Potter), and they yell if theri OWN religion gets edited out.

They just yell.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

[kianir.livejournal.com]

What's especially great about the ending line is that it doesn't even make sense in context -- just a standard reflexive shot at this amorphous blob of "mainstream media".

NBC is based in New York City, which at last check is numerous thousands of miles from Hollywood.

[kibbles.livejournal.com]

And it still is religious, I am pretty sure I saw the network version of it about Samson and they mentioned God many times! What cartoon does that?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Apparently the took out the "non-historical" references to God. Historical ones are okay. *boggles*