Guy's Choice Awards on Spike TV

I was watching the Guy’s Choice Awards on Spike TV on Sunday, when they had a presenter come on the show that just caught me off guard. It wasn’t the ladies, nor Mel Gibson on a horse. It wasn’t even watching Bruno take a vicious verbal jab at Jamie Foxx.

What threw me was the 13 year old boy. He was young to be at such an event. An event where sexual inferences were rampant. Where crude jokes, sometimes horribly in bad taste were in abundance.

Then I listened to the prepared speech he read off. In essence it covered nothing but boobs. Yes, just a conversation about breasts. In a crude and non-boyish manner. It was obvious that grown men thought it would be funny for this young boy to ramble on about the virtues of a woman’s breasts. And for a bonus, sure to drive home the laughs, they had him cursing every 4th word or so.

I for one saw no humor in this. I took no pleasure from the conversation, nor the vulgarity, that this child was spewing. And from the background silence, I believe the audience didn’t appreciate it either. In fact, not once while he was speaking did the camera pan to an audience member so much as chuckling. Likely because the room was aghast.

But I can’t blame Spike TV too much. They paid for this performance. They had a complete program that they knew would often test the boundaries of good taste. There was no question in their mind that they would fail the litmus test of decency at parts. Which this portion did with alarming assurance.

Still I have no belief that a television executive cares or can notice a boundary. Their only concern is drawing viewers, and thus gathering advertisement income. Controversy works just as well as quality programming; and in an industry searching for the lowest common denominator quality costs too much.

But what about the parents of this child (whose name escapes me)? Who in their right mind would allow such a young child to go on national television and parade with such vulgar words, matched only by the curses sprinkled generously around. It was a disgrace to watch.

I wonder who knew that this was going to happen. Considering how renown Gibson is about religion and his kids, I hope he did not. As I mentioned before the audience seemed to have no clue beforehand. So it may be just the writer’s and the executives.

Well I say to both of them, standards may have dropped over the years and the liberal sensibilities may reign in politics but I for one do not abide such an insult. There is no humor in disgracing a child. There is no joy in the display they presented.

And if they do it again, I will never watch their programs again. What about you?