Page 133 - Religion in the Media Age Media, Religion & Culture

122 Reception of religion and media

The interview takes on a similar feel when the interview moves on to
the boys’ television use. The interviewer asks “You said they watch?” Dale
responds, “Cartoon Network.” The interviewer responds “And that’s it?”
“That’s it,” Dale replies, but Bonnie has reservations; she begins to answer,
and Dale interjects:

Dale: Nickelodeon! Or Nick Junior or something like that.
Bonnie: And PBS or something like that. They watch PBS during the fall
because they like – what’s that little dog’s name? –
Dale: Oh yeah! Wishbone.
Bonnie: Wishbone. They like Wishbone.
Dale: Yeah. And Don was watching Discovery Channel yesterday with
whales. And other than that, nothing else.
Interviewer: And you guys supervise it pretty closely?
Dale: Yes.
Bonnie: Yeah.
Dale: We always know what they watch.
Bonnie: And like at school, I make sure I know what curriculum they’re
being taught.
Interviewer: And what kind of curriculum are you interested in them
being taught?
Bonnie: They’re being taught core knowledge, which is basic. That’s what
you and I learned when we were little kids and that’s really good
curriculum. If there’s something that they’re going to be studying one
week and I don’t like it, I just let the teacher know and then we’ll
figure something else out. But that’s never happened with the core
knowledge, ever. But I try to stay heavily involved as far as volun-
teering. I’m classroom mom for both of their classes so, you know, I
try to stay tight with what they’re doing.

One gets the impression that their scrutiny of television viewing is a bit
looser than they would like to think. For example, they mention two
specific programs here, Wishbone and a nature program on the Discovery
Channel. We know from earlier in the interview that the boys have prob-
ably regularly watched three additional programs on the Cartoon Network,
and Nickelodeon’s Nickjr morning block of programming. While Bonnie
and Dale would like us to think of them as drawing “bright lines” around
media for their kids, we find that they and the boys have negotiated their
way into television and Internet. Admittedly, the material they have
accessed is largely kid-oriented and kid-friendly. Their expressed preference
for straightforward, basic knowledge in school, and Dale’s idea that the
boys’ Internet use should be intentional and purposive, are laudable ideas,
ideas that echo the perspectives of many religious organizations. In practice,
though, the barriers and boundaries are not that clear.